Data Loader export versus Data Export Service
Key Takeaway
Use the Data Export Service for whole-org backups, including attachments. Use Data Loader for a filtered subset of one object, or for deleted records through its Export All button.
Salesforce has two main ways to get a copy of your data out as comma-separated values (CSV) files, either for backup or to load into a different system. The Data Export Service is a built-in Setup tool that exports your org's data at fixed weekly or monthly intervals. Data Loader is a client app you install separately, and it exports one object at a time using a query you control.
How the two tools differ
The two tools differ in where they run, how much they export at once, and how often you can run them.
| Data Export Service | Data Loader | |
|---|---|---|
| Where it runs | In the browser, so there is nothing to install | In a client application you must install separately |
| How you run it | From Setup | Through its user interface or the command line |
| How much it exports at once | Up to your whole org | One object at a time |
| How often you can run it | Weekly or monthly, within set limits | On demand |
| What you get | A zip file containing CSV files | A CSV file |
The Data Export Service is built for whole-org backups. You can think of it as a scheduled snapshot of the whole org, and of Data Loader as a targeted query.