Ever wondered how to handle billions of records efficiently within Salesforce? In today’s data-centric world, managing vast amounts of data is critical for business success. But what if your current data management system is slowing you down and causing inefficiencies? Enter Salesforce Big Objects—a solution built to handle the massive data volumes that modern businesses generate daily. In this informational guide, we’ll explore what Salesforce Big Objects are, why they are essential, and how you can use them to optimize your data management strategy.
What Are Salesforce Big Objects?
Salesforce Big Objects are specialized objects designed to handle and manage large volumes of data efficiently within Salesforce. Unlike standard and custom objects, which can become sluggish when dealing with massive datasets, Big Objects are engineered to maintain high performance and scalability, even with billions of records.
They offer unparalleled capabilities for managing extensive datasets, ensuring rapid data retrieval and storage. With seamless scalability, Big Objects maintain optimal performance as your data grows, without requiring additional resources. This makes them an ideal solution for businesses looking to efficiently store, manage, and access vast amounts of data while ensuring system responsiveness and reliability.
Why You Need Salesforce Big Objects
Imagine your business is experiencing exponential growth, leading to a massive influx of data. Traditional data management systems might struggle to keep up, resulting in slow processing times, data retrieval issues, and potential data loss. Salesforce Big Objects are designed to handle these challenges, ensuring that your organization can continue to operate efficiently as data volumes increase.
Benefits of Salesforce Big Objects
- Efficient Data Management: Big Objects allow for efficient storage and retrieval of large datasets, ensuring that your systems remain responsive and reliable.
- Enhanced Performance: By optimizing data handling processes, Big Objects reduce the risk of performance bottlenecks.
- Cost-Effective Scalability: Unlike traditional data storage solutions that may require significant investments to scale, Big Objects provide a cost-effective way to manage growing data volumes and metadata.
Key Features of Salesforce Big Objects
1). Massive Data Storage
Salesforce Big Objects are designed to provide massive data storage capacity, capable of handling billions of records. This feature is particularly beneficial for businesses that generate extensive data, such as retail companies storing years of transaction data. By using Big Objects, these companies can ensure quick access to their data for analysis and reporting, which is crucial for making informed business decisions.
2). Efficient Data Management
Optimized for high performance, Salesforce Big Objects ensure fast and reliable data retrieval and storage processes. For example, a financial services firm reported a 40% improvement in data retrieval times after implementing Big Objects, significantly enhancing their reporting capabilities. This high-performance optimization means that businesses can handle large datasets without experiencing the sluggishness often associated with standard and custom objects.
3). Scalability
Additionally, Salesforce Big Objects offer seamless scalability, maintaining optimal performance as data grows without requiring additional resources. This scalability was demonstrated by a healthcare provider that managed to handle a 50% increase in data volume without compromising performance. The ability to scale efficiently makes Big Objects an excellent solution for businesses looking to manage growing datasets while ensuring system responsiveness and reliability.
When to Use Salesforce Big Objects
Salesforce Big Objects are useful for managing large datasets over extended periods. They are commonly used for:
- Historical data archiving, such as storing old records for compliance or reference purposes. For example, an e-commerce company might archive transaction data to comply with financial regulations.
- Big Objects are also employed for audit logging, keeping extensive logs of user activity or system changes, like a tech company maintaining detailed logs for security audits.
- Additionally, they manage IoT data storage, handling large volumes of information from IoT devices, such as an automotive manufacturer storing data from connected vehicles for real-time analysis and predictive maintenance.
How to Create & Edit a Big Object in Salesforce
- Go to Setup, and in the Quick Find box, type Big Objects and select it.
- Click New to create a new big object, or select an existing big object to modify.
- Enter or update the details for the big object.
- Add or edit custom fields, which will store the data for your big object records.
- Create an index. This index serves as the composite primary key and is essential for querying and filtering data.
- Save your big object. Once the index is created and the big object is deployed, the index cannot be edited or deleted. To make changes, you’ll need to create a new big object.
When deleting a custom big object, it won’t go to the Recycle Bin. Instead, it appears in the Deleted Objects list for 15 days, during which you can restore or permanently delete it. After 15 days, it will be automatically marked for permanent deletion.
Big Objects vs Standard Objects vs Custom Objects in Salesforce
Here’s the quick comparison of Salesforce Big Objects, Standard Objects, and Custom Objects in Salesforce:
| Feature | Big Objects | Standard Objects | Custom Objects |
|---|---|---|---|
| Purpose | Store massive amounts of data | Commonly used features and data in Salesforce | User-defined data and features |
| Storage Capacity | Billions of records | Limited by Salesforce storage limits | Limited by Salesforce storage limits |
| Use Cases | Historical data, audit logs, IoT data | Accounts, Contacts, Opportunities, etc. | Custom business needs and processes |
| Data Model | Simpler, fewer fields | Complex, multiple fields and relationships | User-defined fields and relationships |
| Query Performance | Optimized for large data volumes | Standard Salesforce query performance | Standard Salesforce query performance |
| Customization | Limited customization | Standard Salesforce customization options | Highly customizable |
| Data Access | Uses Async SOQL, requires indexed fields | SOQL, standard Salesforce data access | SOQL, standard Salesforce data access |
| Reporting | Limited, often requires external tools | Full reporting capabilities | Full reporting capabilities |
| Example Use Case | Storing millions of transaction records | Managing customer information | Custom application tracking |
Addressing Common Questions
What is the difference between big objects and standard objects in Salesforce?
Big objects store billions of records and are designed for large-scale data. Standard objects handle typical CRM data and have storage limits. Big objects have limited features for reporting and searching compared to standard objects.
What are the limitations of big objects in Salesforce?
Big objects have limited features for reporting, searching, and triggers. They are mainly used for storing large volumes of data but are not ideal for complex processing or real-time data updates.
Can we delete big object in Salesforce?
No, you cannot delete records from a big object once they are inserted. You can archive or manage them through other means but direct deletion is not supported.
How many records can a big object hold in Salesforce?
A big object can hold billions of records, allowing for extensive data storage without the typical storage limits of standard objects, making them ideal for large-scale data management.
Final Words!
Salesforce Big Objects are perfect for businesses with massive amounts of data. Knowing their features, use cases, and limits helps you decide how to use them best. They make data storage, retrieval, and scaling easier, keeping your business competitive in a data-driven world.
Implementing Big Objects can be challenging. That’s where our team of experts at iBirds Software Services comes in. We can help you get started and optimize your Salesforce environment to handle large datasets efficiently by providing secured salesforce implementation services. We’re a certified Salesforce consulting partner, ready to assist you today!