If your Salesforce reports are slowing down, your data storage usage might be to blame. Salesforce environments with complex objects, custom apps, or integrations often hit storage thresholds unnoticed, until reporting speed and performance start suffering.
Salesforce allocates approximately 10 GB of data storage per org, with additional capacity based on the number of licensed users. But as data grows, especially across Sales, Service, Health, or Financial Clouds, the risk of hitting Salesforce storage limits increases sharply.
Once your Salesforce data storage exceeds 80–90% of capacity, you’ll likely encounter performance issues, delayed report loads, or the dreaded error:
“Your Salesforce data storage limit has been exceeded.”
This makes proactive Salesforce data storage management not just important, but essential.
How to Manage Salesforce Data Storage Effectively
Monitor Data Growth with Native Tools
Start with Salesforce’s native Storage Usage Page (Setup > Storage Usage) to review object-level consumption. This top-down view helps you identify areas of concern, like objects consuming significant storage without active CRM engagement.
Complement this with custom reports tracking:
- Record count by object
- Average size per record
- Last modified date
- Growth trends over time
Focus on long-tail objects like historical Tasks, Emails, Campaign Member data, or audit trails from third-party apps that silently inflate usage.
Identify High-Growth Data Objects
Certain objects consume data faster than others:
- Leads (especially unconverted ones)
- Tasks & Events (heavy logging)
- Emails & Attachments
- Cases & Contacts
- Custom Objects (created for niche processes, often unmanaged)
Using SOQL queries and custom dashboards, analyze these objects by record volume, size, and activity. This insight helps inform what to archive versus what to retain in live storage.
Implement Strategic Salesforce Data Archiving
DataArchiva Salesforce supports both native archiving to Big Objects and external archiving to AWS, Azure, or on-premises systems, providing unmatched flexibility for enterprises.
Key Benefits of Salesforce Data Archiving:
- Reduces query and report load
- Optimizes Salesforce data storage costs
- Ensures compliance without bloating live storage
Define and Enforce Retention & Compliance Policies
For enterprises bound by data protection laws:
- Classify records (e.g., PII, medical, financial)
- Set clear retention schedules
- Enable field history tracking & audit logging
Over-retention poses as much risk as under-retention. Review policies annually to align with changing regulations and business needs.
Best Practices for Salesforce Data Storage Management
Incorporating a structured framework helps organizations manage growth, control costs, and stay audit-ready. Below are actionable Salesforce storage best practices:
Automate Data Lifecycle Management
Efficient data lifecycle management is crucial to ensure you’re storing only what you truly need.
- Automate recurring archiving of inactive or old records (e.g., Cases older than 3 years, closed Opportunities).
- Purge data based on retention policies, especially in industries with strict compliance timelines.
- Set intelligent threshold alerts at 75%, 85%, and 95% usage so you can act before hitting the limit.
- Use field-based filters (e.g., Status = ‘Closed’ AND LastModifiedDate < X) for precise automation.
With DataArchiva, you can:
- Schedule archiving directly from the Salesforce UI.
- Preserve parent-child record relationships.
- Automate policies based on field-level rules and time.
Perform Regular Maintenance
Routine audits help clean up clutter and keep your Salesforce org lean.
- Merge duplicate records using duplicate rules or third-party deduplication tools.
- Deactivate or delete inactive users, and reassign ownership to maintain continuity.
- Clean up legacy test data, sandbox copy artifacts, and abandoned records.
- Enforce validation rules and required fields to improve data quality.
- Archive attachments or large files into external storage using solutions like DataArchiva’s file archiving.
Quarterly Data Health Review:
- Review storage consumption per object.
- Check for unused custom fields and page layouts.
- Evaluate field usage reports to remove irrelevant fields.
Leverage Visualization & Reporting
Don’t just track, understand your data growth.
- Use Salesforce native dashboards to:
- Track object-wise storage usage.
- Visualize trends in monthly or quarterly growth.
- Highlight business units or users responsible for high data volume.
DataArchiva’s analytics dashboards can:
- Forecast storage demands using historical growth trends.
- Monitor specific user roles or departments for growth patterns.
- Flag anomalies (e.g., sudden data spikes).
Implement Data Classification & Tiering
Not all data needs to stay in primary storage.
- Classify data by access frequency (Hot, Warm, Cold).
- Store “Cold” data (rarely accessed) in cheaper external storage.
- Maintain “Hot” data in live Salesforce for performance-sensitive operations.
Example:
- Keep the last 1 year of Case records in Salesforce.
- Archive older records to external platforms (AWS, Azure) via DataArchiva.
Utilize External Storage Options
Salesforce storage is expensive; offloading helps.
- Use Big Objects for storing large volumes of historical data with limited access.
- Offload data to external cloud platforms (S3, Azure Blob, SharePoint) using secure connectors.
- Archive Files & Attachments—which typically consume a major chunk of storage.
DataArchiva offers:
- Seamless integration with AWS and Azure
- Native experience within Salesforce UI.
- Secure & scalable external storage architecture.
Streamline Backup & Recovery
Storage management isn’t just about space; it’s about safety, too.
- Backup regularly (daily or weekly, depending on volume).
- Include metadata, files, and relationships in backups.
- Choose a tool that supports point-in-time restore, full, and granular recovery.
DataArchiva’s backup and recovery app supports:
- Cross-cloud backup (AWS, Azure).
- Full, incremental, and selective restore.
- Compliance-ready audit logging.
Optimize Field Usage and Page Layouts
Every field adds weight. Streamline it.
- Identify rarely used fields using Field Trip or custom reports.
- Remove fields that are obsolete or replaced by new processes.
- Limit page layouts to only essential fields for better UI performance.
Educate End Users on Data Hygiene
Poor habits create data clutter.
- Train teams to:
- Avoid duplicate record creation.
- Use picklists instead of free-text fields.
- Log only the necessary data.
- Define a data stewardship team to oversee quality enforcement
Monitor API Data Loads
Bulk imports can clog your storage overnight.
- Track external data loads and integrations.
- Set thresholds and alerts for API volume.
- Log & audit imports to catch redundant data entries.
Reducing Salesforce Storage Costs with DataArchiva
Buying more Salesforce storage is expensive. By archiving data externally (to AWS, Azure, GCP, or on-prem), you can:
- Reduce Salesforce data storage costs by over 80%.
- Scale effortlessly beyond native limits.
Choose your archiving destination based on:
| Storage Option | Best For |
|---|---|
| Salesforce Big Objects | Native, scalable storage inside Salesforce |
| AWS / Azure / GCP | External cloud, cost-effective, analytics-ready |
| On-Premise Systems | Highly regulated industries need data locality |
Powerful Protection & Backup for Your Critical Business Data within Salesforce
Using Salesforce Data Backup Solutions Alongside Archiving
Salesforce data archiving and Salesforce data backup solutions are not the same. While archiving helps offload inactive records, backups are critical for disaster recovery and selective restores.
Combine both strategies for full Salesforce data optimization:
- Archive inactive data.
- Backup active + archived data routinely.
- Restore selectively when needed (record-level, object-level, full recovery).
Final Thoughts: Future-Proof Your Salesforce Storage with DataArchiva
If your data is growing rapidly, you need more than just cleanup jobs. Salesforce data storage management must evolve into a sustainable, automated strategy.
With DataArchiva Salesforce, you get:
- Native & external archiving options.
- Compliance-ready architecture.
- Zero impact on live CRM workflows.
- Seamless automation & scalability.
Learn how DataArchiva can help your team master Salesforce storage best practices and make Salesforce data archiving a competitive advantage. Book an exclusive demo now.
