Salesforce Platform: How to Configure and Run Salesforce Data Loader in Batch Mode on Windows

1. Open the Windows Command Prompt and navigate to the Data Loader installation directory:
2. Generate an encryption key using any string. Replace <seedtext> with any string of your choice:
3. Copy the output key (shown as ***) to a text file and save it as "key.txt". This key is used to encrypt your password in a later step.
4. Navigate to the Data Loader installation directory:
5. Generate an encryption key file. Replace <path to key file> with a directory path and file name ending in .key. If not specified, the file is saved to the default location:
6. Verify the key file was created. Example output:
7. Navigate to the Data Loader installation directory:
8. Generate an encryption key file (same command as version 43/44):
9. Verify the key file was created successfully.
10. Create a new text file and save it with the .sdl file extension.
11. Define the column mappings using the following syntax (left side = CSV column, right side = Salesforce field):
12. Copy the sample process-conf.xml file from the Data Loader installation directory:
13. Edit the file with your login details and file paths. Use the configuration sample below as a reference

Complete the following steps in order to configure and run Data Loader in batch mode.

**Step 1: Generate an Encryption Key**

An encryption key is used to encrypt (scramble for security) your Salesforce login password so it can be stored safely in the configuration file.

**For Data Loader version 42 or earlier**

   cd C:\Program Files (x86)\salesforce.com\Data Loader\bin

   encrypt.bat -g <seedtext>

   Example output: security.EncryptionUtil main (EncryptionUtil.java:304) - ***************

**For Data Loader version 43 or 44**

   cd C:\Program Files (x86)\salesforce.com\Data Loader\bin

   C:\Users\<Windows_username>\.dataloader\dataLoader.key
   Command: encrypt.bat -k <path to key file>

   Keyfile "C:\Users\<Windows Username>\.dataloader\dataLoader.key" was created!

**For Data Loader version 45 or later**

   C:\Users\<Windows Username>\dataloader\<Dataloader version>\bin

   encrypt.bat -k <path to key file>


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**Step 2: Create an Encryption Password**

Using the encryption key from Step 1, convert your Salesforce login password into an encrypted password for use in the configuration file.

Note: The password used to log in to Data Loader is typically different from your Salesforce login password. Your Salesforce password also requires a security token (a code appended to your password for API access). See Additional Resources for how to reset your security token.

**For Data Loader version 42 or earlier**

Replace <password> with your Salesforce login password and <filepath> with the location of key.txt:
encrypt.bat -e <password> "<filepath>\key.txt"

**For Data Loader version 43 or later**

Replace <password> with your Salesforce password and provide the path to your .key file:
encrypt.bat -e <password> "C:\Users\<Windows Username>\.dataloader\dataLoader.key"

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**Step 3: Create a Field Mapping File**

A field mapping file (.sdl) maps the columns in your input CSV file to the corresponding fields in your Salesforce object.


   SLA__C=SLA__c
   BILLINGCITY=BillingCity

For full details, see "Create the Field Mapping File" in Additional Resources.

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**Step 4: Create the Data Loader Configuration File (process-conf.xml)**

The configuration file (process-conf.xml) is an XML file (a structured text file used to store settings) that tells Data Loader how to connect to Salesforce and where to find your data and mapping files.

   \samples\conf\process-conf.xml


   entry key=&quot;sfdc.endpoint&quot; value=&quot;https://login.salesforce.com&quot;/
   <entry key=&quot;sfdc.username&quot; value=&quot;youremail@example.com&quot;/>
   <entry key=&quot;sfdc.password&quot; value=&quot;******encryption password from Step 2******&quot;/>
   <entry key=&quot;process.encryptionKeyFile&quot; value=&quot;key.txt&quot;/>  // For version 42 and earlier
   <entry key="process.encryptionKeyFile" value="C:\Users\<Windows Username>  // For version 43+
   <entry key=&quot;process.mappingFile&quot; value=&quot;test.sdl&quot;/>
   <entry key=&quot;dataAccess.name&quot; value=&quot;test_data.csv&quot;/>
   <entry key=&quot;sfdc.debugMessages&quot; value=&quot;true&quot;/>
   <entry key=&quot;sfdc.debugMessagesFile&quot; value=&quot;testMap.sdl&quot;/>
   entry key=&quot;process.outputSuccess&quot; value=&quot;C:\test\success.csv&quot;/
   entry key=&quot;process.outputError&quot; value=&quot;C:\test\error.csv&quot;/
   <entry key=&quot;dataAccess.type&quot; value=&quot;csvRead&quot;/>

Key configuration parameters explained:
- sfdc.endpoint: Your Salesforce login URL (e.g., https://login.salesforce.com)
- sfdc.username: The username Data Loader uses to log in to Salesforce
- sfdc.password: The encrypted password generated in Step 2
- process.encryptionKeyFile: Path to the encryption key file from Step 1
- process.mappingFile: Path to the .sdl field mapping file from Step 3
- dataAccess.name: Path to the CSV data file to import
- sfdc.debugMessages: Set to true or false to enable SOAP (a protocol for exchanging data) message logging for troubleshooting
- sfdc.debugMessagesFile: Path to the file where SOAP messages are stored
- process.outputSuccess: Path to the success log file
- process.outputError: Path to the error log file
- dataAccess.type: Specifies whether Data Loader reads from or writes to a file (e.g., csvRead for input, databaseWrite for output)

For full parameter details, see "Data Loader Process Configuration Parameters" in Additional Resources.

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**Step 5: Run the Process from the Command Line**

Once all files are configured, run the batch process from the Windows Command Prompt.

Replace <file path to process-conf.xml> with the directory containing your process-conf.xml file, and <process name> with the bean ID defined in the configuration file (the value in bean id="*****"):

process.bat "<file path to process-conf.xml>" <process name>

Once complete, Data Loader runs the specified data operation (such as Insert) from the command line without requiring the GUI.