Ever feel like your Salesforce org is getting a little… cluttered? You’re not alone. As businesses grow, so does their Salesforce data, contacts, cases, emails, attachments, reports, logs; it all piles up.
But here’s the thing: not all data is created equal. Some of it you need daily (hello, sales pipeline), while other data (like logs from 2019) just needs to hang out somewhere safe. That’s where a tiered Salesforce storage strategy, Hot, Warm, and Cold, comes in.
Let’s walk through how you can use this model in Salesforce to manage data smarter, stay compliant, and reduce storage costs (yes, really!).
What is Tiered Data Storage in Salesforce?
Tiered storage means organizing your Salesforce data based on how often it’s accessed and how important it is.
Think of it like this:
- Hot Tier: Your go-to, most-used data, always needed, always online.
- Warm Tier: Data you check occasionally, needs to be there, but not ASAP.
- Cold Tier: Old but important data, great for audits, not daily ops.
By separating your data this way, you can:
Improve org performance
Stay compliant without bloating your active data set
Let’s dig into what fits into each tier and how to set it up in your Salesforce ecosystem.
Tier 0 & Tier 1: Hot Data In Salesforce
Hot data is your most frequently accessed and business-critical Salesforce data. This includes:
- Active Opportunities
- Live Cases
- Recently updated Leads & Contacts
- Custom objects driving current workflows
Where It Lives
Hot data stays inside Salesforce’s core platform storage. It’s right where your users need it, no delays, no redirects.
Best Practices to Review Hot Data In Salesforce:
- Regularly review what’s actually “hot”; just because it’s in your main org doesn’t mean it still needs to be.
- Optimize user experience and performance by customizing how key data is displayed. This helps prioritize visibility for high-use records and reduces load time.
- Use Salesforce analytics tools to identify which records, objects, or processes are actively used. These insights can help guide decisions around what stays in the "hot" tier.
Tier 2: Warm Data in Salesforce
This is the data you don’t access daily but still reference regularly:
- Closed cases from the past quarter
- Past opportunities
- Old but relevant reports or dashboards
- Compliance-sensitive data is still within retention windows
Where It Lives
Warm data can live in external systems tightly integrated with Salesforce, like:
- External object storage using Salesforce Connect
- Platform-based storage solutions or hybrid storage models
- Archiving tools that allow easy retrieval without cluttering the live org
Top US University Archived a Huge Volume of Old Emails & Cases using AWS Cloud Using DataArchiva
Best Practices To Review Warm Data in Salesforce:
- Move records to warm storage based on criteria like the last modified date or inactivity period.
- Use external objects to keep warm data visible in the Salesforce UI, but store it in more cost-effective external storage.
- Set automation rules (using Flow or Apex) to trigger transitions from Hot to Warm based on data age or usage patterns.
Tier 3: Cold Data in Salesforce
- Closed-won/lost opportunities older than 2 years
- Old emails, tasks, or notes
- Long-term stored email attachments and files
- Compliance-mandated records like patient records, financial data, etc.
Where It Lives
Cold data lives outside of Salesforce, on cloud-based archival platforms or low-cost storage solutions like:
- AWS S3
- Azure Blob Storage
- Archiving apps with Salesforce-native access
You still want access, just not immediately.
Best Practices To Review Cold Data in Salesforce:
- Archive based on custom retention policies, by object, record age, or activity.
- Use deep-linking to access cold records via related lists or custom buttons.
- Implement automated archival workflows that move and track archived data.
Implementing Data Archival in Salesforce Based on Tiered Storage
Tiered storage in Salesforce involves categorizing data based on its usage frequency, hot, warm, and cold, and storing it accordingly to optimize cost and performance. Implementing data archival for cold data, which is rarely accessed but must be retained, ensures compliance and long-term storage without burdening primary storage. That’s why archiving is the best option for managing cold data efficiently.
Archive Data ≠ Deleted Data
Important note: Archive ≠ Delete. You’re not throwing anything away, you’re moving it to a smarter, more cost-effective place.
For organizations with compliance mandates (finance, healthcare, public sector, etc.), archiving ensures you meet your retention periods (7–10 years or more) without breaking the bank on Salesforce storage.
While Salesforce doesn’t come with native tiering automation out of the box, you can build it with:
- Salesforce Flow: Automates the identification and movement of data based on defined logic without code.
- Scheduled Apex Jobs: Executes automated data operations like moving or flagging cold data at scheduled intervals.
- Data Classification Rules: Categorizes data into hot, warm, or cold tiers based on usage patterns and business relevance.
- Third-party Tiering/Archiving Apps: Automate seamless data movement and access across storage tiers with third-party applications like DataArchiva for efficient Salesforce data archiving
Set rules like:
“If a case is closed and untouched for 6 months, move it to Warm storage.”
“If an opportunity is closed-lost and untouched for 2 years, move it to Cold.”
You get the idea.
How to Start Tiering Salesforce Data Today
- Classify your data: Use reports or data dictionary tools to group data by age, access frequency, and compliance needs.
- Define tiering rules: What’s hot? What’s warm? What’s cold?
- Choose your storage tools: Whether it’s Salesforce Connect, Heroku, AWS, or a Salesforce-native archiving app, pick what fits your use case.
- Automate: Use Flow, Apex, or third-party tools like DataArchiva to move data across tiers.
- Train users: Let them know where to find archived data when they need it.
Tiered Storage in Salesforce with DataArchiva
If you’re exploring a tiered storage strategy within Salesforce, DataArchiva can help you execute it easily. As organizations continue to generate more Salesforce data, whether it’s structured CRM records or large file attachments, DataArchiva empowers you to move less-used, cold, or archival data out of your primary org storage and into highly secure, scalable external storage systems, without losing access from within Salesforce.
Using DataArchiva, you can implement your hot, warm, and cold storage tiers in a way that aligns perfectly with your business needs. Keep your hot data in Salesforce, archive warm and cold data to AWS, Azure, or GCP, and reduce storage costs by over 85% while ensuring 100% data integrity and compliance.
Some of DataArchiva’s most popular features include:
- Native integration with Salesforce UI (no third-party app switching)
- Customizable archiving policies (based on age, object, user, or field)
- Support for both structured data and files
- Point-and-click configuration with no-code options
- Full access to archived data with search, view, and restore options
Why It Matters for Salesforce Admins, Architects & IT Teams
Improve org performance by reducing clutter in standard objects
Stay compliant with industry-specific data retention needs
Conclusion
Implementing a tiered storage strategy with DataArchiva is more than just a cost-saving move; it’s a smart, scalable approach to long-term Salesforce data management. By archiving cold and less-critical data to external platforms while retaining access within Salesforce, organizations can unlock improved performance, stay compliant, and future-proof their CRM environment. Now is the time to take control of your data before it controls your storage limits.
Set up Tiered Storage Strategy (hot, warm, cold)
Implement hot, warm, and cold storage tiers for Salesforce data that aligns with your business needs
