Try It Out: Download Sample Data

In addition to entering data via our tabbed pages, we can also use the handy Import Wizard to import multiple records at a time. The ability to easily import data into your custom objects is one of the Force.com platform's key benefits. Let's download some sample data so we can add more records to our custom objects without tons of typing.

1. Download the RecruitingApp-9_0.zip file containing the sample CSV (comma-separated values) import files from developer.salesforce.com/page/Force_Platform_Fundamentals.
2. Extract the zip file to any directory on your computer.
3. Go to the directory to which you extracted the zip file. This directory contains three CSV files: Positions.csv, Candidates.csv, and Job_Applications.csv. (The directory also contains other files that you'll use later in Moving Beyond Point-and-Click App Development.)

Before we import anything, we need to make a modification to the import file for positions. The sample Positions.csv you downloaded contains fictional users in the Hiring Manager column. The names of these users most likely won't match any user in your organization, and if you import the file “as is,” the Import Wizard won't be able to find any matching users, and the Hiring Manager field on each position record will be left blank. So let's go ahead and make that change.

4. Go to the directory to which you extracted the zip file and open Positions.csv in Excel, a text editor, or any other program that can read CSV files.
5. In the Hiring Manager column, replace the fictional users with the first and last name of a user in your organization.
6. Save the file, making sure to maintain the CSV format.