While working on salesforce projects like data integration, daily I have to deal with data mapping, data import, export the data from spreadsheets, and then adjust the fields as per salesforce object fields. I have to use Salesforce standard Data Loader installed in my system, generate the token and connect my Org.

I have to select my latest updated .csv file and then start importing it. However, when I have lots of record in my .csv file frequently it fails due to small mistakes in .csv file done by me. Unfortunately, I have to download the error file and check why records are failing and have to edit the .csv file again and repeat the process. This process took lots of effort as well as time to deal with large data.

I have discussed this problem with Salesforce experts as well as other developers and then I have concluded that everyone out there is facing the same issues while dealing with data importing and exporting with standard Salesforce Data Loader. Hence, I am actively looking for any smart thing to do this, which can save me time as well as efforts.

While searching on Appxchange for an alternative App option for Salesforce Standard Data Loader I come across SKYVVA Free Data Loader because of its excellent review in AppExchange.

I was looking for an easy and powerful data loader because with the standard Salesforce DataLoader I am not able to build my data integration easily due to its complexity. Salesforce standard Data Loader consumes a lot of time as well as to maintain and resolving errors it takes a big effort and at the end, it costs money in terms of manpower who is spending time to build the integration.

With SKYVVA Data Loader, all 6 steps of our loading process can be achieved in a single data load with the added bonus of being able to resolve loading issues within the process and also able to import data for multi-tier custom objects in one shot.

SKYVVA Data Loader is also a FREE Data Loader like Salesforce Data Loader and definitely a perfect alternative solution. Data Import Export becomes very easy to perform data import and export within seconds. There are many advantages SKYVVA Data Loader has over standard Salesforce Data Loader and it is quite easy to use and get started with.

No installation is needed

As you might know, how easy it is to get an app on your smartphone the SKYVVA Data Loader is quite easy to install into a Salesforce organization. It is there in salesforce like a salesforce native application. No need to install separately as software on a machine.

The installation will take around 5 to 10 minutes depending on the internet speed at your side. You can follow this skyvva tutorial:

https://apsara-consulting.com/docs/skyvva-administration-guide-v2-41-lightning/install-skyvva/

To install the app easily or follow this youtube video:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q5-kXlBQhSk&t=63s.

To get the latest version scroll down to the last chapter of this blog. After the successful installation, you will find the SKYVVA app in the App Launcher.

How to work with the SKYVVA Data Loader in detail e.g. how to create the first integration and interfaces you can follow the online tutorial and the books on the SKYVVA page.

Data transformation using the built-in graphical data mapping tool

The Important and key feature is the graphical mapping tool with easy drag-n-drop data mapping which is much smarter and easy to access than the standard Salesforce Data Loader. Importing data is not only pushing raw data as it is from the source file to the Salesforce application object. Most of the time the data is not correct and available in the correct date, currency or amount format. So you need to define data mapping rule to transform and convert the raw data into the data format which is required by the apex run time. Thus you can build complex business data transformation and process the raw data correctly in Salesforce.

With formula editor, you can use different built-in formal and function such as a VLOOKUP which is used to link related data or simply search other data based on some condition.

For almost any data transformation as date conversion, string manipulation and decision making and etc. there are standard expression and function available out-of-the-box to use.

In 90 per cent use case, it is possible to solve the data mapping and conversation need using the built-in function. Should for any reason a very complex business requirement is needed where there is no standard function available then you can use a piece of apex code to solve any complex business logic.

Handling complex business object

One of the most annoying things to me when I have to build integration using the Salesforce Data Loader is that I cannot load a dependent and complex hierarchical object in one shot. I have to define different CSV file and load after each other in multiple rounds. This is a big effort and is error-prone. SKYVVA Data Loader allows me to put all data in one file and import in one run. All related parent and child can be easily linked together using foreign key using the external key without having to know the Salesforce Id before.

Using the graphical data mapping you can map the multi-tier object to Salesforce sObject like a quote or opportunity which consist of header and line item. Foreign key and relationship linking between parent and child handle automatically by the SKYVVA run-time.

Condition-based message processing with workflow

With the Salesforce Data Loader, you import the record from the CSV file and create the sObject like account or contact. All account and contact will be imported no matter if it fulfills a condition or not. Imagine you get a file where you have not time to clean and filter it before. So you want to import only account from the CSV file which belongs to the sales area “EMEA”. How can you do that without cleaning up your CSV input file before?

With the SKYVVA Data Loader, you can define a workflow rule to build the condition and process only the records which contain the “EMEA” region. The others records which do not meet the condition will be set to ‘Pending’ or can totally ignore and remove from the message monitor. The condition can be a complex formula to fulfill any of your requirement. For example such a business flow you can model with the SKYVVA workflow easily.

You can combine different condition and execute different interface in a chained base on the condition. Thus complex business rule can be implemented to fulfill your need to process the message.

Message monitor

Let’s talk about what happened when your data load doesn’t work as expected. Assume we are loading 50k account and contact and we miss some of them. What are you doing when you use the Salesforce standard Data Loader to find which records are missing? Are you asking your end user to find out themselves by browsing the account and contact one-by-one in the application screen? If this your approach it could take many days to find what is missing. It would be a nightmare for your end user.

The possibility with the Salesforce Data Loader is to look to the different result csv file after the import. Go line by line to check what could be the records which are missing. How easy is it if you can search with a mouse click which records are missing? If you can also search by the content of the data? This is what the SKYVVA Data Loader simplify your life by providing you with a message monitor to find the missing records in minutes instead of in hours or day.

With the monitor app, you can search the message by the different filter. For example search after your import for failed messages.

What to do now with the failed messages which you can easily see with the red color? If the data do not need you can simply cancel it and threw it away. But if for example, only the email format is not correct because in the email address the data is not included the sign ‘@’. In this case with the Salesforce standard Data Loader, you have to identify the error csv file, correct the file and import it again.

With the SKYVVA monitoring tool, you can edit the data, correct it and do are processing. Now the data is posted and you don’t need to re-import them again. This is where it helped me dramatically to save time and eas my life in a situation where the data loading is not working well because the data is so dirty. And believe me, in real production case the most error is happening on data issue e.g. the data is not well cleaned.

Visit the SKYVVA tutorial and admin guide to see more about the monitoring functionality here:

https://apsara-consulting.com/docs/tutorial-v2-41-lightning/message-monitoring/#more-3236

Alerting

Monitoring is good for active looking to see what is going wrong. What are you don’t always have time to always sit in front of your laptop to actively click on the refresh button of the monitor app? Is it cool that you are always informed when something is going wrong in your integration? SKYVVA comes with a built-in alerting functionality which informs you by sending you an alert mail.

This would help you that you don’t need to actively look to the monitor but just read your mail when you get an alert. From the mail, you can jump right away to the failed message record and do the data mapping correction and reprocessing as mentioned above.

Supporting Different Data format

Another paint-point I have and why I was looking for an alternative data loader is that I got for some customer project no csv file. The data are stored in an XML file and in the past, I have to find a tool first to convert the XML into a CSV file. This is not an easy way to do and is a waste of time. Fortunately, the SKYVVA Data Loader provides the capability to support the different file format.

All facts for your overview

As you have seen in this article different features which are missing in the Salesforce standard Data Loader and needed for an enterprise-class data loader have been described briefly. More detail insight you can expect from our next series to deep-dive into the different functionality. To make it easy for you the below table shows all the fact-sheet.

Most of the required functionality you need in your daily work for data migration, data mapping and import is provided additionally by the SKYVVA Data Loader. Of course, you can straight away use the Salesforce standard Data Loader like before. But what to do if you need complex transformation logic and data mapping? What to do in case you need condition-based data import?

And what I have love and see that it reduce my effort and time dramatically is the monitor, reprocessing and error handling the functionality of the SKYVVA Data Loader. If you have worked with them you ever want to miss them again.

How to get the App for data mapping?

To install this application available from this link: Click here to get the link installation

For beginners the very easy tutorials available for configuration and user guide is provided on their website in a very organized way you can check how to use SKYVVA Data Loader from:

https://apsara-consulting.com/docs/tutorial-v2-41-lightning/

Salesforce Integration Cloud Suite Solution

With SKYVVA Data Loader data import as you can do with the Salesforce standard Data Loader becomes easy for me with its less effort integration solution you can save your time which results in more productive and accuracy in your development journey. Especially when we are talking about integration its solutions are very useful for any organization working with complex business requirement and integration platform.

Everything is done inside Salesforce and very fast and efficient. This is a true Cloud solution for FREE.

WHAT YOU CAN EXPECT IN THE NEXT

In this blog, I have told you my finding and experience with the SKYVVA Data Loader. Note that the SKYVVA Data Loader I use here is a component of the SKYVVA product suite family. I am curious to explore myself more on the other component like the Data Connect from the SKYVVA product suite and will let you participate with me in my integration journey.

So Stay Tuned for this amazing Integration journey!