Exporting data from Salesforce

Exporting data from Salesforce is something that is usually done using data reporting or the execution of SOQL queries with external tools.

We'll be having a look at reports in Chapter 16, Learning about Data Reporting, and will have a quick introduction to SOQL queries in the next section relating to the Data Loader tool.

Salesforce delivers a simple way to extract data from the platform with the Data Export feature, accessible from Setup | Data | Data Export:

Figure 15.8 – Data Export feature

This tool lets you extract all or a subset of records from the CRM in the following two ways:

• One-shot export with the Export Now button

• Scheduled export with the Schedule Export button

Depending on the kind of Salesforce edition you are playing with, you'll be allowed to export data weekly (7 days) or monthly (29 days), and this time limitation applies both to one-shot export and scheduled export...