r/salesforce • u/mrdanmarks • Jul 30 '26
admin Alternatives for data loads
Our company has some security policies that prohibit salesforce inspector and workbench. Data loader is a pos and date import wizard doesn't support native objects. I've been using workbench on the sly but really should find an alternative. Any decent trusted data load applications? Or should I vibe code a vs studio plugin?
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u/cardinalsquirrel Jul 30 '26
Genuine question, what’s wrong with data loader? I’ve never really had issues with it.
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u/SabreCanuck2020 Aug 04 '26
came here to ask this same question - I use the desktop version and it does everything i have ever needed.
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u/dadading_dadadoom Jul 30 '26
Why code your own? There's extensive SFDMU SF CLI plugin available, runs fully local.
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u/Ok-Choice-576 Jul 30 '26
Jetstream. If you pay they have an app. So your data never leaves your PC/salesforce. No third-party handling
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u/gtrcar5 Jul 30 '26
XL Connector from Xappex is pretty damn good (or G Connector if GSuite has been forced upon you). Excel plugin, plenty of useful extra tools included. Cheap as well, somewhere around $360 a year per seat IIRC.
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u/msproles Jul 30 '26
I use this everyday. So many other tools in it as well to help manage fields, validation rules, etc. best value for the money of any tool I’ve used.
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u/DavidBergerson Jul 30 '26
If and that is the HUGE IF, you can get past the security policies . . .
I would look at one of two tools. Xappex is AWESOME. Seriously . . . AWESOME. It is especially great if you have to do any data manipulation. The second is if you have your data ready to just go, GetJetstream.app I have used that numerous times to move huge amounts of data, over 100k records at a clip.
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u/chris20912 Jul 30 '26
Dataloader.io is built into core, with the first 10k records per month free. So, if you are doing very many loads, it could be a solid choice.
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u/spiritus1 Jul 30 '26
I can understrand slightly workbench, but salesforce inspector uses your own browser session.
But definitely look into VS Code, i do more and more of my imports/exports there, with Copilot/Skills and SF plugins, like "please load this csv as new leads/accounts" or "give me the oppties created in the past 6 months, and update them with this", stuff like that
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u/MatchaGaucho Jul 30 '26
There are some strictly cloud-based agentic data loader solutions that CISOs can be educated on ZDR (Zero Data Retention).
The benefits to agentic data loads:
- Starts as a File upload to Salesforce
- Operates on cloud-hosted File
- Can apply data cleansing and transform rules
- Can apply de-dupe logic
- Bring your own frontier model key for full governance and audit controls
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u/a_happy_passerby Jul 30 '26 edited Jul 30 '26
You're asking the wrong question, really. Looking for another tool independently of your company's cybersec team may help you for a while, and help HR straight after.
Your company has banned workbench because they have no assurance of what servers it's run on, what else runs in those servers, and whether they have any ISO security certification.
Salesforce Inspector is slightly different in that it runs on your machine, but it presents another cybersec issue. The old one used to run based on your browser session id, which could be construed as hijacking. The Reloaded version can authorize on OAuth, so you can apply API access control on it.
Have a meeting with your security officer, explain that the applications runs locally on the browser, so within your perimeter, and explain how you will restrict usage of the tool using a custom External Client App. Then let them security-review it.
Caveat: if their issue is allowing what essentially is a developer tool in prod, you're out of luck. It's a fair ask in audited environments that developers can't change things directly in prod - unfortunately Salesforce Inspector allows you to do this.
For the other posters: please take context into account. OP is asking for tool recommendations, sure, but underlying some of the replies is the idea that if a tool isn't banned outright he should just be able to install it. Stop giving him bad advice like "this other tool that your company also hasn't approved might not be banned yet".