How to Migrate Salesforce Attachments to Files Using Dataimporter

As Salesforce phases out legacy Attachments in favor of Files (ContentVersion), many teams are looking to clean up historical data and modernize their orgs. Whether you're migrating between Salesforce environments or updating records in place, converting Attachments to Files is a crucial step—and Dataimporter makes it easy.

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Why Convert Attachments to Files?

Salesforce Files offer numerous advantages over legacy Attachments:

• Preview and version control for better collaboration
• Enhanced sharing and visibility settings
• Long-term platform support and compatibility

Organizations aiming to standardize on Files often face challenges with manual conversion or Apex-heavy approaches. Dataimporter provides a no-code, Salesforce-native solution to convert Attachments to Files—across environments or within the same org.

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Supported Use Cases

With Dataimporter, you can convert Attachments to Files in:

• Same-org transformations (e.g., cleaning up historical Attachment data)
• Cross-org migrations (e.g., moving Accounts and their documents from sandbox to production)
• Partial org consolidations (e.g., migrating select objects from one business unit)

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How It Works with Migration Templates

Dataimporter Migration Templates let you define multi-object workflows that preserve relationships and apply transformations. Here's how to set up a template to convert Attachments to Files.

Step 1: Add the Parent Object

Start by adding the parent object—such as Account, Opportunity, or Case—as a top-level object. Apply filters as needed to control which records are included.

Step 2: Add the Attachment Object

Add the Attachment object as a related object to the parent, using the ParentId relationship. This pulls in only the relevant Attachments.

Step 3: Convert to ContentVersion

Change the target object for the Attachment job to ContentVersion in the Configure tab.

Field mappings:

• Body → VersionData
• Name → Title
• Name → PathOnClient (required; use the formula [Name])

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Step 4: Link the File to Its Parent

Use the FirstPublishLocationId field on ContentVersion to associate each File with its parent record.

• Same-org conversions: You can map ParentId → FirstPublishLocationId directly.
• Cross-org migrations: Use a lookup mapping such as ParentId → FirstPublishLocation Account MagicId (or another external ID). This ensures Files are linked to the correct records in the target org.

Salesforce automatically creates the ContentDocumentLink when FirstPublishLocationId is set—there’s no need to add it manually.

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Step 5: API and Batch Size Settings

Files must be migrated using the REST API. Bulk API 2.0 does not support ContentVersion.

Additionally, Salesforce enforces a 50MB per API call limit on binary data. To avoid errors:

• Set the API type to REST
• Reduce the batch size in the Settings tab—start with 1–5 for large files
• Monitor for size-related errors and adjust accordingly

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Why Use Dataimporter?

Unlike Apex scripts or export/import tools, Dataimporter gives you:

• A visual interface for mapping and transformation
• Reusable Migration Templates for repeatable processes
• Automatic relationship handling and record lookups
• Full support for same-org and cross-org workflows

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Conclusion

Whether you're modernizing your existing Salesforce org or consolidating data between environments, converting Attachments to Files is a critical step. With Dataimporter, you can handle it all—no code, no manual exports, and no risk of breaking relationships.

Start your Attachment-to-File conversion today with Dataimporter’s powerful, flexible Migration Templates.

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