If your Salesforce storage costs seem to increase every year, you’re not alone. Activities, EmailMessage records, closed cases, and historical opportunities can quickly consume expensive storage. That’s why more organizations are adopting Salesforce Big Objects as part of their Salesforce data archiving strategy. By storing massive volumes of historical data efficiently, Salesforce Big Objects helps businesses reduce storage costs, improve performance, and support long-term retention requirements.
Why Salesforce Storage Costs Keep Rising
Salesforce is designed to manage growing business data, but keeping every record in standard objects comes at a cost.
Common contributors to rising storage costs include:
- Activity history.
- EmailMessage records.
- Closed cases.
- Historical opportunities.
- Audit records.
- Compliance retention requirements.
Manage Billions of Salesforce Records Natively with Big Objects
This is where Salesforce Big Objects play a critical role in Salesforce storage optimization.
What Are Salesforce Big Objects?
Standard Objects vs Salesforce Big Objects
| Feature | Standard Objects | Salesforce Big Objects |
|---|---|---|
| Record Capacity | Limited | Billions of records |
| Storage Usage | High | Efficient |
| Performance Impact | Higher | Minimal |
| Best Use | Active Data | Historical Data | Scalability | Moderate | Extremely High |
Organizations using Salesforce Big Objects can maintain access to historical records without filling up expensive standard storage.
How Big Objects Reduce Salesforce Storage Costs
Archive Historical Records
Inactive records often account for a significant percentage of Salesforce storage usage.
Examples include:
- Completed activities.
- Closed cases.
- Historical opportunities.
- EmailMessage records.
Instead of keeping these records inside production objects, they can be moved into Salesforce Big Objects, reducing overall storage consumption.
Manage massive Salesforce data with Big Objects
Improve Salesforce Performance
Large data volumes slow down:
- Reports.
- Dashboards.
- SOQL queries.
- Batch processes.
Archiving inactive records using Salesforce Big Objects helps organizations maintain faster system performance and a better user experience.
Avoid Buying More Salesforce Data Storage
Buying additional storage every year is not always sustainable.
- Store billions of records efficiently.
- Reduce recurring storage expenses.
- Keep active objects lean.
- Scale without constantly purchasing more storage.
Support Compliance Requirements
Many industries require data retention for seven years or longer.
Big Objects provide an efficient way to retain historical data while reducing storage costs and supporting compliance policies.
Want to know more? Request a free demo at your convenience.
See How Real Businesses are Solving Data Growth Challenges with Salesforce Archiving
Salesforce Big Objects Limitations
Although Salesforce Big Objects offer impressive scalability, they also have limitations.
Limited Reporting
Native reporting capabilities are more limited compared to standard objects.
Custom Indexing Requirements
Indexes must be planned carefully because they are difficult to change later.
Query Restrictions
Big Objects use Async SOQL instead of traditional SOQL in many scenarios.
Technical Complexity
Implementing and managing Big Objects manually requires expertise.
DataArchiva leverages Salesforce Big Objects to deliver native Salesforce archiving without moving records outside the Salesforce ecosystem.
Because of these limitations, organizations often combine Big Objects with a specialized Salesforce data archiving solution.
Why Big Objects Need a Salesforce Data Archiving Strategy
Big Objects provide storage efficiency, but they are only one part of effective Salesforce data archiving.
A complete strategy should include:
- Automated archiving policies.
- Long-term retention.
- Relationship preservation.
- Easy record access.
- Compliance support.
- Performance optimization.
Without a structured approach, organizations can still struggle with data growth and user adoption.
How DataArchiva Uses Salesforce Big Objects
DataArchiva leverages Salesforce Big Objects to deliver native Salesforce archiving without moving records outside the Salesforce ecosystem.
Native Salesforce Archiving
Unlike external repositories, DataArchiva keeps archived data within Salesforce, ensuring a seamless user experience.
Better Performance
By moving inactive records into Big Objects, organizations can reduce data volume inside production objects and improve overall system performance.
Long-Term Retention
DataArchiva supports retention requirements while helping organizations optimize storage usage.
Seamless Access
Users can access archived records directly from Salesforce without switching between multiple platforms.
Relationship Preservation
Parent-child relationships are maintained, making historical records easier to understand and use.
As part of a broader Salesforce data lifecycle management strategy, DataArchiva helps organizations maximize the value of Salesforce Big Objects while reducing storage costs.
Final Thoughts
As data volumes continue to grow in 2026, organizations need smarter ways to control Salesforce storage costs. Salesforce Big Objects provide an efficient method for storing historical data while improving performance and supporting long-term retention.
When combined with a robust Salesforce data archiving solution like DataArchiva, organizations can implement a scalable Salesforce data archival strategy that balances performance, compliance, and cost efficiency.
