SALESFORCE BACKUP BEST PRACTICES

 

Learn how to leverage native and third-party apps to meet your compliance, operational and business continuity goals

Like all platforms, your Salesforce instance is not immune to data loss. Many SaaS providers do not provide data recovery services. Currently, Salesforce falls into that group but has indicated that it will reintroduce a service during the summer of 2021. Under these conditions, what should companies do to ensure their Salesforce backups meet their compliance, operational and business continuity goals?

A Summary of Popular Salesforce Backup Methods

Notably missing from this list are data downloads. We’ve omitted this from the list since it will not capture metadata and it would be time consuming to use this method to download files and other assets.

What we are highlighting are these popular methods:

• Copy your Salesforce production to a Salesforce sandbox
• Backup Salesforce data using APIs
• Backup Salesforce data to any contemporary on-premise database like SQL Server, DB2, Oracle, or a Big Data database, such as Mongo, Casandra, etc.
• Use 3rd-party backup apps

Native Salesforce Data and Metadata Backup Options

Although Salesforce offers many native backup tools, they recommend looking at 3rd-party offering since: “Some of these are more comprehensive in that they allow you to automate backups of both your data AND your
metadata and provide a mechanism by which to restore that data easily.”

3rd-Party Salesforce Data & Metadata Backup Options

While Salesforce provides its own (native) data export features to prevent permanent data loss, they also recommend customers use partner backup solutions. The main reason is that 3rd-party Salesforce backup options give users the features that make backups easier to manage. They can also make the process more reliable and secure.

What benefits are there to 3rd-party backup services?

Below is a summary of the benefit. Download our guide for more detail.

• Own your data
• Automated backups
• Better protection
• Better data recovery
• Analytical support
• Save time and money
  

Want to learn more? Download our guide. Want to understand the difference between SaaS data backup and replication? Read this article.

DBSync Replication tool: Key functions

A brief explanation of its functionalities and uses

Replication is about identifying changes and updating other data sources. Its applications are many. From data warehousing to business intelligence and compliance.

Our replication tool has many useful functionalities that can help you achieve those goals based on your business strategies. Thus, a good understanding of their scopes and differences is vital to obtain the maximum benefit from the tool.

In this article, you will learn why replication is essential by analyzing several possible use scenarios. Following this, you will understand the main features of the software and their differences, and the different ways you can run the tool.

So, let’s start by understanding where replication has a place in your business.

Why is replication important?

Replication is an integral part of your daily business tasks because by identifying changes, it keeps your data up to date in all data sets. This can be easily seen in the several potential use cases of our DBSync Replication tool.  These possible uses are:

• Staging a database for data warehousing: our replication tool can be used to create the schema for a data warehouse. Also, once the warehouse structure has been defined, our tool can be used to populate it.
• Create datasets for business intelligence and reporting: business intelligence and reporting need specialized data. Our tool helps you to create tailored datasets, which can be used as a data feed for specialized applications and reports
• Create backups and archives: backups and archives are part of the life of the DBA. Our tool helps your business by automating many of the functions, thus, freeing the DBA’s time to do more valuable tasks. Archives are also an essential part of regulatory compliance. Automating data archiving according to your business characteristics is one of the best ways to ensure compliance.
• Integrate Salesforce with in-house applications: Salesforce is a powerful application. However, when working in combination with other apps, it is even more powerful. DBSync replication tool can create the necessary data sets that feed those apps. Even more, once the data has been copied into a database, it can be combined with data from other sources, massaged and then, incorporated back into Salesforce.
• Create a data set for in-house application development: app development needs data for many of its phases, such as testing. By using our tool, your developers can create tailored and updated data sets, with the added advantage that your production data remains untouched.

Having seen some examples that explain why replication is a must in your business, let’s see the main characteristics of the DBSync Replication tool, which define its applicability in your industry.

What are the main characteristics of the DBSync Replication tool?

The DBSync Replication tool has several outstanding technical aspects that define its scope and applicability. The most important ones are:

• Auto-creation of new fields: when a new field is added to the Salesforce schema, it is automatically incorporated in the database structure. This ensures that your structure remains updated in your backups and other data sets, and by being automated, frees the task from the DBA list of “to do.”
• Downloading of objects/tables into a database: our tool allows you to download Salesforce objects/tables into a database of your choice.
• Uploading of data from a local database to Salesforce: you can upload data from a local database to Salesforce.
• Incremental updates: our tool automatically tracks any data changes. Thus, you never miss any changes done, thereby, reducing the number of errors and freeing up the time of your DBA for other more important tasks.
• Migration of non-replicable objects: non-replicable objects are those entities whose changes cannot be tracked over time. Examples in Salesforce are LeadShare, AccountShare, and OpportunityShare. DBSync replication tool migrates them by copying the complete objects. This option is available in the Database Details section of the program.
• Real-time integration using outbound messages: by using Salesforce’s outbound messaging capability, our integration tool helps you to have practically real-time integration.

Having understood the main technical aspects of our tool, let’s learn the main ways in which you can to use it.

How can I use the DBSync Replication tool?

Using the DBSync replication tool is straightforward. The system guides you step by step. First, you need to define your source and destination information. For example, you will have to input the credentials for your database and Salesforce.

Once your source and destination information are complete, you can run the replication tool. There are six-run options available, which are:

• Clean copy: a Clean Copy is a copy of all the data available in a Salesforce instance. In other words, it copies all existing records in Salesforce to a database of your choice. The clean copy can be scheduled via the Scheduler, and thus, used as a backup tool.
• Update schema: updates only the schema or structure of a database. Thus, it copies the tables and their columns with their respective names existing in the source database to the destination database. No data is copied from the source to the destination. Update schema comes in handy when we want to create a new instance of a database.
• Source to DB (database): provides an incremental backup. In other words, it copies the records that are in the source (for example, Salesforce), but don’t exist in the database, and updates the database with those records that have been changed in Salesforce. This option can be used as a complement of the Clean Copy option, in a backup tool. For example, a backup strategy could be a clean copy scheduled every Friday night, and incremental backups scheduled daily.
• DB (database) to Source: this option is similar to the previous one but in a reversed flow. In other words, in the source (for example, Salesforce), it creates the records that exit in the database but not in the source, and updates those that have been changed in the database, but not in the source.
• Snapshot: a snapshot is a copy of the whole Salesforce database, which can be restored. Its name includes a time reference. Thus, snapshots become very useful for legal compliance or proof in case of litigation, as each of them is a copy of the data contained in Salesforce, at a point in time.
• Export: allows the user to connect two different instances of Salesforce. In other words, to transfer data from a Salesforce instance to another separate Salesforce instance. This option is useful when you need to create a new Salesforce instance based on another one.

Summarizing

In this article, you have seen why replication is vital to your business and the main characteristics of our DBSync Replication tool. With the growth of data that characterizes our present times and the need for up to date information, the use of replication continues to grow, as it does the number of applications of our tool.

Ready to learn more? Go to our page and try our software, or contact one of our representatives. We are there to serve you and make your business grow.

Data archival solutions with cloud replication

Are you facing data storage regulatory compliance problems? Fortunately, data archiving is one of those areas where regulatory compliance can be made easy and effective if you have the right archival solutions.

But first, let’s understand what data archival is all about, and why it is different from the normal backups that you are doing.

What is Enterprise Data Archival

Data archival is the storage of all the data that you need to keep because it may be occasionally useful, but that it is no longer used in everyday operations.

Good data archival practices have many benefits, such as reducing the cost of primary storage, and as a direct consequence the cost of backup storage; having good original proofs in cases of legal problems; and very importantly, helping you avoid worrying about regulatory compliance.

Let us now examine some of the most important law requirements.

Data Archival

Data archival regulatory compliance relates to data that is still important and that maybe needed in the future, particularly in case of litigations. The following are the most important regulations that may affect your business’ data archival:

SOX (Sarbanes-Oxley Act):

This act was passed after the Enron scandal, and it is focused on financial reporting. It applies to any company that is listed on the NASDAQ or the NYSE. Its main concern is to implement controls that ensure the completeness, correctness and quick access of information. Within this law, some businesses are specifically targeted. For example, accounting firms that audit publicly traded companies are required to retain audit records for no less than seven years after the completion of an audit.

PCI DSS (Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard)

This is a standard that businesses using online payments are required to comply with, particularly if they use credit and debit cards, such as Visa or Mastercard.

The standard stresses information access permissions and, it is based on the Principle of least privilege. This principle basically says that access to information should only be granted to those who necessarily need it, thus, reducing the risk for the data to be compromised. In addition, it requires the use of encryption.

FINRA (Financial Industry Regulatory Authority)

Basically, FINRA aims at auditing banks and financial institutions, to ensure their good behavior. Among the most important requirements, FINRA 3110 entails that you preserve your accounts, records, memoranda, books and correspondence in conformity with all applicable regulations, statements, and rules under SEC 17a-3. Several other parts of this act, also relate to ensure SEC compliance.

GDPR

Although you may think that if you are not in Europe, the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) does not apply to your business, you must be aware that it obliges any organization processing personal data of EU citizens, such as name, IP address, location, religion and ethnicity among others. Thus, if your company deals with clients in the EU, be sure that you abide to the GDPR requirements as of May 2018.

This regulation basically aims at protecting people’s information and presents new challenges for businesses. For example, Article 20 of the GDPR provides the Right of Data Portability. It basically says: if you’ve got some data about me, then I’m allowed to access it when I need it and to require you to provide it to anyone I choose. This applies to current and historical data.

Whilst regulatory compliance implies many efforts from your side, it can also be an opportunity to organize your data. The good news is that the pain implied can be reduced by having a sound reference architecture, and good data archival solutions.

Enterprise Data Archival: Introducing DBSync Cloud Replication and CDM

DBSync Cloud Replication and CDM is an application that helps you to concentrate on your business, not on compliance. DBSync assists you with this, by automating many of the tasks, increasing archival efficiency and reducing error generation; while keeping your business secure and cost-effective. Some of its most important features include:

·         The possibility to auto-create a schema and new fields by synchronizing an application to a database.

·         The possibility of having real time integration via outbound messages.

·         The capacity to obtain data from an application, such as Salesforce, and a database. Then, merge the data, use it according to your needs, and load the results obtained back to the application.

Final words

Improving data management has become critical in our present days. To learn more about getting your organization’s data archival up to speed, go to our website (https://www.mydbsync.com ), where you can find more information about our data archival solution.

Why data replication should not be done using ESB-based integration tools

This is one of the common questions we get when prospects come looking for data replication tools. It’s more a question of Integration design patterns than of product implements.

Let’s get started with what an ESB is – Enterprise Service Bus. This is an integration design pattern where messages are passed so that one or more Message Listeners can listen and consume the message – store and forward. These messages—like, say, emails—have a header (from and to), a payload (the message), and perhaps attachments. Based on the ESB, there might be some limitation on payload and attachments sizes. 

The Flow is like This: 

App produces message -> ESB receives message (in a queue) -> Based on Routing rules, ESB routes message -> Listener Consumes Message -> Likely maps/translates data -> Saves / forwards to another app/queue -> confirm message is received -> ESB tags and stores message as processed.

Notice the ones in “bold”. These are places where data flow can “choke” or “build up” if there is a high flow of large data sets.

Now look at Data Replication: you have a source of data, be it a database (common) or a Cloud Application (like Salesforce). In data replication, you would require a complete backup of both schema and data changes. The application is expected to identify schema changes and update to target (without the need for remapping), so interpreting schema changes and having the ability to adjust target schema changes becomes important. The ability to process a large number of rows is necessary. 

One of the common ways that most databases replicate is using their transactional logs (when you look under the hood of master–slave replication). When you have disparate applications like Salesforce and Oracle, then you have to rely on query-> extract -> interpret change -> check for target source duplicate -> load on another system.

Ok, so let’s now look at why ESB-based apps might not be the right choice:

• ·         ESB requires store and forward, which might not be necessary for data replication. While you can debate that it will work (yes you can make it work), it will be slow and overly complicated.
• ·         ESB in general is considered to have the higher overhead of operation management and requires higher uptime as it’s mostly used for distributed app integration. Replication usually is run on batch (or scheduled time) or, in the case of master–slave, a lot more real time than what ESBs are designed for.
• ·         Managing schema changes often requires ESBs to remap some of the message flows. Some of our clients really dislike this, in that not only do they have to track source and target schemas, but also often trigger a “Change Management” request up the IT chain, which can take weeks or months to get over. Data Replication tools usually automatically adjust target schemas.

When you look at the Integration Tools market, the industry has segmented itself, with one group going the ESB or Message queue route (which is slowly evolving into API-based integration) and that of data replication.

So let us see some of the common integration apps and how do they fit in:

MuleSoft- A leader in ESB-based integration and does quite well in Service-oriented architecture and does well in integrating apps like SAP and others. They are also introducing API management.

Kafka- Open-source Messaging platform, very popular in high-volume messaging, especially with IoT and big data. It requires smaller messages size.

GoldenGate (by Oracle) – a leader in data replication between different databases. Does not yet have Cloud application data replication.

DBSync – Cloud Data Replication uses direct replication technique while iPaaS Cloud Workflow is more a store and forward.

There are many more; perhaps a good place to look is Gartner’s Data Integration and Gartner’s Integration-as-a-Service magic Quadrants to see which are leading the pack.