According to the 2024 State of Salesforce DevOps Report, 65% of teams lost data last year. What the stats don鈥檛 show is that the data loss isn鈥檛 what haunts admins 鈥� it鈥檚 realizing, far too late, that they can鈥檛 get it back.
Your Salesforce backup is only as good as your ability to restore from it. If you鈥檙e rolling out Salesforce Backup this guide will cover the step-by-step setup. We鈥檒l explore what you can do with Salesforce Backup and compare when it makes sense as a backup solution versus when an enterprise-grade platform is the right move.
So, before you assume that just having daily backups is the answer, let鈥檚 walk through what Salesforce Backup can do, how best to set it up 鈥� and where it quietly leaves you exposed.
What is the Salesforce Backup managed package?
, is Salesforce鈥檚 safety net for your data. Sold as a paid add-on, it captures automatic daily snapshots of your org鈥檚 records, files, and attachments.
Your backup policy defines exactly what gets protected, including object data, related records, files, and attachments. You can opt for the daily scheduled backup that runs automatically, set up a custom schedule that fits your workflow, or trigger on-demand backups.
If you need to restore, Salesforce Backup can handle a few data recovery flows directly. For more complex restoration processes, you鈥檒l need to export the data from your backup and restore it using other tools. But it鈥檚 important to make sure you have the right object-level permissions for the records you鈥檙e working with.
Salesforce Backup vs. Data Export: What鈥檚 the difference?
If you鈥檙e weighing up whether the cost of Salesforce Backup is worth it when Data Export Service is free, here are the key differences to keep in mind:
| Salesforce Data Export Service | Salesforce Backup managed package |
|---|---|
| Limited to weekly or monthly backup schedules | Automated daily backups |
| Generates CSV files you must store, organize, and protect | Stores your data (costs based on storage) |
| No restore workflow included | Built-in restore workflow |
How does pricing work for Salesforce Backup?
Salesforce charges based on file storage, at . Storage-based pricing is more difficult to predict and budget for, and you鈥檒l need to speak to your Salesforce Account Executive for exact costs to your business.
The importance of backing up metadata as well as data
Salesforce Backup backs up records, files, and attachments, but skips the metadata structure that actually makes sense of all your data. It鈥檚 like saving every page from a filing cabinet but forgetting the folders, labels, and tabs. When it鈥檚 time to restore, you鈥檝e got all the papers but no system to store them in.
That鈥檚 exactly what happens when any metadata has changed since your backup.
Keep in mind that metadata changes constantly. You might back up records when your org was a certain shape, and by the time you go to restore those records the metadata structures for that data have changed.
Backing up Salesforce with Salesforce comes with risks
Having backups stored and managed by Salesforce sounds handy, but it comes with risks. If Salesforce goes down, so does your access to both your live data and your backups. During , orgs relying on native backup were left locked out, right when they needed access most.
So while Salesforce鈥檚 native backup can handle the basics of safeguarding records, when complexity increases, it can quickly fall short. If your org needs proper disaster recovery with reliable and quick restoration, Salesforce Backup isn鈥檛 best equipped to deal with complex recoveries.
How to install the Salesforce Backup managed package
While most teams will benefit from a more robust backup solution, Salesforce Backup is still better than having no backups at all 鈥� and for some orgs, it might be a helpful safety net. If you鈥檙e going ahead with the native tool, here鈥檚 how to get set up.
Your installation email should arrive 24鈥�48 hours after your Salesforce AE processes the subscription order. This critical email contains your unique package installation link so don鈥檛 lose it.
A System Administrator will need to log in and use the installation URL provided in your order confirmation to access the download page for the Salesforce Backup managed package. Select Install for Admins Only, and approve third-party website access for Amazon Web Services (AWS) infrastructure if prompted.
Package installation typically takes 5鈥�10 minutes, but you鈥檒l also need to earmark time for license and permission assignment, AWS setup, IP configuration, and policy creation.
Assign user licenses
Any user setting up or managing Salesforce Backup needs the right license assignments 鈥� they鈥檒l need the Backup and Restore User Permission Set License plus a System Administrator profile (or similar).
Assign permission sets
Users will also need the right permission sets. On the relevant user profile again, scroll down to the Permission Set Assignments section, and click Edit Assignments. Find the 鈥淏ackupRestore鈥� permission set, click Add, then Save.
Assign object-level access
Finally, the user will need the right access to the relevant objects to make sure they can access the data needed. From the Setup page, head to the Permission Sets page. Find 鈥淏ackupRestore鈥� and click Object settings. Select Edit next to the object you need to assign permissions and assign the level of permissions that the user needs, then press Save. You鈥檒l need to repeat the final step for every object the user needs access to in the Backup app.
AWS setup and IP configuration
To select your AWS region, go to Settings in the managed package, click Region and pick the AWS region that meets your business鈥檚 data residency requirements. You may also have IP restrictions, in which case you should for your AWS region to the Login IP Ranges for your user profile.
Establish the OAuth connection by clicking Connect to link your org with backup infrastructure. Test immediately using Test Connection. Common failures include incomplete IP allowlisting, proxy interference, and SSO timeouts.
How to create your first backup policy in Salesforce Backup
In the Salesforce Backup app, first click Create Policy.
Back up objects
When you select an object to back up, related objects will also appear that you can also select 鈥� click Save Related Objects. When you鈥檙e done, click Enable. Repeat for the other objects you need to back up, then click Activate Policy.
Consider carefully which objects to back up, and resist the temptation to back up everything as it increases the risk of hitting API limits. Not every object represents mission-critical data.
Note that the following can鈥檛 be backed up:
- Objects without the fields: CreatedDate, LastModifiedDate, SystemModstamp, LoginDate
- Objects not supported by the Bulk API
- Records stored in Big Objects
- Light Application objects
Back up files and attachments
To back up files and attachments, the integration user must also have the QueryAllFiles permission.
From the 鈥淏ackup鈥� tab in the app, select Configure Policy Defaults and enable backups for files and attachments. As with objects, carefully consider what needs to be backed up. Adding files and attachments to your backups can significantly increase your storage footprint. Salesforce only backing up files and attachments created within a recent data range. Once you鈥檝e chosen a backup window for files and attachments, click Save to include them in your backups.
See our guide on Salesforce backup best practices for detailed backup strategies.
How to decide between Salesforce backup solutions
When native backups still make sense
Using native backup is better than not having a backup at all, but you鈥檒l need to weigh up whether it can provide everything your business needs. Here are some scenarios where the native offering might be the right fit:
- Simple orgs with minimal customization: If your Salesforce setup is mostly plug-and-play, with standard objects and a few custom fields.
- Stable metadata that rarely changes: Organizations that locked down their configuration years ago and rarely modify fields, validation rules, or workflows.
- Severe budget constraints: When every dollar counts, and manual recovery time is cheaper than software licensing.
When native backups leave you vulnerable
Organizational complexity demands a more sophisticated approach. Here鈥檚 when native backups can leave your business exposed:
- Frequent metadata changes requiring synchronized data and metadata backup. If you鈥檙e developing your Salesforce org, which almost all businesses are, remember Salesforce Backup only covers your data. 爆料tv backs up data and metadata in sync 鈥� because what good is one without the other?
- Compliance requirements beyond basic backup. Need to hold onto records for seven years to meet SOX requirements, or abide by GDPR to store data within EU borders? Native backup isn鈥檛 customizable enough to keep auditors happy. 爆料tv gives you customizable retention options and residency flexibility across the US, EU, CA, and AUS.
- Recovery speed is a high priority. No business wants to suffer data loss and downtime. But the larger the business, the more costly disruption gets. 爆料tv鈥檚 backup solution has intuitive restore workflows to minimize your time to recover.
爆料tv鈥檚 enterprise backup solution
爆料tv鈥檚 comprehensive, off-platform and enterprise-ready backup solution is built specifically to handle the complexities of Salesforce data and metadata, so you鈥檙e protected when disaster strikes.
Complete org protection
爆料tv doesn鈥檛 just back up your data. You can back up any metadata types supported by the Metadata API (over 700) 鈥� much more than most other tools. Plus, 爆料tv has specific support for config data like CPQ and Vlocity, as well as Marketing Cloud. In practice, most backup solutions for Salesforce only protect a subset of your org鈥檚 data, and none or very little of the metadata that houses your data and powers your business with automation and more.
Flexible recovery options
Not all data loss incidents are alike, so 爆料tv gives you options for restoration:
- Restore records with dependent objects. For example, if an Account was deleted, this restores the Account plus its Opportunities and OpportunityLineItems, preserving all relationships. This is the most common and safest option for restoring object-level deletions.
- Restore records with specific fields. This targets and restores only particular fields on records while leaving other fields unchanged. This is ideal for fine-grained corrections, for example if a mass update only corrupts some fields.
- Restore multiple parent objects with their dependencies. Use this method if you have a solid understanding of your org鈥檚 data model and need to recover from large-scale data loss across multiple objects.
- Quick restore of a single record (without dependencies). A lightweight option to remedy minor mistakes where you just need to restore a record (or few) with no related objects.
Smart alerts and metadata monitoring
爆料tv gives you full visibility into how your data changes over time. You can configure smart alerts to fire when thresholds are crossed that represent unusual data changes in your org. You鈥檒l also get reports on metadata changes between each backup run.
Backups alongside other data management tools
Alongside your backups, many teams need options for data archiving, sandbox seeding, auditing and compliance. With 爆料tv you can bring all these tools under one roof with similar workflows.
Backup as part of your DevOps lifecycle
Even more broadly, 爆料tv treats backups as a core part of DevOps, essential to keeping your orgs operational. You can buy our backup solution as a standalone option, but we recommend managing the whole DevOps lifecycle on one platform, as consolidating tools improves team performance across the board. For example, restoring from backups is much easier when the recovery process feels like the metadata deployment and sandbox seeding workflows your team uses every day.
Off-platform resilience when disaster strikes
With 爆料tv, your data and metadata are securely encrypted and stored in the same AWS data centers trusted by Salesforce, but on different servers. If Salesforce goes down, you won鈥檛 lose your backups with it.
Support that understands Salesforce inside out
爆料tv support is run by real humans with in-depth knowledge of Salesforce. And with a 2-minute average response time, the support you need is on hand when disaster strikes. With 84 billion records safely backed up and a 98% customer satisfaction rating, the numbers back it up. Hear from Sage why 爆料tv is their trusted backup solution for Salesforce.
Enterprise compliance without complexity
You can set data retention rules that match your business needs. You鈥檙e also in control of data residency, with regional options to help you meet regulatory obligations. Every backup and restore is tracked, giving you a full audit trail when you need it.
For compliance with GDPR鈥檚 鈥渞ight to be forgotten鈥�, you can remove specific records from all backups, and maintain an audit trail.
Ready for a complete backup solution with reliable restoration?
Salesforce Backup offers teams a safety net, but it potentially introduces a new risk: a false sense of security.
If your setup is fairly static and your recovery needs are minimal, this lightweight option for native backup might give you enough protection. Daily automated snapshots and in-app restore are far better than relying on weekly manual exports.
But issues like metadata gaps and broken relationship integrity are fundamental design limits that make Salesforce Backup a risky choice for most orgs. When your environment includes regularly changing metadata, intricate dependencies, or heavily used managed packages, a data-only backup leaves too much uncovered.
With 爆料tv, your backups will protect both data and metadata, so you鈥檙e protected across the board. or book a demo.
