Create Export Files for Import Wizards
Before you can import data into Salesforce, use your existing software to create a data export file.
Required Editions
| Available in: Salesforce Classic and Lightning Experience |
| Available in: Essentials, Group, Professional, Enterprise, Performance, Unlimited, and Developer Editions |
An export file contains all the information you want to import.
Your export file can contain a mixture of new records and updates to existing records. You’ll choose how records are matched to avoid duplication. For example, you can choose to match accounts and contacts by name or by email address. If you choose to match by email address, then the contact already in Salesforce will be updated if a record in your imported data has the same email address. However, if records have the same name but different email addresses, the records will remain separate.
- Use your existing software to create a data export file.
- Review data you will import to ensure that it is more up-to-date than what is already in Salesforce. Your Salesforce data will be replaced with data from your import file, even if it is out of date.
- Compare your data fields with the Salesforce fields you can import into, and verify that your data will be mapped into the appropriate Salesforce fields. See Prepare Your Data for Import.
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If you are the administrator and are importing for multiple users, combine export data from
multiple sources into a single comma delimited text file (.csv) using Excel.
When importing records from multiple users, your export file must include a Record Owner field for all new records which must contain the full usernames or first and last names of existing, active users. Existing record owners will not be changed; new records will be assigned to the user listed in the Record Owner field. For example, records that should be owned by Joe Smith in your organization must have that user’s username (”jsmith@acme.com”) or first and last names (for example, “Joe Smith”, or “Smith Joe” for Asian locales). For lead imports, you can also specify the name of a lead queue.
When importing leads, you can alternatively use a lead assignment rule to specify the owners of the imported data, instead of using a Record Owner field.
See Also
Export Contact Data from ACT!
ACT! allows you to export contact data in a text-delimited format which can then be imported.
Required Editions
| Available in: both Salesforce Classic and Lightning Experience |
| Available in: All Editions except Database.com |
To export contact data from ACT! (versions 4.0 or 2000):
- Launch ACT! and open your database.
- Select File | Data Exchange | Export....
- Select the file type Text-Delimited.
- Choose a file name and location for the exported data and click Next.
- Select Contact records only.
- Click the Options... button.
- Select Comma for the field separator character. If commas aren’t appropriate for your locale, use a tab or other delimiter. Specify your delimiter in Data Loader Settings (Settings | Settings).
- Select Yes, export field names and click OK.
- Click Next.
- Select All Records and then click Next.
- Leave the export field order list alone, and click Finish.
Exporting from LinkedIn®
You can export contact data from LinkedIn in a text-delimited format, which you can then import.
Required Editions
| Available in: Salesforce Classic |
| Available in: All Editions except Database.com |
Export from Outlook
Export data directly from Microsoft® Outlook® in a CSV (comma-separated values) format. Then import that data into Salesforce.
- In Outlook, navigate to the export feature.
- Choose Comma Separated Values (Windows) and click Next. If commas aren’t appropriate for your locale, use a tab or other delimiter. Specify your delimiter in Data Loader Settings (Settings | Settings).
- Select the folder containing the contacts you want to export, and click Next.
- Choose a file name for the exported data and click Next.
- Click Finish.
Export from Other Data Sources
You can import data into the system from any other application that can create a CSV (comma-separated values) file.
- Save your data source as a CSV file. If commas aren’t appropriate for your locale, use a tab or other delimiter. Specify your delimiter in Data Loader Settings (Settings | Settings).
- Ensure your file includes only one name per field. The system cannot accept more than one name per field.
- Ensure your file separates names and titles into two fields. The system cannot accept fields containing both names and titles.
- Ensure your file includes only one phone number per field.
Export from Salesforce
You can export account, campaign member, contact, custom object, lead, or solution reports from Salesforce to create an import file.
Required Editions
| Available in: both Salesforce Classic and Lightning Experience |
| Available in: Professional, Enterprise, Performance, Unlimited, and Developer Editions |
Include the Account ID, Campaign Member ID, Contact ID, Custom Object ID, Lead ID, or Solution ID value for each respective record in your report. These ID fields are unique Salesforce identifiers and are used to accurately match your data with existing Salesforce records.
To create an import file with these ID fields, first export the data from Salesforce.
- Run an account, campaign member, contact, custom object, lead, or solution report in Salesforce. Include the respective ID field and any other fields that are required for the import.
- Export the report to Excel.
