In today’s era of Big Data, a business’s ability to survive and scale largely depends on how effectively it collects, stores, retains, accesses, and manages its data. However, with Salesforce at the core of business operations, organizations are often challenged by the massive volume of data generated every day. Rising storage costs, declining application performance, scalability concerns, complex compliance requirements, and governance issues make it difficult to sustain growth without a structured approach. This is where Salesforce data archiving strategies become essential, enabling enterprises to optimize storage, reduce costs, and maintain seamless system performance.
Efficient data archival strategy practices, supported by intelligent analytics, now play a decisive role in shaping the success stories of modern enterprises. As a result, Salesforce-driven businesses are consistently seeking innovative Salesforce data archiving solutions to not only streamline operations but also unlock the true value of their data.
Understand the Importance of Salesforce Data Archiving
For most organizations, archiving Salesforce data has become a necessity rather than a choice. Businesses turn to Salesforce data archiving solutions not only for cost reduction and storage optimization but also for ensuring compliance and operational efficiency. With the right data archiving tools, companies can:
- Retain historical data to address legal discovery requests and adhere to data retention mandates.
- Demonstrate compliance with industry and government regulations.
- Enhance application speed and user productivity by reducing data bloat.
- Cut down on excessive Salesforce archive storage expenses.
For Salesforce users, several data archive solutions are available. Many businesses adopt purpose-built Salesforce data archiving tools like DataArchiva, which is designed to align with diverse archiving requirements. Beyond tools, our Salesforce data management specialists recommend following the top five Salesforce data archival strategies to maximize the value of historical records.
Reduce Cost, Stay Compliant & Unlock Superior Data Experience in Salesforce with DataArchiva External Archiving
Why Archive Salesforce Data?
Developing a well-structured Salesforce data archival strategy provides businesses with multiple long-term advantages:
Optimize Storage Costs
When inactive or rarely used data is archived, the pressure on Salesforce’s primary storage reduces significantly. This shift enables businesses to leverage lower-cost data archive solutions while freeing up valuable resources for other mission-critical initiatives. Whether using cloud-based repositories or on-premise infrastructure, a strong data archiving solution can deliver measurable cost savings.
Boost System Efficiency
Operating in an overloaded production org is like searching for a single document in an overstuffed filing cabinet. The information might eventually be found, but the process is slow and inefficient. Archiving Salesforce data keeps the production environment clean and uncluttered, allowing users to quickly access active records. The result: improved system speed, smoother processes, and better overall performance.
Lower Data Risks
By keeping less critical data out of production, organizations naturally reduce their exposure to risks associated with loss, corruption, or cyber incidents. With a proper Salesforce data archival strategy in place, data remains structured, securely stored, and easily retrievable in the event of a disaster. This enhances resilience and strengthens overall data protection measures.
Ensure Regulatory Compliance
Businesses today operate under strict compliance frameworks. From internal retention guidelines to external regulations, failure to comply can lead to financial penalties, legal action, or reputational damage. A strong data archival strategy, Salesforce allows organizations to align with retention timelines, enforce governance policies, and maintain full compliance with confidence.
Salesforce Data Archiving to External Storage Systems using DataArchiva
Top 5 Salesforce Data Archiving Strategies You Shouldn’t Miss
Among many techniques, these 5 will surely support you in successfully archiving Salesforce data and retrieving it whenever required.
Custom External Objects
The external objects are similar to custom objects in Salesforce. But there is a singular difference between them; in external objects, the record data is stored outside the Salesforce Org. Each external object is associated with an external data source definition in the Salesforce organization, which specifies how to access the external system. This Salesforce archiving feature works best for enterprises where data security is not a critical concern.
Heroku-based Solutions
Data Extraction
A simple data archival solution is to extract Salesforce data into external systems. Records and data can be exported directly from Salesforce or ETL tools in the form of .csv files. This data is then stored as flat files in an external system, which reduces the load on the internal objects. However, this entire process comes with a lot of complexities, making it less reliable than other data archiving solutions.
Native Archiving using Big Objects
Big Objects is Salesforce’s big data-based storage system designed to store a maximum of 1 million records in a read-only format in the same trusted Salesforce platform. By using these Big Objects, enterprises can store massive volumes of data and records from an existing object onto the Big Object inside Salesforce. They ensure consistent performance and direct data access for a billion records or more.
However, this Salesforce archiving feature does not allow data from primary storage to be moved automatically, and enterprises usually require data archiving tools to manage the entire process.
AppExchange Archiving Solutions like DataArchiva
Also, if an enterprise wants to archive Salesforce data to any external database using its own platform (Heroku, AWS, Azure), it can implement DataArchiva External Archiving, one of the most trusted Salesforce data archiving solutions.
Best Practices to Follow for Salesforce Data Archiving
- Classify Data Before Archiving – Identify critical vs. inactive data to ensure only the right records are archived.
- Follow Compliance & Retention Policies – Align archiving with regulations (GDPR, HIPAA, etc.) to avoid risks and secure data.
- Use a Scalable Archiving Solution – Implement data archival tools that can grow with your data.
- Archive Data to Cost-Effective Storage – Move inactive records to external storage like AWS or Azure for savings.
- Ensure Data Accessibility & Searchability – Index archived records for fast retrieval.
- Automate Archiving with Set Rules – Use policies to automate archiving Salesforce data consistently.
- Maintain Data Integrity & Security – Encrypt and protect data with secure data archiving tools.
- Regularly Audit & Optimize Archives – Review retention rules to align with business needs.
- Integrate Archiving with Analytics & AI – Use archived data for trend analysis, compliance reporting, or AI insights.
Conclusion
Now that you are aware of the various types of Salesforce data archival strategies and data archiving solutions available, you can make a well-informed decision and choose the best possible solution for your Salesforce system.
If you’ve been asking, “What are the best Salesforce archiving solutions available?” or “How can I implement a Salesforce data archiving strategy?”—then DataArchiva is your answer.
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