Introduction
Clean, reliable data is critical for Salesforce success. Whether you’re running sales, service, or marketing operations, inaccurate or duplicate records lead to poor analytics, wasted effort, and lost revenue. This guide covers practical steps, tools, and patterns to clean data in Salesforce and keep it high quality over time.
Why data cleaning matters
High-quality data improves user trust, reporting accuracy, automation reliability, and customer experience. Common data quality issues in Salesforce include duplicates, inconsistent formatting, missing fields, incorrect associations, and outdated records.
Step-by-step process to clean data in Salesforce
1. Audit & backup
Start with a data audit to understand the scope of issues. Identify duplicate patterns, missing mandatory fields, and format inconsistencies. Always export and backup data before making bulk changes.
2. Standardize and normalize
Apply consistent standards for names, addresses, phone numbers, and picklist values. Use validation rules, picklists, and standardized formats to prevent future inconsistencies.
3. Validate and enrich
Use validation rules and required fields to ensure incoming records meet standards. Enrich records using third-party services or AppExchange tools to fill missing contact details and verify addresses.
4. De-duplicate (dedupe)
Remove or merge duplicate records using Salesforce native features or third-party tools:
- Duplicate Management (Matching Rules + Duplicate Rules)
- Data Import Wizard / Data Loader for controlled imports
- AppExchange tools: Cloudingo, DemandTools, DupeCatcher, Openprise
5. Merge and relate records
When duplicates are found, merge records carefully to retain the richest data. For Accounts and Contacts use the native Merge UI or the Database.merge() Apex method for automated merges where appropriate.
6. Clean historically and automate ongoing hygiene
Run historical cleans using ETL or AppExchange tools and implement ongoing controls: validation rules, required fields, duplicate rules, and automation (Flows) to enforce standards. Schedule batch jobs or third-party processes to continuously monitor and clean data.
Key Salesforce tools & techniques
Native Salesforce options
- Data Import Wizard — good for simple imports and matching by email or name.
- Data Loader — bulk insert/update/delete/export (CSV-based).
- Duplicate Management — Matching Rules & Duplicate Rules to prevent duplicates at entry.
- Reports & List Views — identify records with missing data or inconsistent values.
Programmatic approaches
Use Apex, Batch Apex, or Scheduled Flows to detect and repair data issues at scale. Example: finding possible duplicate contacts by email domain using SOQL.
SELECT Id, FirstName, LastName, Email FROM Contact WHERE Email LIKE '%@example.com'
Example Apex merge (use with care and test in sandbox):
Account master = [SELECT Id FROM Account WHERE Name='Master' LIMIT 1];
Account duplicate = [SELECT Id FROM Account WHERE Name='Duplicate' LIMIT 1];
Database.merge(master, duplicate);
Third-party & ETL tools
AppExchange solutions provide advanced matching, deduplication, and merge workflows. ETL tools (Informatica, Talend, MuleSoft) help for complex transformations and cross-system harmonization.
Common SOQL queries for data auditing
Find contacts with no email:
SELECT Id, FirstName, LastName FROM Contact WHERE Email = NULL
Find accounts with multiple contacts (potential duplicates):
SELECT AccountId, COUNT(Id) FROM Contact GROUP BY AccountId HAVING COUNT(Id) > 5
Best practices checklist
- Always backup before bulk changes
- Standardize formats and use picklists
- Implement Duplicate Management and validation rules
- Use AppExchange tools for complex dedupe scenarios
- Automate monitoring (scheduled reports, Apex, or Flows)
- Document data governance policies and owner responsibilities
Conclusion
Cleaning data in Salesforce is an ongoing effort combining good governance, prevention, and periodic remediation. By following a structured process — audit, standardize, dedupe, enrich, and automate — you can significantly improve data quality and the value your organization gets from Salesforce.