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Extracting and preserving all custom field values before Salesforce account merges is critical for preventing permanent data loss. Native merge operations delete all custom field values from the losing account without any recovery options.
Here’s a comprehensive guide to ensure complete custom field preservation with automated extraction workflows and validation systems.
Extract and preserve every custom field value with automated workflows using Coefficient
Coefficient handles comprehensive custom field extraction exceptionally well, providing automated workflows that capture all field types, validate data completeness, and create permanent preservation records.
How to make it work
Step 1. Set up comprehensive field discovery and extraction.
Create a Salesforce import using “From Objects & Fields” for the Account object. Click “Select All” for custom fields to include all fields ending in “__c”, plus formula fields and lookup relationship fields. Sort by field type to organize Text, Number, Date, and Picklist fields systematically.
Step 2. Configure multi-account extraction with merge targeting.
Set up filters with ID equals [Master_Account_ID] OR ID equals [Loser_Account_ID] to pull both accounts in the same import. This creates side-by-side comparison views and enables immediate extraction before planned merges with scheduled backups and on-demand pulls.
Step 3. Build organized preservation templates with validation.
Create tabs for Raw Data Import (all accounts with all custom fields), Merge Comparison (Field API Name, Field Label, Master Value, Loser Value, Values Match formula, Action Required), and Preservation Archive (historical record with append-only structure).
Step 4. Handle complex field types with specialized preservation.
Extract HTML content completely from Rich Text fields preserving formatting and embedded images. Capture multi-select picklist values in “Value1;Value2;Value3” format and document available options. Store lookup relationships as both ID and Name in “Related_Account__c: ID (Name)” format.
Step 5. Implement validation checks and snapshot version control.
Use validation formulas like =COUNTIF(C2:C100,”<>“)/COUNTA(A2:A100) to check data completeness and =IF(AND(D2<>“”,C2<>D2),”UNIQUE DATA – PRESERVE”,””) to identify unique loser values. Configure snapshots with “Pre_Merge_[Date]_[AccountNames]” naming and permanent retention.
Never lose custom field data again
This comprehensive extraction and preservation approach ensures no custom field data is lost during Salesforce account merges while providing complete audit trails and recovery capabilities. Ready to protect your custom field data? Start building your extraction system now.
