Turbocharging Your Salesforce: Proven Tips for Peak Performance and Unmatched Efficiency

As Salesforce experts, we’re always aiming to keep our orgs running as fast and efficiently as possible. But with data growing, integrations piling up, and customizations multiplying, performance issues can start to slow things down—often at the worst times. So how can we ensure our Salesforce org is ready to handle whatever our teams throw at it?

Think of Salesforce performance like a car engine. With regular maintenance and a few key adjustments, we can make sure it’s running smoothly and avoid the “check engine” light. Let’s dive into a roadmap for optimizing Salesforce performance, covering everything from data management and query efficiency to governor limits and caching. Whether you’re an admin, developer, or architect, these tips will help you keep your org firing on all cylinders.

The Reality of a Growing Salesforce Org: When Speed Takes a Back Seat

Imagine you’re working with a Salesforce instance that started small—just a handful of users and basic data records. But over time, as more departments started using Salesforce, data usage increased, new apps and integrations were added, and your once-speedy org began to slow down. Reports take longer to run, users are frustrated by load times, and your service agents are spending more time waiting than helping customers.

This scenario is more common than you might think, and it highlights the need to proactively manage performance before it becomes a problem. By understanding what can slow down Salesforce, you can implement targeted optimizations that keep your org running like new, even as it scales.

Step 1: Tame the Data Monster

One of the most common causes of sluggish Salesforce performance is data overload. When your database is full of outdated records, duplicates, and irrelevant information, it can bog down queries and reports. Here’s how to keep your data lean and efficient:

• Archive Old Data Regularly Just like cleaning out old files on your computer, archiving unused records keeps Salesforce from getting weighed down. Salesforce offers Big Object storage for historical data, which lets you retain critical information without sacrificing performance.
• Set Up Data Retention Policies Work with your business teams to set data retention guidelines. For example, delete or archive closed opportunities older than five years, or remove contacts with no activity in the past two years. This keeps your org streamlined and relevant.
• Deduplicate Records Duplicate records can hurt your database's performance and lead to poor reporting. Use Salesforce’s built-in duplicate management tools or apps like DemandTools to merge or delete duplicate records regularly.

Step 2: Master the Art of Efficient Queries

Every time you load a record or run a report, Salesforce queries the database to retrieve data. But not all queries are created equal. Here are tips to make sure your queries are lightning fast:

• Limit SOQL Queries to Only the Fields You Need When writing SOQL queries, avoid using “SELECT *.” Only query the fields that are necessary for your report or function. For example, if you’re generating a report on opportunities, leave out fields like account history and user details unless they’re essential.
• Use Indexes Wisely Indexed fields make it faster to retrieve data, as they’re optimized for search. Fields like record IDs and primary keys are indexed by default, but you can request indexing for other fields, like custom date fields, if they’re commonly used in filters or searches.
• Filter First, Sort Later When building complex queries, always filter records before applying sorting. Filtering reduces the data set size first, making sorting much faster and improving the query performance overall.

Step 3: Avoid the Governor Limit Gotchas

Governor limits are one of Salesforce’s most powerful guardrails, but they can also be frustrating if you don’t manage them proactively. Here are some tips for keeping your code within Salesforce’s limits:

• Bulkify Your Apex Code Salesforce enforces strict limits on the number of SOQL queries and DML operations you can perform in a transaction. By bulkifying your code, you ensure that it handles multiple records in a single transaction, reducing the risk of hitting limits. This is especially useful when dealing with large data operations.
• Use Asynchronous Processing For processes that don’t need to happen in real-time, use asynchronous methods like Future methods, Batch Apex, or Queueable Apex. This way, you can offload tasks from real-time processing and stay within governor limits.
• Leverage Caching for Repeated Data If your code accesses the same data multiple times, consider caching the data in variables rather than querying the database each time. This helps reduce the load on your system and improves processing time.

Step 4: Optimize Reports and Dashboards

When users run a report or dashboard, Salesforce processes a potentially large amount of data. To ensure fast load times and a good user experience, take these steps:

• Use Report Filters to Narrow Down Data Encourage users to apply filters before running reports. For example, instead of generating a report on all cases ever logged, filter by date range or status to make it more focused and faster to load.
• Avoid Cross-Object Formula Fields Where Possible Cross-object formulas can slow down reports, especially if you have complex formulas spanning multiple objects. If necessary, consider creating calculated fields on the primary object to avoid pulling data from related objects.
• Schedule Reports During Off-Peak Hours For large reports or dashboards that need to run regularly, schedule them during off-peak hours to reduce the load on your instance. This keeps your Salesforce instance available and responsive during peak business hours.

Step 5: Keep Integrations Lean and Mean

Integrations allow Salesforce to connect with other systems, but they can also slow down performance if not optimized. Here’s how to keep your integrations efficient:

• Limit API Calls Salesforce has daily API limits, and hitting these limits can slow down or halt processes. Batch API calls where possible, and only send essential data between systems. Real-time sync isn’t always necessary—determine if scheduled or on-demand syncs are more suitable.
• Use Middleware for Complex Integrations For complex integrations, middleware platforms like MuleSoft can help manage data flow more efficiently. Middleware can handle data transformations, filtering, and error handling, reducing the workload on your Salesforce org.
• Monitor API Performance Regularly Salesforce provides Event Monitoring for tracking API usage. Regularly monitor your API calls to identify any bottlenecks and optimize your integrations accordingly.

Step 6: Embrace Salesforce’s Optimizer Tool

Salesforce Optimizer is a built-in tool that analyzes your org’s performance and suggests improvements. It’s like having a Salesforce coach looking over your shoulder, offering guidance on where to streamline processes and enhance efficiency. Make a habit of running Optimizer reports regularly to stay on top of areas that may need fine-tuning.

A Story of Success: From Sluggish to Speedy in Six Steps

Let’s take a look at a real-life example. Meet Mark, a Salesforce admin at a national retail company. Over the years, his team’s Salesforce org had grown dramatically in size, and performance was suffering. Reports were slow, and users were frustrated. Mark knew he needed a solution—and fast.

He started with a data cleanup, archiving years-old records that were no longer needed. Then, he reviewed all custom code to ensure it was bulkified and optimized for governor limits. He limited query fields, improved report filters, and even integrated an asynchronous batch process to handle nightly data loads.

By the end of his optimization project, Salesforce performance had improved noticeably. Reports loaded in seconds rather than minutes, and his sales and service teams could access data without delays. The result? Happy users, efficient processes, and a Salesforce org ready for whatever came next.

Final Thoughts: Keep Your Org Running Like a Well-Oiled Machine

Optimizing Salesforce performance isn’t a one-time project—it’s an ongoing commitment. By actively managing data, optimizing queries, monitoring governor limits, and keeping integrations streamlined, you can maintain a fast, efficient Salesforce instance that supports your team’s needs.

Remember, a little preventive maintenance goes a long way. Implement these steps regularly, and your Salesforce org will remain a high-performance machine, no matter how much it grows. As Salesforce experts, our mission is to provide our teams with a seamless experience, and with these tips, you’re well on your way to doing just that.