Your Salesforce org isn’t just a CRM, it’s the core of your business. While some data powers daily decisions, most of it quietly piles up. Left unmanaged, this overload slows performance, drives up storage costs, and risks compliance issues. That’s where data archiving strategies come in: the smarter way to declutter, optimize, and future-proof your system. And it all starts with knowing the different types of archiving available.
By 2025, businesses are generating data at a rate that doubles every two years, with nearly 70% of it potentially archivable. These records aren’t used daily, but can’t be deleted due to compliance, audits, or continuity needs. Without a clear data archiving strategy, you face spiraling storage bills, sluggish systems, and regulatory pitfalls.
Here’s the game-changer: not all archive methods are the same. The types of archive you choose, from native Salesforce Big Objects to external cloud storage, can make or break your data plan.
In this blog, we’ll explore the different data archiving methods, why they’re more relevant than ever, and how the right data archiving solutions can keep your Salesforce org fast, compliant, and cost-efficient in 2025.
Types of Data Archiving in Salesforce
Database Archiving
Old database entries can clutter your system, making it sluggish. Database archiving preserves records while keeping your system efficient and responsive. This data archival method involves moving inactive records from production databases to long-term storage. In Salesforce, this often involves offloading older records from primary storage (such as standard objects) to secondary storage (like Big Objects, external databases, or archive storage solutions such as AWS, Azure, or Google Cloud).
Email Archiving
Strategically Archive Email Data in Salesforce with DataArchiva
Cloud Archiving
For businesses that need scalability and accessibility, cloud archiving offers a cost-effective way to store data without burdening on-premise servers. This data archival solution allows organizations to store archived data in secure cloud environments, providing remote access and integration with other cloud-based services. Cloud archiving solutions often include encryption and authentication features to ensure data security and compliance.
This is considered one of the best ways to archive data as it balances cost, security, and accessibility.
Big Objects Archiving
Big Objects archiving is a powerful Salesforce-native solution designed for managing vast amounts of historical data archive without affecting system performance. Unlike standard objects, Big Objects allow businesses to store billions of records while maintaining efficient data retrieval through predefined indexes.
This data archiving method is particularly useful for Salesforce native archiving of inactive or historical records, such as old cases, closed opportunities, transaction logs, or compliance data.
Importance of Data Archiving in Salesforce
Compliance & Legal Protection
On-Demand WebinarEnsure Compliance and Security in Salesforce Data Archive
Cost Savings
System Performance
Removing outdated data from active systems improves speed and responsiveness, leading to better user experience and system efficiency. Data archiving best practices ensure Salesforce remains optimized. Proper data archiving strategies prevent unnecessary system slowdowns and improve query performance, enhancing productivity.
Risk Mitigation & Disaster Recovery
Long-term data archiving acts as a safety net against accidental deletion, corruption, or cyber threats, ensuring business continuity. In case of a ransomware attack, having an archive storage solution ensures businesses can recover critical archived data without paying ransoms or losing valuable information.
Historical Analysis & Decision Making
Businesses can leverage historical data archives for trend analysis, audits, and strategic decision-making without cluttering their operational systems. This form of data archival helps businesses gain insights into market trends, customer behaviors, and performance metrics.
Save on Salesforce Data Storage with DataArchiva
With DataArchiva’s native archiving solution, you can cut Salesforce storage expenses by up to 85%, all while ensuring security, compliance, and accessibility.
Why DataArchiva?
- Automated Salesforce Data Archiving Schedule and automate the archiving of unused Salesforce data to AWS, Azure, on-prem, or other external storage.
- Custom Archiving & Purging Policies Define rules based on record age, activity, or compliance requirements to align with your data retention strategy.
- In-App Access to Archived Data View, search, and restore archived records directly inside Salesforce, no switching systems.
- Bulk Data Offloading with Relationships Move large volumes of Salesforce data while maintaining parent-child object hierarchies.
- Role-Based Security & Encryption Protect archived data with role-based access, end-to-end encryption, and audit trails.
- AI-Powered Global Search Instantly find what you need using natural language search across all archived data.
- Instant Data Restore Recover archived Salesforce records instantly with their original structure intact.
- Unified Reporting Combine live and archived data in Salesforce reports and dashboards for complete insights.
- External Storage Flexibility Archive Salesforce data to AWS, Azure, GCP, or on-prem, with 100% data ownership.
Real-World Use Cases of Data Archiving
Financial Records
Banks retain historical transactions, account statements, and tax documents to meet audit requirements. Database archiving ensures that businesses comply with tax laws, maintain accurate reporting, and facilitate financial forecasting. Here’s the success story of a US-based financial services provider that landed on data archiving solutions with DataArchiva.
Healthcare Data
Hospitals store patient records, medical histories, and imaging data for long-term access. Compliance with regulations like HIPAA mandates secure long-term data archiving of patient information to ensure continuity of care and legal compliance. Download this success story to learn more!
Research & Academia
Universities preserve research findings and raw data for future reference and validation. Research institutions often require data archiving methods to support continued scientific investigations and meet grant funding obligations.
Government Documents
Government agencies store citizen records, statutes, and historical archives for long-term preservation. These records support legal procedures, public services, and national history documentation through archived data repositories.
Final Thoughts
Knowing the different types of archiving and choosing the right data archiving strategy is essential for businesses running Salesforce in 2025. Whether it’s database archiving, long-term data archiving in the cloud, or Salesforce-native Big Objects, your choice of archive methods defines cost savings, compliance, and system efficiency.
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