Now, when it comes to getting your data out the right way, you've got a trio of options to play around with. Each one has its pros and cons, and it's a bit like strolling into a hardware store and checking out tools – sometimes you're reaching for a regular hammer, and other times you're going all-in with a heavy-duty sledgehammer.
So, here are the three different routes you can take when you're ready to export your Salesforce data:
Go the free route: You can stick with what Salesforce offers or grab some free tools for the job. It's like getting the basics without spending a dime.
Level up with paid tools: If you're looking hungarian phone number for some extra oomph and efficiency, you can invest in paid tools.
Do it your way, DIY style: Feeling adventurous? You can roll up your sleeves and build your very own tools. This is like creating a custom solution tailored just for you.
Now we’ve discussed the reasons for exporting your data, and the tools at your disposal, let’s take a look at some scenarios for each, and how to use them.
Option 1 - Using Salesforce functionality and free tools
When looking to export data using free tools, there is actually a huge variety of options available to you, largely thanks to the AppExchange, which contains many 'open source’ tools. If the marketing budget is tight and the volume of data you’re extracting isn’t huge, this could certainly be a way forward.
Use cases for using free tools could include exporting reports, or running an automated weekly data export for backup purposes. Let’s take a look at the main tools here:
Extract reports using Salesforce built-in functionality
If you have a valuable report that you would like to export, then this is the simplest option to get the data out of Salesforce.
Start by viewing the report you would like to export:
Click the dropdown next to the “Edit” button on the top-right.
Click “Export”.
Choose between a Formatted Report or Details Only report.
Screenshot of the built in extract data from Salesforce
A Formatted Report’ will contain all your report header, groupings, and filter settings, whereas a Details Only’ report will only contain the detail rows. Use the latter for uploading to other systems (including Marketing Cloud Account Engagement).