How to Turn a Salesforce Data Migration Hastle into a Breeze

If you are reading this post, you are most likely somewhere on that perilous journey to finding the right method to migrate your CRM data to Salesforce.

To help save you some time (and $$), I wanted to give a quick overview of the most popular solutions available to you.

Why listen to me? Well we here at Import2 are experts in data migration. We have 10+ years of advanced data integration expertise, and have successfully copmleted over 20,000+ data migrations — including those into Salesforce! We know data migration inside and out, and are always happy to share our insight…

Option 1: Salesforce Import Wizard

The easiest option is using Import Wizard built into your Salesforce.com application. To open it go to Your Name | Setup | Data Management. It works with any Salesforce edition and in many cases is enough to get your data imported. What is also great? It’s free.

When to use Import Wizard:

• You have your current CRM data in CSV format and need to import only basic records like Accounts, Contacts or Leads
• API is not enabled in your Salesforce Edition (Group, Professional) so other options are not available for you.
• You don’t have any migration budget, but you have a few days of free time.

Option 2: Force.com Data Loader

Data Loader is another tool provided by Salesforce. It is a standalone application for Mac or PC and is available for download in your Salesforce admin . To navigate there, go to Your Name | Setup | Data Management. I would call it an advanced version of Import Wizard that allows you to do more sophisticated migration tricks.

When to use Data Loader:

• You need to import various CRM objects not supported by Import Wizard.
• You are familiar with Salesforce Data Model or techy enough to learn it quickly.
• You are using Professional or Enterprise Edition and have API access enabled.

Option 3: Salesforce API

Sometimes, especially when you need to automate certain steps of data preparation or cleansing, the best option is to use Salesforce API directly. Thorough documentation is very helpful and there are various client libraries like Databasedotcom written in different languages.

When to use Salesforce API:

• If other tools didn’t work out as expected.
• You need to automate certain steps of data import.
• You are using Professional or Enterprise Edition and have API access enabled.

Option 4: Import2

In many cases, you do not have time or resources to do the data import yourself. We have a solution for that with our tool — Import2 for Salesforce. It automates almost every step of CRM data import and helps you achieve the best results in the most cost-efficient manner.

At Import2, we use API, so there is no need for files or manual mappings. We automate the transfer and can provide you with a sample in minutes so you can test how the import works with your own data. The sample import is free, and you can see immediately how large your database is and get an estimate for how much the migration will cost.

When to use Import2:

• If other tools don’t accomplish what you are looking for.
• You do not have the know-how or time for an API migration
• You have a tight timeline to complete the migration

There you have it! The 4 methods for migrating your data into Salesforce.