Why does this matter now more than ever? Every click, transaction, and integration adds to your data stack. What starts as valuable business intelligence can turn into clutter if left unmanaged. Performance lags, compliance risks, and poor user experience are all real consequences of unchecked data growth in Salesforce. That’s why the importance of data strategy can’t be overstated, it’s the backbone of a scalable, secure, and efficient Salesforce environment.
So, what can you do about it? Proactive Salesforce data management isn’t just about cleaning up old records. It’s about putting a smart, forward-looking system in place that helps your teams access the right data, at the right time, for the right reasons. In a world where data drives decisions, recognizing the importance of data strategy is what sets resilient, high-performing businesses apart.
Salesforce data management starts with knowing your Salesforce data types. It’s not just standard records; your org holds standard objects (like Accounts and Contacts), custom objects tailored to your business, plus attachments, emails, files, Chatter posts, logs, and more. These various Salesforce data types all occupy storage, and not all of them contribute equally to day-to-day operations.
But is all data the same? Not quite.
Salesforce data typically falls into three categories:
Salesforce storage limits: generally 10 GB of data storage per org, with an additional small amount per user license. File storage is separate, but often cheaper. Once your Salesforce storage limits are exceeded, overage costs can spike quickly. That’s why a well-planned Salesforce data architecture, including archiving and cleanup strategies, is crucial. It helps you manage costs, boost performance, and keep your org running smoothly as your data continues to grow.
Salesforce Storage Problems & Performance Degradation
Salesforce storage problems are more common than you think; limited space and high costs can quickly become an operational burden. Large data volumes also degrade performance, slowing reports, dashboards, and searches across your org.
Manual Effort & Salesforce Data Recovery Issues
Manual processes waste time and are error-prone. Worse, when data is lost, many discover Salesforce data recovery issues, such as limited restore capabilities for related records and missing metadata. It’s a hidden risk in everyday operations.
Salesforce Compliance Issues & Backup Limitations
Industries like healthcare, finance, and legal face strict retention and audit demands. Yet many backup solutions don’t preserve metadata or access controls, leading to serious Salesforce compliance issues and Salesforce backup limitations that compromise recovery and regulatory readiness.
Salesforce is built to help teams move fast, but as your org grows, so does your data. If left unmanaged, that data can impact performance, inflate costs, and create compliance risks. That’s where Salesforce data archiving comes in.
Data archiving in Salesforce involves moving historical or infrequently accessed data, such as closed cases, old records, or system logs, out of your active production environment while retaining secure access. Organizations often archive Salesforce records to improve performance and reduce reliance on high-cost storage.
| Features | Native Salesforce Archiving | Third-Party Archiving |
|---|---|---|
| Technology Used | Uses Big Objects for storage | Leverages external storage/cloud platforms |
| Functionality | Basic archiving with limited automation | Advanced scheduling, querying, and reporting |
| Cost Impact | Some cost relief, but limited scalability | Designed for long-term cost optimization |
| Customization | Limited flexibility | Highly customizable and compliance-ready |
Native Salesforce archiving relies on Big Objects, which are great for storing large volumes of data inside Salesforce. However, they come with limitations in querying and real-time access. Third-party solutions provide more control, automation, and cost-efficiency, especially for large datasets and regulated industries.
Improve Performance
A leaner org means faster reporting, quicker searches, and better user experience.
Cut Costs
Avoid paying for expensive Salesforce storage by archiving historical data elsewhere.
Meet Compliance Goals
Retain necessary records for audits, legal holds, or internal policies, without keeping everything in production.
Ideal scenarios where it makes sense to archive Salesforce records:
Think your Salesforce data is fully protected? Think again. While Salesforce secures the platform, backing up your data is your responsibility, and skipping it puts your business at serious risk.
Salesforce data backup means securely copying your data and metadata so you can recover from mistakes, sync errors, or even malicious attacks. Without it, a single wrong move, like a bad import or accidental deletion, can lead to major disruptions.
When that happens, can you quickly restore deleted Salesforce records? If not, you’ve got a problem.
Salesforce’s weekly export is manual, limited, and doesn’t include metadata. It’s not enough to reliably back up Salesforce data or recover it fast.
| Criteria | Backup | Archiving |
|---|---|---|
| Purpose | Protect and recover data in case of loss or corruption | Move older, less-used data out of active storage to improve performance and reduce costs |
| Retention & Retrieval | Short- to medium-term storage for fast recovery of recent data | Long-term retention of historical data that may not need frequent access |
| Compliance & Recovery | Supports disaster recovery and data loss prevention; enables full or selective restores | Supports regulatory compliance by keeping data accessible and audit-ready without cluttering production |
| When to Use | When you need to back up Salesforce data regularly and restore deleted Salesforce records quicklyt | When your org is growing and needs to reduce storage usage while retaining data for reporting or compliancee |
| Ideal for | Accidental deletions, integration errors, and metadata recovery | Closed cases, old opportunities, historical logs |
Understanding the differences between backup and archiving is critical for a complete data strategy. In most cases, it’s not Salesforce backup vs archive, it’s both. Each plays a unique role in keeping your org secure, compliant, and optimized.
As your Salesforce org scales, effective data management becomes critical, not just for performance, but for compliance and cost control. That’s where a smart Salesforce archiving strategy comes in. But how do you decide between native or external archiving? Let’s break it down.
Gains:
Limitations:
While Salesforce Big Objects are suitable for basic archiving, they may fall short when it comes to flexible data retrieval, performance, and cost-efficiency at scale.
For more advanced needs, external archiving of Salesforce data to cloud platforms like AWS, Azure, or GCP offers greater control and scalability.
Benefits:
External solutions also allow for custom archiving policies, scheduled automation, and better access controls, all critical for large enterprises and regulated industries.
| Factor | Salesforce Big Objects | External Archiving Salesforce |
|---|---|---|
| Cost | May still incur Salesforce storage costs | Typically lower storage costs with cloud providers |
| Performancel | Basic performance improvement | Significant performance boost for large orgs |
| Accessibility | Limited querying optionss | Flexible access, dashboards, and reporting |
| Compliance | Basic retention support | Meets advanced compliance and audit requirements |
Choosing the right Salesforce archiving strategy depends on your data volume, compliance needs, and performance goals. Native archiving may work for small to mid-sized orgs, while external options are better suited for complex, high-volume environments.
Not all Salesforce backups are created equal. The right Salesforce backup tools should fit your data volume, business continuity needs, and compliance standards.
Backup Frequency
Should you back up daily, in real-time, or incrementally? High-change orgs may need near real-time protection.
Full vs Selective Backups
Full backups capture everything. Selective backups let you protect only the most critical data.
Data vs Metadata Backup
Most solutions focus only on records. But metadata backup, layouts, workflows, and Apex code are equally vital for full restoration.
Restore Capabilities
Can you perform point-in-time recovery or restore entire parent-child records without breaking relationships?
A solid Salesforce recovery plan combines frequency, scope, and restore granularity. Ready to restore Salesforce data from any scenario?
Regulated industries can’t afford gaps in data protection. Backup and archiving solutions must support Salesforce data compliance standards.
Regulation Support
From GDPR data archiving, Salesforce needs to meet HIPAA and SOX. The right system helps you meet audit-ready retention and access control standards.
Security Features
Ensure secure Salesforce backup with encryption (in transit and at rest), access controls, and role-based permissions.
Retention & Legal Hold
Define how long data stays archived or backed up. Legal hold ensures data stays untouched during disputes or audits.
If you’re managing growing data volumes, tightening compliance requirements, or hitting storage limits in Salesforce, you need more than native tools. You need a strategic solution that combines automation, scalability, and security.
That’s where DataArchiva comes in.
Whether you’re struggling with expensive data storage, limited backup options, or rigid compliance needs, DataArchiva is your go-to Salesforce data archiving solution and Salesforce backup solution in one.
Choose what works for your business:
Retain your data. Free up Salesforce storage. Stay compliant.
Manual exports won’t protect your business. With DataArchiva, you can:
Automatically backup Salesforce data(including metadata).
A reliable Salesforce recovery plan starts here.
Whether you’re using AWS, Azure, GCP, or on-prem environments, DataArchiva integrates effortlessly to support a hybrid or fully external archiving and backup strategy.
Real Results, Real Customers
From healthcare and financial services to public sector and education, organizations worldwide are using DataArchiva to:
Compliance-Ready
Built to meet GDPR, HIPAA, SOX, and other global standards with audit trails and legal hold features.
Highly Scalable
From SMBs to large enterprises, DataArchiva scales with your org’s data growth.
Simple, Intuitive UI
No complex coding or manual steps. Everything is configurable and easy to manage.
Engineered for Complex Orgs
Supports multi-org, multi-region, and multi-cloud environments.
Smart Automation
Schedule backups, automate archiving jobs, and manage data without manual intervention.
Unified Solution for Archiving & Backup
DataArchiva offers seamless integration of backup and archiving within your Salesforce ecosystem.
A smart data strategy helps avoid crises before they happen. Follow these Salesforce data management best practices:
Perform Regular Data Audits
Know what you have, what’s stale, and what’s mission-critical.
Plan the Data Lifecycle
Map when data should be archived, retained, or deleted.
Automate Retention Policies
Use rules to control archiving and backups; don’t rely on manual tasks.
Test Restores Regularly
Always verify that your backup can be restored successfully.
Align With Business Needs
Your backup and archive strategy must support goals, not just IT tasks.
When done right, this is the foundation of strong data governance in Salesforce.
Even experienced Salesforce admins can overlook critical gaps.
Over-Relying on Native Tools
Weekly exports and Big Objects aren’t enough without automation and recovery options.
Not Testing Restores
Backup is only as good as your ability to restore. Always test!
One-Size-Fits-All Archiving
Different data types need different retention strategies.
Ignoring Metadata & Relationships
Many backups miss relationships and configurations, leading to broken restores.
Avoiding these pitfalls sets the stage for a resilient data ecosystem.
Effective Salesforce data management isn’t just about storage, it’s about resilience, compliance, and performance.
Looking to start Salesforce data archiving or implement Salesforce backup the right way?
It ensures clean, secure, and organized data for better reporting, compliance, and customer engagement. Proper data management also boosts system performance and helps businesses make informed decisions.
Backup protects against data loss from accidental deletion, system failure, or cyberattacks. It ensures quick recovery, supports compliance, and maintains business continuity during unexpected events.
By archiving old or unused data, it reduces reliance on expensive Salesforce storage. Efficient data handling avoids storage bloat, cutting costs and improving system speed.
Yes. Archived data remains accessible within Salesforce through a custom UI, allowing users to view, search, and report on data without disruption.
Yes. DataArchiva offers full and selective backup options, enabling organizations to back up all data or only specific objects and fields based on their needs.
No. DataArchiva is a native Salesforce app and doesn’t require third-party connectors. It integrates directly with cloud or on-prem storage platforms.
