Import your Salesforce data into Cognism to unlock Salesforce-specific search filters. These filters allow users to identify and exclude prospects or companies that already exist in your Salesforce CRM.
Salesforce Data Import is configured by a Cognism Admin with the required Salesforce permissions. After the initial import and matching process is complete, Salesforce data updates automatically in the background.
Before you Begin
Before enabling Salesforce Data Import, make sure your Salesforce edition and permissions meet the following requirements:
- Salesforce Essentials is not supported. You must use Salesforce Professional or above.
- If you use Salesforce Professional, API access must be enabled.
The Salesforce user enabling Data Import must be a Salesforce Admin or have the following permissions:
- Customize Application
- View All Users
- Modify Metadata
Initial Salesforce Data Import
Before starting, make sure the Salesforce integration has already been connected to Cognism.
- Click your user avatar in the top-right corner of Cognism.
- Go to Integrations.
- Find Salesforce and click Configure.
- Open the Data Import tab.
- Click Enable Data Import.
- Review the configuration displayed in the confirmation window.
Make sure the Salesforce Organisation shown is the same Salesforce organisation connected to your Cognism account.
- Click Confirm.
Preparing the import
Once Data Import is enabled, the status will change to Data Import Preparing.
During this stage, Cognism calculates the number of Salesforce records that need to be imported. The initial import starts automatically once preparation is complete.
You can monitor its progress from the Data Import settings page.
Note: The initial Data Import can take up to a day to complete depending on the number of records in your Salesforce organisation.
Matching your Salesforce data
After the records have been imported, Cognism matches the Salesforce data against the Cognism database.
The Salesforce search filters remain unavailable while matching is in progress. Admins can see the progress of this process.
Once both the import and matching are complete:
- The Salesforce Data Import status changes to Data Import Active.
- The Admin receives an email confirming completion.
- Salesforce-specific filters become available in Search.
- Future Salesforce updates are synced automatically in the background.
Disabling Salesforce Data Import
Disabling Data Import also removes access to the Salesforce-specific search filters.
To disable it:
- Click your user avatar and go to Integrations.
- Find Salesforce and click Configure.
- Open the Data Import tab.
- Click Disable Data Sync.
- Choose whether Cognism should retain or remove the previously imported data.
- Click Confirm.
What happens to my data after disabling Data Import?
When disabling Data Import, you can choose to:
- Keep the data stored securely until you request its deletion, or
- Remove the data.
If you select Yes, remove my data, the data will be retained for 30 days before being deleted.
If you later re-enable Data Import after the stored data has been deleted, Cognism will need to perform a new initial import. Depending on the number of Salesforce records, this may take up to a day.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why can't I see the Salesforce filters?
Salesforce filters become available only after both the initial Data Import and the subsequent matching process have completed.
If the import has finished but matching is still running, the filters may remain inactive until matching is complete.
If Data Import has been disabled, the Salesforce-specific filters will no longer be available.
Do individual users need to connect Salesforce to use the filters?
No.
Once Salesforce Data Import has been successfully enabled for the Cognism account, the Salesforce-specific search filters are available to all users on that Cognism account, including users who do not have their own Salesforce integration connected.
When should I manually re-sync Salesforce?
Salesforce data is updated automatically in the background. You cannot manually re-sync the imported data.
If the Data Import gets stuck or doesn't update as expected, reach out to the Support team at help@cognism.com.
What Salesforce data does Cognism import?
To provide Salesforce Data Import functionality, Cognism imports data from the following Salesforce objects:
- Contacts
- Leads
- Accounts
- Users
This allows Cognism to compare your existing CRM records with the Cognism database and provide Salesforce-specific filtering within Search.
How does Cognism use imported Salesforce data?
Cognism uses the imported CRM data only to provide the Salesforce Data Import functionality, such as allowing users to filter searches based on records that already exist in their CRM.
Cognism does not use this data to enrich the Cognism database.
Imported data is stored in an encrypted database using AES-256 encryption.
What is the Salesforce Status Indicator?
The Salesforce Status Indicator helps you identify whether a record already exists in your Salesforce CRM.
Cognism uses selected fields, such as email, domain, and name, to match Salesforce records against records in the Cognism database.
When a match is identified, Cognism can display that the contact or company already exists in Salesforce and may show relevant Salesforce information, such as the record owner.
The Salesforce data accessed for this functionality is used only to provide the Status Indicator and associated Salesforce functionality. Cognism does not use your Salesforce data to enrich the Cognism database.