Introducing big objects

Standard and custom Salesforce objects are designed to hold hundreds of thousands to millions of records, but organizations are generating new data at an exponential pace. Salesforce customers were no exceptions to this and were generating data at a rapid pace. Originally not designed for massive data volumes, the limits of standard and custom objects were being reached, forcing customers to look at other non-Salesforce options. Managing big data is challenging as it requires a specialized skill set and dedicated infrastructure to manage effectively.

Realizing these challenges and the business needs of its customers, Salesforce released the big objects feature a few years ago. Big objects can store millions of records, reaching up to the 1 billion mark and more. This data can then be accessed in the Salesforce platform or by any external application as well. The big object architecture is different from the main Salesforce platform, which most people are...