Seeding Data in Salesforce

Streamline development and testing by seeding data from one org to another with the Seeding app. You can customize data copying into sandbox and production orgs. Create and configure seeding templates that define which records to add, update, or delete. Use filters to control the amount and type of data seeded so that your team can reproduce customer use cases and production scenarios.

• Seeding and Anonymizing Data
  The Seeding application copies selected Salesforce objects from a production org or sandbox to a sandbox, supporting software development, QA, and training. The Anonymize application replaces data in Salesforce sandbox object fields with alternate values to privatize original data and verify compliance with privacy laws and regulations.
• Get Started with Seeding for Salesforce
  Seeding populates data sets from one Salesforce org into another, which lets users develop, test, and train using accurate data. Extract data from a source org and use it to seed any sandbox with an identical data structure. Seeding also helps maintain object relationships, select specific records, and troubleshoot permissions or data issues.
• Salesforce Authenticated User Permission Requirements for Seeding
  In a Salesforce data environment, the Seeding application uses an authenticated user to access production and sandbox orgs. Authenticated users require specific permissions to perform tasks such as building templates that define subsets of related data to extract from a source org. And then using those templates to seed sandboxes with identical data structures.
• Seeding Limitations for Salesforce
  When working with the Seeding app, take note of these points.
• Self-Service Onboarding for Seeding and Anonymize
  The Seeding and Anonymize applications let you copy data between Salesforce orgs and mask sensitive information. These applications support software development, testing, and training efforts.
• Navigating the Templates Tab
  The Templates tab under the Seeding tab presents a listing of previously created, available templates with template-related information. You can clone and delete templates provided they aren’t being edited by another user.
• Create a Seeding Template for Salesforce
  Create an initial version of a seeding template for performing data seeding. By default, template creation is based on the blank template. This means that the created template doesn’t have any predefined nodes (objects) or predefined levels. When you create the template you define the template type: Nodes or Levels.
• Export and Import the Seeding Template Object Hierarchy in Salesforce
  Use Salesforce Seeding to export and import your object hierarchy and reuse templates across environments. Reusing templates eliminates manual copying, which saves time and minimizes errors.
• Object Record Counts for Nodes Templates
  Use the record count options in a Nodes template to control the amount of data seeded to your Salesforce sandbox.
• Object Record Counts for Levels Templates in Salesforce
  A Levels template provides options for calculation of the number of records per root object node.
• Seeding Template for Salesforce - Advanced Settings
  Control your match processing for auto-cloned objects such as users, products, and price books within the Seeding application. Advanced settings can help prevent duplicate object records and make sure every record has a designated owner.
• Use Advanced Settings to Manage Seeding Templates in Salesforce
  Fine-tune your seeding templates using advanced settings to optimize the seeding process. Prevent duplicate object records with auto-cloned object matching. Adjust the default batch size to avoid timeout errors during seeding.
• Build the Nodes Seeding Template for Salesforce
  Select the objects you want to seed and apply filters to ensure you are seeding the exact data required by your use case.
• Build the Levels Seeding Template for Salesforce
  Build the Levels Seeding Template for a Levels Seeding job. You can also set up the job to anonymize the data.
• Pair Salesforce Objects by Field Value with Field Matching
  Use Field Matching to manually match source and destination objects by a field value instead of an ID. When you select a unique value, the Seeding application maps the source and target records to prevent duplicate values.
• Manage the Salesforce Seeding Object Batch Size
  When using your template to seed a very large object, or an object that triggers many automations, the insertion might fail due to a timeout with your cloud service provider. To successfully seed such an object, lower the number of object records per processing batch for the insertion of the object. The process to change an object's batch size is the same for both Nodes and Levels templates.
• Disable Auto-Clone Object Matching from Your Salesforce Template
  Disable auto-clone object matching to speed up your seeding jobs and avoid seed failures caused by large records. When you disable auto-clone matching, you reduce processing time, especially when the destination already contains the necessary records.
• Filter Salesforce Data for Seeding
  Control the number, order, and type of records that are seeded for a selected template object.
• Filter Salesforce Object Records for Seeding
  Limit the records used for seeding to control which data is copied. Filtering object records helps make seeding more efficient and relevant for its specific purpose, such as testing. Strategic filtering prevents the inclusion of unnecessary or problematic data, such as redundant child objects or unconverted leads, which maintains data integrity.
• Execute a Seeding Job for Salesforce
  After your seeding template is built, you can use it in a seeding job to copy (seed) data into a Salesforce sandbox or into a Salesforce production org. You can do this directly from the Template Builder tab. If the Seed... button isn't available in the Template Builder tab, contact your administrator to grant you the required permission.
• Generating and Seeding Synthetic Data
  The Seeding application offers a combined generate-seed functionality, eliminating the need for a seeding source. By utilizing both a Generate template and an anonymization template, a seeding job can automatically create specified synthetic data and then populate a sandbox with it. This process significantly streamlines development by providing relevant, meaningful test data for necessary objects directly in your sandbox. Consequently, you avoid the time-consuming tasks of manual data creation or copying data from production or other sandboxes.
• Get Service and Backup IDs for Salesforce Seeding Jobs
  Retrieve data from any service backup, regardless of service or Salesforce org status, by obtaining the Service ID and Backup ID. Seed data from a specific point in time, using any backup, which is useful when the live service is unavailable or unsuitable for seeding.
• Recent Seeds Information and Seeding Job Reports (Salesforce)
  Seeding application processing generates information about each executed, seeding job Recent Seeds Information, Salesforce Automations Report, Seeding Report. These reports help you in understanding the seeding job's status and outcome.
• Schedule Seeding in Salesforce Overview
  Schedule seeding jobs to automate multiple seeding tasks, which increases efficiency by reducing the need for manual intervention. Ensure necessary destinations are fully seeded with the required data in advance of upcoming sprints and development projects to maintain consistency. Choose one-time or recurring seeding jobs with error handling and alerts.
• Schedule, Edit, and Delete Salesforce Seeding Jobs
  Schedule recurring and onetime seeding jobs in advance when you use Schedule Seeding. Enhance seeding efficiency by automating recurring tasks and manage all scheduled jobs from a central tab.
• Seeding Support for Attachment, Document, and ContentDocument Objects
  The Seeding application for Salesforce seeds dummy files. During a seeding job, the original files are replaced with a dummy file that correlates to the original file type, matching it by file name. Replacement with a dummy file is done to prevent users from seeing the actual data, thereby making the replacement file comply with Personally Identifiable Information (PII) protection.
• Seed Attachment, Document, and ContentDocument Objects
  Seed dummy content in Salesforce to prevent users from seeing actual data and comply with PII protection requirements. When using Nodes templates to seed the ContentDocument object, you can choose to seed dummy content or real content. The Attachment, Document, and ContentDocument objects represent uploaded files.
• Support and Limitations for Seeding Knowledge Articles
  When you plan to run a seeding job in Salesforce that includes the seeding of knowledge articles, take note of the scope and limitations of support.
• Seeding into a Salesforce Production Org
  When you run seeding jobs with a Salesforce production org as the destination, keep these points in mind.
• Seeding for Salesforce FAQs
  If you encounter issues related to Seeding for Salesforce, the answers to frequently-asked questions can sometimes help you.
• Seeding for Salesforce Best Practices
  Perform successful data seeding jobs when you follow best practices to make sure object relationships and metadata are configured correctly.
• Best Practices for Deployments with Large Data Volumes
  When restoring in Salesforce a large number of records, keep these recommendations in mind for smoother deployments and to minimize potential issues.
• Seeding to a Full Sandbox
  Incrementally seed a Full Salesforce Sandbox that already contains data from Salesforce.
• Seeding Recurring Activities
  When you seed recurring activities in Salesforce, you can automatically schedule and manage activities that occur repeatedly. By automating the creation of events or tasks that occur at specific times, you can make your work processes more efficient, cut down on manual work, and keep your activity management consistent.
• Common Errors and Warnings - Seeding and Anonymize for Salesforce
  Check out common errors and warnings you might encounter while using Seeding and Anonymize in Salesforce. For each issue, we offer a clear explanation of the cause and actionable steps you can take to resolve it.