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Data Seeding
Updated over a week ago

Overview

The Salesforce App enables you to copy the data from a source environment to a destination environment. Data Seeding operation, also known as Sandbox Seeding, helps a Salesforce developer load sandboxes with adequate test data and continue developing features using sandboxes similar to the production sandboxes.

You can either select all records or select specific data sets from a source environment and copy them into the destination environment. You can also apply transformations, enable or disable validations, or apply triggers to a data seeding operation.

For more information about data transformations, validations, and triggers, see Data Template Settings.

The following diagram describes the data seeding workflow.

Sandbox seeding.png

Data Seeding Workflow


❗ Important

If you use validations when performing data Seeding or sandbox seeding, we recommend reading the validation workflow. For more information, see Validations.


The following steps describe the workflow to copy data from a source to a destination environment.

Step 1: Create a Data Seeding template. For more information, see Creating a Data Template.

Step 2: Select the data to copy using individual record selection, query-based selection, percentage-based selection, and data template settings.

Selection Method

Description

Select individual and related records from an object to restore or copy.

Use object queries to select records dynamically. You can add a single object query or multiple object queries.

The percentage-based selection method is applicable for a data seeding task, which copies a percentage of data and does not consider selecting specific records.

Manage the data template settings, such as:

  • Excluding objects and fields

  • Applying validations, data mask, and data translations

  • Specifying the batch size of records for copying data to a destination organization

  • Discover the child objects of a parent object when working with junction objects

For more information, see Configuring Data Template.

Step 3: Start Data seeding or Sandbox Seeding.

Procedure

  1. On the Salesforce App console, click Data Template. The Data Template page appears with the data templates list.

  2. Select the template and click Show Details. The Data Template window appears.

  3. Specify the source and destination environments in the Source and Destination lists.

  4. Click Start Data seeding in the top-right corner. A Confirmation - Data seeding Summary window appears.

confirmation_data_copy.png

5. (Optional) Select the required destination organization in the Destination Org list.

6. Review the details and click OK to start the data seeding or sandbox seeding.


❗ Important

To ensure validations are present within your production instance during a data seeding activity, do not select the Disable Destination Metadata During Data seeding option.


πŸ“ Note

If your selected objects in the Data Template do not have associated records, the Data seeding task does not begin. This occurs if the associated records are excluded by default. Click Display Overview to check if records are excluded. You can include these records in the Data Template from the Exclude Fields tab of the Data Template settings. For more information, see Exclude Objects.


You can check the status for all associated tasks with data seeding from the Tasks page.

For more information, see Managing Tasks.

You can also schedule seeding data into your sandboxes using the data template scheduler. For more information, see Schedule Sandbox Seeding.

View Sandbox Seeding Information from inSync Management Console

As an inSync Cloud administrator, you can view the following on the inSync Management Console:

  • Summary and list of the data seeding jobs

  • Details are available through a report. For more information about the generated report, see Salesforce Data Seeding Report.

The following table lists the summary information available for data seeding jobs performed from the Salesforce App console.

Field

Description

Total Templates

Displays the total number of data seeding templates created till date.

Organizations Seeded

Displays the number of organizations that are seeded or copied till date.

Records Seeded

Displays the total number of records that are seeded or copied till date.

Total Amount of Data Seeded

Displays the total amount of data seeded or copied till date.

Expiry Date

Displays the license expiry date.

Licensed Users

Displays the total number of users for the Sandbox Seeding license.

Last Copy Template Name

Displays the name of the recent data seeding template in use.

Last Completed Copy

Displays the name of the recently completed data seeding job.

The following table displays the information available for the list of data seeding tasks performed from the Salesforce App console.

Field

Description

Data seeding User

Displays the name of the user who initiated the data seeding job.

Source Organization

Displays the name of the source organization.

Destination Organization

Displays the name of the destination organization.

Created On

Displays the creation date of the data seeding job.

Total Records

Displays the total number of copied records.

Where to go from here

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