Data Loader Guide

Data Loader
When to Use Data Loader
Installing Data Loader
Configure Data Loader
Using Data Loader
Data Types Supported by Data Loader
Export Data
Define Data Loader Field Mappings
Insert, Update, or Delete Data Using Data Loader
Upload Attachments
Upload Content with the Data Loader
Review Data Loader Output Files
Data Import Dates
View the Data Loader Log File
Configure the Data Loader Log File
Running in Batch Mode (Windows Only)
Command-Line Quick Start (Windows Only)
Data Loader Third-Party Licenses
PDF

Newer Version Available

This content describes an older version of this product. View Latest

Export Data

You can use the Data Loader export wizard to extract data from a Salesforce object.
Available in: both Salesforce Classic (not available in all orgs) and Lightning Experience
Available in: Enterprise, Performance, Unlimited, Developer, and Database.com Editions

User Permissions Needed
To export records: Read on the records
To export all records: Read on the records
  1. Open the Data Loader.
  2. Click Export. If you want to also export archived activity records and soft-deleted records, click Export All instead.
  3. Enter your Salesforce username and password, and click Log in.
  4. When you’re logged in, click Next. (You are not asked to log in again until you log out or close the program.)

    If your organization restricts IP addresses, logins from untrusted IPs are blocked until they’re activated. Salesforce automatically sends you an activation email that you can use to log in. The email contains a security token that you add to the end of your password. For example, if your password is mypassword, and your security token is XXXXXXXXXX, you must enter mypasswordXXXXXXXXXX to log in.

  5. Choose an object. For example, select the Account object. If your object name isn’t listed, select Show all objects to see all the objects that you can access. The objects are listed by localized label name, with the developer name in parentheses. For object descriptions, see the SOAP API Developer Guide.
  6. Select the CSV file to export the data to. You can choose an existing file or create a file.

    If you select an existing file, the export replaces its contents. To confirm the action, click Yes, or choose another file by clicking No.

  7. Click Next.
  8. Create a SOQL query for the data export. For example, select Id and Name in the query fields, and click Finish. As you follow the next steps, the CSV viewer displays all the Account names and their IDs. SOQL is the Salesforce Object Query Language. Similar to the SELECT command in SQL, with SOQL, you can specify the source object, a list of fields to retrieve, and conditions for selecting rows in the source object.
    1. Choose the fields you want to export.
    2. Optionally, select conditions to filter your dataset. If you do not select any conditions, all the data to which you have read access is returned.
    3. Review the generated query and edit if necessary.

    You can use a SOQL relationship query to include fields from a related object. For example:

    Or:

    When using relationship queries in the Data Loader, the fully specified field names are case-sensitive. For example, using ACCOUNT.NAME instead of Account.Name does not work.

    Data Loader doesn’t support nested queries or querying child objects. For example, queries similar to the following return an error:

    Also, Data Loader doesn’t support queries that use polymorphic relationships. For example, the following query results in an error:

    Tip

  9. Click Finish, then click Yes to confirm.

    A progress information window reports the status of the operation. After the operation completes, a confirmation window summarizes your results.

  10. To view the CSV file. click View Extraction, or to close, click OK.
  • Data Loader currently does not support exporting attachments. As a workaround, use the weekly export feature in the online application to export attachments.
  • If you select compound fields for export in the Data Loader, they cause error messages. To export values, use individual field components.

Note