Data Import Wizard, Data Loader and external IDs
Pick the Data Import Wizard or Data Loader from the object, volume and operation; automate loads with the Data Loader command line; relate records with external IDs during upsert (and know where polymorphic fields stop you); and tune Bulk API settings for nulls, locking and assignment rules.
Given a scenario, identify the appropriate tools and methods for importing data into Salesforce (data import wizard, data loader, and external ID).
~7 min read · 8 practice questions ·
What the exam expects
- Choose the Data Import Wizard, Data Loader or another tool from the object, record count, operation and install constraints.
- Plan an unattended, scheduled load with the Data Loader command-line interface and pick the right host.
- Relate child records to parents by external ID during a Data Loader upsert, and recognise polymorphic fields that can't use one.
- Set Data Loader options for Bulk API: batch size, clearing fields with nulls, serial mode for locking errors, and assignment rules.
- Predict which save-time rules still apply to imported records.
Key terms: upsert (insert or update in one pass, matching on an ID or external ID); external ID (a custom field flagged to hold another system's unique identifier for matching); polymorphic field (a lookup that can point at several object types, such as an activity's Related To); Bulk API (asynchronous, parallel loading API); serial mode (Bulk API batches processed one at a time).
Key facts
- Detail
- Up to 50,000 records
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- Between 5,000 and 5 million
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- Import only; no export or delete
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- Not imported; Account Note or Contact Note keeps the text
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- Windows only
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- Upsert, related-objects step, [Object]:[ExternalIDField__c]
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- WhatId, WhoId, custom object Owner can't map to external IDs
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- Up to 10,000 (SOAP 200)
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- Use #N/A; Insert null values unavailable
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- Enable serial mode for Bulk API
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- Rule ID; cases and leads; overrides Owner
Sources for this section (5)
- When does an import that fits under 50,000 records still need Data Loader?
- When would you map a wizard column to Contact Note?
- Why does a Data Loader row that matches an alert-only duplicate rule fail instead of showing an alert?
- What does serial mode trade away to fix locking errors?
The questions are free to read. Answers with their sources and self-grading are included with the pack.
Keep reading with the Platform Administrator II pack
- Core concepts
- Exam traps
- Worked scenario
The pack includes:
- All 29 lessons of the Platform Administrator II guide, with reading progress
- Interactive decision walks and step-by-step sequence steppers
- Inline practice questions and one-click topic practice (8 questions for this lesson)
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