If you’re like many other Salesforce users, especially those who have lost data, you may have wondered: “Does Salesforce back up my data?”
That question may lead to another: If Salesforce doesn’t back up your data, who is responsible for backing up Salesforce data? To understand the answer to this question, it’s important to realize that Salesforce and other SaaS software run on a shared responsibility model. They’re responsible for keeping the application up and running, and you’re responsible for the data.
The good news is that you’ve got options when it comes to backing up your Salesforce data. The sooner you know about them, the better off your organization will be.
How Can Data Be Backed Up in Salesforce?
First, if you’re a Salesforce admin hoping to use the Salesforce Recycle Bin as your backup solution, this may not be the best idea. Yes, the Recycle Bin can save you if someone accidentally deletes a record or two.
However, this tool comes with limitations. For example, it won’t restore metadata, and it permanently purges records after 15 days (30 days when you enable the “Extended Recycle Bin Retention” feature on Salesforce Classic). As such, it is not a reliable method for data recovery.
However, Salesforce does have two better data backup solutions that can help you recover from significant data loss. The first is the Salesforce Data Export. This tool can periodically back up your CRM data. The upside to this is that you’ll have possession of all your backed-up data and will be able to restore your system to a certain point in time.
However, because export jobs are queued based on size, you could wait a week or more. You’ll also have to find somewhere local to store all those zipped CSV files. You won’t get a metadata backup, either, which means you will need to manually restore all your customizations.
The second solution is Salesforce Backup (formerly Salesforce Backup and Restore). Fortunately, this has more functionality and is a more robust solution. For one thing, it allows you to configure your backup strategy (which means you can do it daily). For another, it differs from other solutions in that your backups will include your custom objects, files, and attachments.
How Often Does Salesforce Back Up Data?
In addition to automated daily backups, Salesforce Backup will let you run delta backups on demand.
The Salesforce Data Export service is a different story. This solution doesn’t offer a quick answer to the question, “How often does Salesforce back up data?” In truth, the frequency is primarily based on your subscription type.
If you have a regular subscription, you will be limited to monthly backups. If you have an Enterprise, Performance, or Unlimited subscription, you will be able to take advantage of weekly backups.
Still, a lot can change in a week. If you lose your data in the meantime, you won’t have anything since the last backup, and you likely will not meet your RTO and RPO requirements. This will make your data recovery quite tedious.
How Can Own Help With Backing Up & Restoring Salesforce Data?
Who is responsible for backing up Salesforce data? The answer is you and your team members. Though Salesforce offers several backup solutions, most come with limitations.
If you’re looking to break free of those limitations, Own Recover, our backup and recovery solution, is second to none. When it comes to Salesforce backup vs. Own, we offer more frequent backups, dashboards with more granular views, and granular recovery. Schedule a demo today to see how you can gain control of your data and eliminate risk and downtime.
