Big Objects vs External Objects

Developers should use Big Objects when dealing with massive datasets that exceed standard Salesforce storage limits or require long-term archival, such as audit trails, IoT sensor data, or historical transaction logs meets developers should learn about external objects when building applications that require data persistence, integration with external services, or handling of large-scale data beyond local memory limits. Here's our take.

Big Objects

Nice Pick

Developers should use Big Objects when dealing with massive datasets that exceed standard Salesforce storage limits or require long-term archival, such as audit trails, IoT sensor data, or historical transaction logs

Pros

• It is particularly valuable for compliance-driven use cases where data must be retained for years without impacting the performance of core Salesforce operations
• Related to: salesforce-platform, apex

Cons

• Specific tradeoffs depend on your use case

External Objects

Developers should learn about External Objects when building applications that require data persistence, integration with external services, or handling of large-scale data beyond local memory limits

Pros

• Specific use cases include connecting to databases (e
• Related to: api-integration, database-management

Cons

• Specific tradeoffs depend on your use case

The Verdict

These tools serve different purposes. Big Objects is a platform while External Objects is a concept. We picked Big Objects based on overall popularity, but your choice depends on what you're building.

The Bottom Line

Big Objects wins

Based on overall popularity. Big Objects is more widely used, but External Objects excels in its own space.