Using Data Loader to Export Records

There will be times you will need to export raw data or do a mass update of records that cannot be easily done via the Salesforce Object Manager or Report export.  The Data Loader provides a way to export Salesforce records using a filter and the ability to specify the field data the export returns.  This method will work on most Salesforce standard and custom objects.

Some reasons for exporting data would be to seed data for new processes, getting a quick backup before making mass changes, importing data into other apps, etc.

For this example we want to update the Account Type based on the Source field.  We will do this by exporting the Account records from Salesforce so we can manipulate the data and update the records.

To Export Data:

1. Open Data Loader and the Export
2. Choose the Environment (e.g, Production) and click the Log in button
3. Sign into the Organization. Provide a verification code if required and click the Allow button if presented.
4. When screen updates to “Login Successful”, you are ready to start.
5. Click the Next button
6. From the list provided, click on the name of the object you will export data from. If you do not see the object, check the Show all Salesforce objects  For this example we will choose Account.
7. In the Choose Target for extraction, browse to the folder you want to store the export in and give the file a name (e.g., AccountDataforUpdate.csv). The default file is \Downloads\extract.csv.

NOTE:  You must but the .csv extension on the file name or it will save as a text file.

8. Click the Next
9. Place a check box next to all fields to be included in the export. If you want all field data, click the Select all fields  For this example we choose the ID and Source field because we only need those two to make our update.  The Source field will be used to populate the Type value and the ID will be used to update the account records.
10. You can add filters to the exported data by using the drop-down lists or manually editing the query. For example, maybe you only want to update records created this year or that are located in a specific state.
11. Click the Finish Click Yes when asked to begin.
12. Data Loader will display Progress Information letting you know how many records are being exported. It will also alert of any errors that may occur.
13. When the data have finished exporting you will be presented with some options. You can click OK to finish and close.  You can click View Extraction and see the data and open in Excel.  Since we had no errors, we will click OK.
14. You can now browse to the saved export file and manipulate the data as needed.