The article was initially published on the Skyvia blog.
Salesforce is one of the most widely used CRMs out there — which means teams often need to do more than just interact with it manually. Whether you want to sync Salesforce data into a data warehouse, automate workflows, or move data into reporting systems, you’re essentially building an ETL pipeline: extract data from Salesforce → transform → load somewhere.
But with so many ETL tools available, how do you pick the one that actually fits your workflow?
In this post, we’ll walk through the most common ETL approaches for Salesforce — from code-centric frameworks to fully managed platforms — and what they’re really good (and not so good) at.
What It Means to Do ETL for Salesforce
At its core, an ETL pipeline for Salesforce does three things:
- Extract data from Salesforce objects via API
- Transform field formats, combine objects, dedupe, enrich, etc.
- Load the result into a destination — a data warehouse, another app, a file, etc.
The devil is in the details: API limits, custom objects, relationships, incremental syncs, and growing data volume often complicate things quickly.
The Practical Options for Salesforce ETL
When teams talk about Salesforce ETL in practice, they usually mean using a dedicated integration platform rather than building everything from scratch. The tools below are the ones most commonly used for extracting, transforming, and loading Salesforce data into analytics systems, databases, or other apps.
Each one takes a slightly different approach.
Top ETL Tools for Salesforce (With Practical Context)
Skyvia
Skyvia is a cloud-based, no-code ETL and data integration platform designed to work equally well for technical and non-technical users.
It supports Salesforce as both a source and a target and covers a wide range of use cases: data migration, one-way and bi-directional sync, ETL/ELT into data warehouses, and scheduled exports.
Best for:
Teams that want flexibility without maintaining custom code
Strengths:
- Visual mapping and transformations
- Supports complex Salesforce objects and relationships
- Built-in scheduling and automation
Downside:
- Not a code-first framework
ETLeap
ETLeap is a cloud ETL platform focused on data preparation and transformation, with strong support for Salesforce as a source.
It’s typically used by analytics teams that want control over transformations but don’t want to build pipelines from scratch.
Best for:
Data teams needing structured transformations without heavy engineering
Strengths:
- Visual pipeline builder
- Built-in data transformations
- Solid Salesforce support
Downside:
- Smaller ecosystem compared to larger vendors
Stitchdata
Stitchdata is a lightweight ELT tool designed for fast ingestion of Salesforce data into data warehouses.
It emphasizes simplicity and speed over customization, making it a good fit for straightforward reporting pipelines.
Best for:
Small teams with basic Salesforce analytics needs
Strengths:
- Quick setup
- Minimal configuration
- Easy warehouse loading
Downside:
- Limited transformation capabilities
- Less control over extraction logic
Workato
Workato is an iPaaS platform focused on automating business processes across SaaS applications, with Salesforce often at the center.
While it can move Salesforce data, it’s usually chosen for workflow automation, not analytics-first ETL.
Best for:
Salesforce-centric process automation and app-to-app integration
Strengths:
- Strong real-time automation
- Large connector library
- Business-friendly interface
Downside:
- Not optimized for large-scale analytics pipelines
Fivetran
Fivetran is a fully managed ELT service that specializes in moving Salesforce data into modern data warehouses.
It handles schema changes automatically and leaves transformations to the warehouse layer.
Best for:
Analytics teams loading Salesforce data into Snowflake, BigQuery, or Redshift
Strengths:
- Hands-off maintenance
- Reliable syncs
- Automatic schema handling
Downside:
- Limited customization
- Pricing scales with data volume
Lyftron
Lyftron provides cloud data integration and analytics acceleration, with Salesforce as a supported source.
It’s often positioned as a quicker way to get analytics-ready datasets without heavy engineering.
Best for:
Teams looking for faster time-to-insight with Salesforce data
Strengths:
- Analytics-focused approach
- Cloud-based setup
- Simplified pipeline creation
Downside:
- Less flexible for complex or non-analytics workflows
Segment
Segment is primarily a customer data platform (CDP), not a traditional ETL tool.
It’s used to route Salesforce-related customer and event data to downstream tools rather than to perform deep transformations.
Best for:
Customer data routing and event-driven integrations
Strengths:
- Real-time data delivery
- Strong event tracking
- Broad ecosystem
Downside:
- Not suited for full Salesforce ETL or historical data loads
Integrate.io
Integrate.io is a managed ETL/ELT platform designed to balance ease of use with transformation flexibility.
It supports Salesforce pipelines for analytics, reporting, and operational use cases.
Best for:
Mid-sized teams needing both ETL and ELT capabilities
Strengths:
- Visual pipeline builder
- Supports warehouse-centric workflows
- Cloud-native architecture
Downside:
- Pricing can increase as usage grows
Matillion ETL
Matillion ETL is a cloud-native transformation tool designed specifically for modern data warehouses.
Salesforce data is typically loaded first, then transformed inside the warehouse using Matillion.
Best for:
Warehouse-first analytics teams
Strengths:
- Strong SQL-based transformations
- Native warehouse integrations
- Scales well for analytics workloads
Downside:
- Not designed for operational syncs or migrations
How to Pick (Practical Criteria)
When you evaluate tools, here’s what actually matters:
Source Coverage
Can the tool handle:
- Standard Salesforce objects?
- Custom objects?
- Attachments/files?
Not all tools treat custom objects equally.
Incremental Syncs
Full extracts aren’t scalable — good tools handle delta or change data capture.
Transformation Support
Some tools only extract, others let you transform before load.
Automation & Reliability
Who manages scheduling, retries, failures, notifications?
Pricing Model
Row/credit-based vs flat tiers vs open-source — pick one that fits your data volume.
A Developer’s Quick Rule of Thumb
If you’re choosing a Salesforce ETL approach, this usually works in practice:
Need minimal setup and predictable Salesforce → warehouse syncs?
→ Managed ELT tools like Fivetran or Stitchdata
Working warehouse-first and comfortable transforming data in SQL?
→ ELT-style tools like Matillion ETL or Integrate.io
Need flexible integrations, migrations, or bi-directional sync without writing code?
→ No-code integration platforms like Skyvia
Automating Salesforce-driven business workflows across apps?
→ iPaaS tools like Workato
Routing customer or event data in real time (not full ETL)?
→ CDP tools like Segment
No single tool fits every Salesforce use case — the right choice depends on whether Salesforce is your system of record, data source, or automation trigger.
Final Thoughts
Salesforce ETL isn’t a niche problem — it’s table stakes for analytics, BI, migrations, and cross-system workflows.
That said, there’s no universal “best” tool. The right choice depends on:
- How often you pull data
- How complex your transformations are
- Who owns the pipeline
- Whether you prefer code or configuration
Start where it hurts — if you’re stuck scripting exports every week, pick a tool that automates the parts you hate. If your warehouse stack is SQL-first, lean into that. And if you need something no-ops, no-maintenance and reliable, an ETL platform might be worth a closer look.
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