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Note
You must have the data loader installed on your computer before completing bulk action tasks. View the data loader article for installation instructions. You must also be a Salesforce System admin to complete this task. App managers, Site owners/managers, etc. cannot complete this action.
Adding new users
Update People data in bulk
Export and update Simpplr content
Bulk upload expertise
Reactivating previously deactivated users
Below are some common Salesforce Objects updated or inserted using Data loader.
|
Object Description |
Name in Data loader |
Use |
Minimum fields |
|
People Data fields |
User (User) |
Add new users and update people data if not using a Syncing source for people data like and HRIS. |
|
|
Simpplr Content |
(Simpplr__Simpplr_Content__c) |
Export and update content |
Select Id, Simpplr__Text_Intro__c, Simpplr__Text_Main_Continued__c, Simpplr__Text_Main__c, Simpplr__Title__c FROM Simpplr__Simpplr_Content__c. |
|
Profile Expertise |
(Simpplr__Expertise__c) |
Import Expertise tags in bulk |
Simpplr__Display_Name__c, Simpplr__Name_c |
|
File ownership |
Content Document (ContentDocument) |
Update the OwnerID to change native file ownership. |
|
|
Simpplr Site Role |
Simpplr Site Role (Simpplr__Site_Role__C) |
Check who has Site management credentials for your entire intranet. |
|
|
Simpplr File (edited) |
Simpplr File (Simpplr__File__C) |
See the organization and locations of your native files. |
|
|
Simpplr Audience |
Simpplr Audience (Simpplr__Audience__C) |
See the audience counts for your sites. |
|
|
Simpplr People |
Simpplr People (Simpplr__People__C) |
Update people data in Simpplr when using a syncing source like an HRIS. |
Adding new users
- Open the data loader application on your computer.
-
Click Export.
- Toggle OAuth and select Production.
- Click log in and follow the prompts.
- Click Next.
-
Select User (User) and choose your download location for the export. Then click Next.
-
Select the fields you want to update. Be sure to include the user email and ID for any export. For new users, include all the fields you want on the user profiles in Simpplr. The following fields are required for all users:
- Click Finish then Yes, and finally Okay. Now open the export file. We'll use this export as our template for creating the new users.
- Create a blank Excel workbook (new Excel file).
- Copy the headers from your export into the first row of the new Excel sheet.
- Save your Excel file with an appropriate file name.
- Add the data for your new users. Use the existing data from your export where you don't have that data already and can see that all users from your export have that element. Note that ProfileId is a standard across all your users of the same type and a key field to pull across from your export.
- Save the Excel file with the new users and their data. Now go back to the data loader application.
-
Use the Insert option to add your new users.
- Select the User (User) object.
- Click browse and select the applicable file. then click Next.
-
Click Create or Edit a Map.
-
Click Auto-Match Fields to Columns.
- This will populate the fields. Review the auto mapping for accuracy. If there are critical blanks, drag and drop the appropriate value from the list above and into the correct section below.
- When finished, click OK, then Next.
- Select a location for Error files on your computer and click Finish. A confirmation box will appear, click Yes.
Click this link for the Salesforce instructions on inserting users with the data loader. The following videos and articles will also help!
- Inserting Users with Data Loader
- How to Use the Data Loader Success and Error Files
- Prepare a CSV file for an import or update in Salesforce
- Install the Data Loader on Windows
- Install the Data Loader on macOS
- User (SOAP API Developer Guide)
- Insert, Update, or Delete Data Using Data Loader
Update People data in bulk
- Use the data loader to export users from the User (User) object. Click Export.
- Log in to the data loader and select User (User). Then click Next.
- Select the Query fields. At a minimum, Email, FederationIdentifier, FirstName, Id, IsActive, LastName, and Username are required. Some users want to update employee hire dates. To do this, add the Joining_Date__c field to your query when exporting users.
- Once you have your fields selected, click Finish and choose Yes from the popup.
- You should have a new Salesforce Export. In it, remove the users you don't need to update. Then update the relevant fields.
- Save your export in CSV format.
- Open the data loader again and click Update.
- Select User (User) and find your new CSV file. Click Next, then Okay.
- Click Create or Edit a Map.
- Click Auto-match Fields to Columns. this should populate the fields. If there are critical blanks, drag and drop the appropriate value from the list above into the correct section below. then click OK, and Next.
- Select a place for the Error files on your computer and click Finish. At the confirmation popup box, click Yes.
Export and update Simpplr content
One use case for exporting content is to replace links throughout the intranet content like Pages. By exporting content, you'll be able to see the written text within a Page, then you can perform a find and replace of the links you'd like to change.
-
Open the data loader and click Export, then choose Production and log in to your Prod environment.
- Click Allow when logging in to allow the data loader access to your Salesforce data. then click Next.
- Check the box next to Show all Salesforce objects, then find Simpplr content. (Simpplr__Simpplr_Content__c) and click.
- From the Choose a target for extraction field, click Browse, then find a place on your computer you will remember to save the file you're going to download. this may be your desktop, for example. Click Save in the popup. then click Next.
- From the next screen, edit the query field by inputting the following string of text: Select Id, Simpplr__Text_Intro__c, Simpplr__Text_Main_Continued__c, Simpplr__Text_Main__c, Simpplr__Title__c FROM Simpplr__Simpplr_Content__c. (Optionally you can include the object Simpplr__Site__c. This will allow you to sort content by sites, making it easier when sorting through the csv file.)
-
Click Finish, then OK.
Note:
You can also choose the items from the dropdown list to add to the query field. - Navigate to the location you saved your file on your computer and open it. You should see all the content in the Simpplr__Text_Intro__C.
- Make any edits needed to the content and save it as a new csv file. Remember the save location because you'll be uploading the file back into Salesforce via the data loader.
To upload the file back into Salesforce:
- From the data loader home, select Update.
- From the list of objects, find and select Simpplr Content (Simpplr__Simpplr_Content__c). then click Browse and open your csv file. Click Next.
- From the popup, click OK.
- Click Create or Edit a Map.
- Select Auto-Match Fields to Columns, then click OK.
- Click Next, then Finish. This updates all content on Simpplr with the changes you made in your csv file.
Bulk update file ownership
A common functionality our customers need is the ability to update file ownership in bulk across their intranet. This happens when someone leaves the company or switches roles, and users don't want to re-upload new versions of the same files. As there's currently no way to perform this in Simpplr, you can use data loader to export and edit a CSV of all files and their owners.
Note, there isn't a straight forward way to pull only files within a site. The steps below are going to walk you through how to export ALL files housed in the intranet. We will run a query that includes owner IDs, so you can filter your CSV file by the owner you want to switch. But you will need to know both the current owner's ID and the new/intended owner's ID.
To get started:
- As the org's System admin user, with data loader open, choose Export.
- Make sure Show all Salesforce objects is selected, then search for the Content Document (ContentDocument) record and select.
- Give your CSV a name; something like "extract files". Click Next.
- Check the boxes for the following query fields to auto-assign to the query we're going to run:
- FileType
- Id
- OwnerId
- Title
- You can add more fields than this to the query, but these ones will help you discover the files more easily in your CSV. Once the fields are added, your query should resemble this: Select FileType, Id, OwnerId, Title FROM ContentDocument
- Click Finish. When the popup appears, click Yes.
- If there are no errors, you should be able to see your complete CSV file. Open it.
- Locate the files you want to reassign ownership of. The easiest way to do this is to filter the OwnerId column to show only the old owner's ID.
- To locate the Owner Id, you'll need to go to Simpplr or Salesforce. The Owner ID is the same as the Salesforce user ID.
- In Simpplr, navigate to the user's profile. In the URL, copy the long string of letters and digits at the end. This is the user ID, also the Owner ID. The strings should match in the CSV file.
- Now do the same thing for the new/intended file owner.
- In the CSV, do a find and replace for the old Owner ID, and swap it with the new Owner ID.
- Save your file. Do not change the file name.
- Back in data loader, from the home screen, click Update.
- Choose the same object, Content Document, and upload your edited CSV file.
- The field mapping should be set accordingly already. The same fields contained in the export will be mapped in the import. Click Next, then Finish. At the popup, click Yes.
Bulk upload expertise
You're able to create and upload Expertise in bulk using the data loader. Follow the same steps as above to export data:
- Find the object Simpplr Expertise (Simpplr__Expertise__c) and add it to the string for the export.
- Add both Simpplr__Display_Name__c and Simpplr__Name__c to the string and click Finish. this will begin your export.
- Open the csv file with Excel, and in the Simpplr__Display_Name__c column, enter new expertise, or replace the existing expertise name as how you want it to appear in Simpplr, e.g., Public Relations.
- In the Simpplr__Name__c field, the values must be alphanumeric in lower case, e.g., only Alphabets and Numbers, e.g publicrelations.
- Once you've completed and saved the csv file with the new expertise, open the data loader and use Insert. Follow the prompt to log in if it asks, select the Simpplr__Expertise__c object and insert the file. To finish, click Next, then Finish. The new data will be reflected in your Salesforce/Simpplr instance.
Reactivating previously deactivated users
If you've deactivated users and need to reactivate them for any reason (seasonal employees, interns, etc.) the data loader is the best way to switch their active status. To do so:
- Export a list of all your users (Active and Inactive) by clicking Export from the data loader home. Log into your Production environment (if not already), and when prompted, find the User (User) object and select.
- Choose a save location for your file and click Next.
- Where you see the option to choose the query fields below, select Email, Id, and IsActive. The generated query should look like the image below. Click FINISH.
- Make sure there were no errors during the extraction, then open the CSV file from the download location you set. We recommend opening the file with Excel.
- The CSV file should look similar to the image below. Deactivated users are marked "FALSE" in the ISACTIVE column. In that column, for the users you want to reactivate, change any fields currently marked "FALSE" to "TRUE". Save your file.
- Now you can upload the file via the data loader to save your changes in Salesforce/Simpplr.
- Back on the data loader home screen, click Update. Find the User (User) object again and choose the CSV file you just saved. Click Next.
- From the next screen, ensure the same fields from the extract are all selected (ID, EMAIL, ISACTIVE). If they're not there, click Create or Edit a Map and assign those fields. Click Next.
- Choose your Directory save location (where the file will be saved) and click Finish.
- Head back to Salesforce. In the User menu, verify your users have been reactivated by making sure the Active box is checked in their profile.
Comments
Hi Matthew,
Which of the categories above would best apply if we wanted to mass delete files from a site?
Hi Aileen. Although this isn't a recommended best practice, you could technically delete native Simpplr (Salesforce) hosted files by exporting the Content Document object. This will export all files stored in Salesforce, including images. Export the CSV file, remove any files from the sheet that you'd like to remain, and then using the data loader, choose Delete. Choose the same Content Document object, then reupload the newly edited CSV containing the files you'd like to delete and make sure Id is mapped correctly. There is not a way to remove 3rd party-hosted files (i.e., Google Drive, SharePoint, etc.) with the data loader.
Hello!
Last year, we had a public campaign site that I deactivated when the campaign was over. As this is an annual campaign, I just reactivated the site and changed it to "private" so that we can update it with new information. However, this didn't make the site inaccessible to site members who were a member of the site last year.
Is there a way to (easily) bulk-delete all of the site members? I don't want our employees to find the site before it's ready to (re)launch this fall.
Thanks,
Michelle
Hi Michelle. This is definitely possible, but will take a bit of leg work in data loader. You'll want to export the Simpplr Site Membership object to pull a list of your users, and in that export, add the Select Id, Name, Simpplr__People__c, Simpplr__Site__c FROM Simpplr__Site_Membership__c fields. Then you'll filter your CSV to only show the ID of the site you want to remove your users from. Remove the users from that site, then re-upload your CSV to data loader. Those users will no longer be members of the site.
Hi, Matthew,
I rarely use Salesforce, and neither does the IT person who helps me with Simpplr.
Can I submit a ticket so that someone at Simpplr can assist me with this?
Michelle
You can definitely submit a ticket, but do keep in mind that we don’t officially support data loader as part of the Simpplr product. Our team may only be able to provide basic guidelines on how to proceed. Its primary purpose is currently to act as a supplemental tool in place of what the platform cannot do natively. Please feel free to reach out to the team for additional assistance.
Hi Matthew, I have 30 files that have different file owners. I need all 30 files to be transferred to one person. Can you please outline which steps I would take to do this using either Dataloader or Workbench? Thanks
Hi Natasha. Unfortunately this isn't a very straightforward or recommended practice. This community post shows similar issue customers have, and this article we're on now gives the steps necessary to use data loader to transfer file ownership. The query you'll want to run in data loader is Content Document (ContentDocument). Using that query, follow the steps in the section Export and update Simpplr content of this article.
Hi Matthew Rawls, can you please outline the steps needed to move a file from one site to another.
SITE 1 > Site Files
to
SITE 2 > Site Files
Thanks, Tash
Hi Natasha. I'm going to send you to our Support team or your CSM so one of our tech experts can help you with this to the max extent we can.
File moving is a bit more complicated than a simple data export. One reason being a "file" in Simpplr/Salesforce isn't just an uploaded document. Files are images, videos, etc. Anything that was natively uploaded to the intranet is considered a file. So when using data loader to move files from one site to another, the query below that I'll reference is also going to bring in image files from that site and swap them to being hosted on the new site. In other words, this is not a highly recommended practice.
In addition to exporting all file IDs from Salesforce (the name in data loader is Simpplr File (Simpplr__File__C)), you would need to export the SiteID of the site where the files are currently hosted, and in your CSV, before re-uploading, change that SiteID to the new site where the files will be hosted. Run this query when exporting:
select id, Simpplr__Folder__c, Simpplr__Title__c, Simpplr__Content_Name__c, Simpplr__Content_Version__c, Simpplr__Simpplr_Content__c, Simpplr__Site__c from Simpplr__File__c where Simpplr__Site__c='site ID'
In that query, replace where it says 'site ID' with the actual site ID. This will be the series of numbers and letters that sit between /site/ and /dashboard/ in your intranet URL at the top of the screen when you're on the site in question.
This query will export the data you need. When re-importing the data, replace the Site ID field values with the new site ID where you intend the files to live.
You'll then need to go into Salesforce as a System admin and remove files sharing permission settings from the files on original site and enable file sharing permissions for the files in the new site.
Again, we can't guarantee a great solution here, and you really need solid Salesforce experience and understanding in order to use data loader effectively with no unexpected repercussions. Hope this helps!
Hi, Matthew,
I'm trying to determine how many pieces of intranet content are stored in Salesforce. The count would include all pages in our intranet, in addition to any files (e.g., images),
I see where the files are stored, and I'm guessing some kind of report can be run. Can you provide some guidance on how I can do this?
Thanks,
Michelle
Hey Michelle. My best advice would be to just run a content report that shows you all content titles, filter by published/unpublished (depending on if you want to count unpublished content in your metrics) then count the number of lines in the exported CSV. I don't think there's a very straightforward way to see how many total pieces of content you have. What's the use case for needing the total number?
Thanks, Matthew.
Unfortunately, we're considering moving from Simpplr to a different platform. The vendors we're talking to are asking how many pieces of content need to be migrated so they can provide an estimate of the time and cost involved.
Hey Michelle. I'd recommend talking to your org's CSM about this one. When it comes to exporting content and running these data loader reports, sometimes it can get tricky.
Thanks, Matthew. Your instructions were easy to follow, so I have the reports I need. And my CSM is aware that we may be looking to make a change.
Follow-up question: If we need to migrate our content to another platform, it all lives in Salesforce, correct? In what format(s) can we download it?
Hi Michelle. Working with our Support team is probably going to be the easiest method to offload your content. There is no native way to do this in the platform. These Data Loader reports are the best way you can download metadata to CSV files. CSV exports are the only format I'm aware of for exporting information from Salesforce.
Matthew, we're upgrading to Simpplr One in about two weeks. Since our data will be moved from Salesforce to AWS, I assume the process to offload content will also change. Can you speak to that process?
Hi Michelle. Your Account Manager or CSM is going t be the better expert to speak to on the best way to offload your content upon migration. I'm not aware of any methods that allow you to perform that large of a data export yourself.
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