Retrieving metadata from a sandbox

To start retrieving metadata from a sandbox, we need to configure build.xml, package.xml, and build.properties. The build.properties file is used to specify Salesforce credentials to form a connection between your machine and the Salesforce sandbox. The build.xml file contains Ant tasks that need to be performed in the sandbox. package.xml is project manifest it will contain packages to retrieve or deploy.

We will go through the common procedure to retrieve metadata from a Salesforce organization to a local machine using the Ant Migration Tool:

1. Go to the location where you extracted the Force.com Migration Tool .zip file. You need to edit the build.properties file using any editor.
2. In this case, we will use vim editor. Run the following command:

$vim build.properties

3. Let's have a look at the sample build.properties file:

build.properties 
sf.username = [e-mail] 
sf.password = mypassxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx 
sf.token = <Security Token Generated...