What is Workbench for Salesforce and How to Use It?

Salesforce and its set of tools are designed to make lives easier. And Salesforce Workbench is an invaluable asset in your toolkit. It’s primarily for users seeking enhanced control and efficiency in data and metadata management.

Whether you’re an experience Salesforce developer, or a new Salesforce user exploring the CRM, you must harness the power of Salesforce Workbench to elevate your Salesforce experience and outcomes.

In this guide, we’ll explore the ins and outs of Salesforce Workbench, including its features, benefits, and step-by-step instructions on how you can make the most of it.
 

What Is Salesforce Workbench?

Salesforce Workbench is a third-party tool that helps users interact with their organization’s data and metadata. The interface is very user-friendly and offers a set of utilities and features to incorporate data management.

• You can perform Salesforce tasks such as querying, inserting, updating, and deleting data in Salesforce objects.
• It allows you to execute anonymous Apex code, backup data, and export data in various formats.
• You get access to the query editor to write and execute SOQL or SOSL queries and retrieve data from objects.
• You can view, deploy and retrieve meta-data components such as custom objects, fields, workflows, etc.

Who Is Salesforce Workbench for?

The Salesforce Workbench is designed for a variety of Salesforce users, including:

1. Administrators and operations analysts can use Workbench for Salesforce to perform administrative tasks such as data management, metadata operations, and data migration.
2. Developers can execute Apex code, perform bulk data operations, and test queries and scripts.
3. QA teams can validate data integrity.
4. Support teams can troubleshoot and investigate data inconsistencies, review data relationships, and identify the root cause of problems.
5. Salesforce partners can manage client environments.

Benefits of Using Workbench for Salesforce

• Salesforce users can easily perform many data manipulation tasks, simplifying the process for them.
• Facilitates easy configuration and customization of Salesforce org.
• Offers a user-friendly environment for developing and testing queries with features like syntax highlighting, auto-completion, and query history. This way, you can test your queries before executing, which enhances accuracy and ensures optimal performance.
• It’s very flexible and compatible with other tools, especially when it comes to creating data backups, generating reports, and integrating with external systems.
• The bulk-data operations feature allows administrators to make changes to a large number of records in a single operation.
• It saves settings throughout the session and is super easy to use, especially for non-technical users.
• Workbench keeps your current user session active no matter how many times you close the browser window. This saves time and enhances productivity.

How to Use Workbench for Salesforce

There are many ways you can use Salesforce Workbench for. Let’s look at them one by one.
 

Force Reset Password

This is done if a user is locked out or unable to reset their password through normal means. Workbench provides an interface to help initiate the password reset process for a specific user.

Here’s how it’s done:

1. Log in to Workbench.
2. Navigate to “Utilities” and click “Password management.”
3. Enter the new password and confirm it.
4. Click “change password” and send the user instructions about setting the security question once they log in.

Running a SOQL Query

To run a SOQL query on Workbench, you don’t need to be a SOQL expert—the Workbench query builder makes it easy to write and run queries without going into the technicalities. You can run custom queries, retrieve specific records or analyze data in the org using the query editor.

Here’s how to use it:

1. Log in to Workbench.
2. Navigate to the “Queries” tab and click “SOQL queries.”
3. Select the object you want to run the query for, and the builder will pull all the fields for that object.
4. Manually select the field you want to see in your query and use filters to make your query more specific. For example, you can sort the results by specific criteria or fetch only results that have been deleted or modified.
5. You can also change the “view as” option on the top and change how the results appear to you.
6. Click “query,” and you can view or download the results.

Creating Multiple Records

In Workbench, you can define the fields and values for new records and insert them in bulk. It saves you time and hours of manual effort.

Here’s how to do it:

1. Log in to Workbench.
2. Go to “Data” and click “Insert.”
3. Choose “Single record” or “From file,” depending on whether you’re entering records one by one or all at once.
4. Create a CSV with all the new records you want to enter in your Salesforce org—make sure the values match the existing fields.
5. Map the fields.

Updating Multiple Records in Salesforce Workbench

You can use the update operation in Workbench to modify multiple records simultaneously based on specific criteria or conditions. This is useful for making bulk updates to fields, such as updating a status or assigning ownership to records.

Here’s how to do it:

1. Log in to Workbench.
2. Go to “Data” and click “Insert.”
3. Type the object type.
4. Choose “Single record” or “From file,” depending on whether you’re updating records one by one or all at once.
5. Create a CSV with all the records you want to update in your Salesforce org—make sure the values match the existing fields.
6. Map the fields.

Deleting Multiple Records

In Salesforce, you can only mass delete up to 250 records at a time — Workbench allows you to delete more than 250 records at once.

Here, you can specify the criteria for deletion — for example, based on a particular field value or date range. This is especially helpful when you want to delete obsolete or redundant records in bulk.

Here’s how to do it:

1. Log in to Workbench.
2. Go to “Data” and then click “Delete.”
3. Choose “Single record” or “From file,” depending on whether you’re deleting records one by one or all at once.
4. Create a report of Salesforce records you want to delete—ideally, you’ll only need the ID. Back up all your records and save them outside of Salesforce to ensure you don’t lose any important data.
5. Map the fields.

Restoring Records

If you accidentally delete a record you deleted via Workbench, it’s still possible to retrieve the records. Workbench provides a 15-day window, so anything you delete doesn’t get completely wiped out.

Here’s how to do it:

1. Log in to Workbench.
2. Go to “data” and click “undelete.”
3. Choose “Single record” or “From file,” depending on whether you’re undeleting records one by one or all at once.
4. Create a CSV file containing the ID columns of the records you want to undelete.
5. Map the ID field.

Workbench for Salesforce: Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

1. Is Workbench owned by Salesforce?
   Even though Workbench is an official Salesforce tool, it’s not owned by Salesforce. Ryan Brainard owns it.
2. How do I open Workbench on Salesforce?
   Login to your Salesforce org, and navigate to this URL: https://developer.salesforce.com/page/Workbench. Once you log in to the Workbench, allow access to your org.
3. What is the difference between Salesforce Data Loader and Workbench?
   To update multiple records on the Data Loader, you need to export the CSV file, modify it and then upload it to the org. However, in Workbench, you can update all the information from a single record.
4. Is Salesforce Workbench only for developers?
   No, Salesforce Workbench isn’t limited to developers. While it offers features many developers can benefit from, it targets many users, including administrators, data analysts, system integrators, and other Salesforce users.
5. Can you query Salesforce data using Workbench?
   Yes, Workbench supports querying Salesforce data using Salesforce Object Query Language (SOQL) and Salesforce Object Search Language (SOSL). The query editor is a user-friendly interface for writing and executing these queries.
6. Is Workbench free to use?
   Yes, Salesforce Workbench is a free tool, and it provides access to a range of utilities and functionalities for interacting with Salesforce data.
7. Is Salesforce Workbench secure?
   Yes, Salesforce Workbench is absolutely safe to use. It uses secure connections (HTTPS) to ensure the privacy and integrity of data transferred between the user’s browser and the Salesforce organization.
8. What are the alternatives to Workbench for Salesforce data management?
   Some alternatives to Salesforce Workbench are Salesforce Data Loader, Salesforce Inspector, and various third-party tools. Many of these tools offer similar functionalities to Workbench and have features or user interfaces catering to the specific needs of their users.

Streamline Data Management with Workbench for Salesforce

Salesforce Workbench serves as a powerful and versatile tool for Salesforce users, allowing them to perform a wide range of tasks related to data management. It provides direct access to Salesforce data and metadata, allowing them to manipulate it based on their requirements.

However, make sure your users have a sound knowledge about using Salesforce and understand the security constraints and the impacts of their actions before making any changes in the production. So, remember to use Workbench responsibly and adhere to the best practices to avoid any unintended data loss!