Does Sigmera connect to my Salesforce org?

No, and that is deliberate. There is no connected app, no OAuth grant, and no API access. Sigmera cleans the CSV file in your browser; you import it yourself using the Data Import Wizard or Data Loader. Nothing about your org is exposed, because nothing about your org is reachable.

Won't Salesforce's duplicate rules catch duplicates for me?

Only some of them. Duplicate rules check whether the record being created, updated, or upserted matches a record that already exists in Salesforce — and they do run on API and Bulk operations, not only in the UI. What they do not do is compare two rows inside your import file against each other. A CSV containing the same lead twice will create two leads. That is the case for cleaning the file first.

Data Import Wizard or Data Loader — which should I use?

The Data Import Wizard runs in the browser from Setup and handles up to 50,000 records at a time across accounts, contacts, leads, solutions, person accounts, campaign members, and custom objects. Data Loader is a desktop client, supports all objects including custom ones, handles up to 150 million records with Bulk API 2.0, and can export and delete as well as import. Use the wizard for a routine list; use Data Loader for volume, other objects, or scheduled jobs.

Why do my imported rows have leading spaces in them?

Because Salesforce does not trim them. The Bulk API documentation is explicit that field values are not trimmed, and that a space before or after a double quote generates an error for the row. Whitespace is also what quietly defeats duplicate matching, since " jane@acme.com" and "jane@acme.com" are different strings. Trim the columns before you import.

What date format does Salesforce expect in a CSV?

Use yyyy-MM-dd for date fields. DateTime values use yyyy-MM-ddTHH:mm:ss.SSS with an offset or a trailing Z. Data Loader has an option to accept dd/MM/yyyy for European formats, which is why the same file can behave differently for two admins. Ambiguous formats like 3/7/26 are a common source of data that imports without an error and is silently wrong.

What happens if my picklist values don't match?

It depends on the picklist. For an unrestricted picklist, the Data Import Wizard uses whatever value is in your file — which is how one field ends up holding CA, Ca, and California. For a restricted picklist, it uses the picklist's default value, or may fail if it cannot find a match. Standardising those values before import is the fix. Multi-select picklist values are separated by a semicolon.

Is there a file size limit?

For Bulk API 2.0, a request can provide CSV data that does not exceed 150 MB of base64-encoded content, with a limit of 150 million records per rolling 24 hours. Sigmera itself imposes no row or file-size cap on any plan, since the work happens on your machine rather than inside an upload quota.

Clean CSVs for Salesforce imports

Salesforce imports fail for unglamorous reasons: a space next to a quote mark, a date written 3/7/26, forty duplicate rows inside one file. Sigmera is not a Salesforce connector and asks for no OAuth grant — you export the CSV, clean it in a browser tab, and import it through Salesforce's own Data Import Wizard or Data Loader. The file never leaves your device on the way through.

How it works

1
Export from Salesforce, or start from the file you were sent
Use a report export, Data Loader's export function, or whatever CSV landed in your inbox. Nothing needs to be connected — Sigmera has no Salesforce integration, no connected app, and no API access to your org. It works on the file, not the system.
2
Clean it in a browser tab
Drop the CSV into Sigmera. It is parsed by JavaScript running on your own machine, so a file full of named individuals' contact details is not transmitted anywhere. Deduplicate, normalise the phone column, split names, fix the email column, and preview every change before you commit to it.
3
Download a UTF-8 CSV
Salesforce's Bulk API requires files in UTF-8 format, and Data Loader has a force-UTF-8 setting precisely because so many exports are not. Sigmera writes UTF-8 by default, so accented names arrive intact rather than as mojibake.
4
Import through Salesforce's own tools
Use the Data Import Wizard for up to 50,000 records across accounts, contacts, leads, solutions, person accounts, campaign members, and custom objects. Use Data Loader when you need more, other objects, exports, or scheduling. Salesforce recommends importing a small test file first — worth doing even on a clean file.

Common Salesforce clean-ups

Deduplicate a lead list before it ever reaches Salesforce

You have a CSV from a webinar, a conference scanner, or a partner. Salesforce's duplicate rules compare an incoming record against records already in your org — they do not deduplicate rows within your file. Forty repeated rows in the CSV import as forty leads. Collapsing them first is the only thing that prevents it.

Open the export in the remove-duplicates tool
Pick email as the matching column, ignoring case and spacing
Review the flagged rows and choose which copy to keep
Download the deduplicated CSV and import it

Normalise phone numbers to E.164

Salesforce's own object reference states that client applications are responsible for phone number formatting — the platform stores whatever you send it. A column mixing (415) 555-0100, 415.555.0100, and +44 20 7123 4567 breaks diallers, breaks SMS, and defeats any exact-match phone duplicate rule you have configured.

Load the CSV and select the phone column
Set the default country for numbers with no country code
Rewrite the column to E.164 and check the rows that could not be parsed
Download and import

Split a full-name column for Contact records

Contacts require a Last Name, and Leads require Last Name plus Company. Most exports — event platforms, forms, list purchases — give you one Full Name column instead. Import it as-is and either the row fails or every name lands in a single field.

Split the name column into first and last, with an optional middle name
Scan the compound surnames and inverted "Last, First" rows
Map the resulting columns to Salesforce's First Name and Last Name fields

Clean an email column before a campaign import

Salesforce documents that client applications are responsible for specifying valid and properly formatted email addresses — it does not validate on your behalf. Whitespace is a specific hazard here, because the Bulk API does not trim field values and a space beside a double quote generates an error for the whole row.

Trim whitespace and lowercase the email column
Flag malformed addresses and obvious typos
Remove rows with no usable address, then import

Re-clean a Data Loader export before you upsert it back

You export the full object with Data Loader to fix inconsistent picklist casing or dates. That export is your entire customer list sitting in a file. Cleaning it in the browser means it does not make a round trip through a third-party service on the way to being fixed.

Standardise picklist values with find and replace
Rewrite dates to the yyyy-MM-dd format Salesforce expects
Re-export as UTF-8 CSV and upsert with Data Loader

Sources

Frequently asked questions

Does Sigmera connect to my Salesforce org?: No, and that is deliberate. There is no connected app, no OAuth grant, and no API access. Sigmera cleans the CSV file in your browser; you import it yourself using the Data Import Wizard or Data Loader. Nothing about your org is exposed, because nothing about your org is reachable.
Won't Salesforce's duplicate rules catch duplicates for me?: Only some of them. Duplicate rules check whether the record being created, updated, or upserted matches a record that already exists in Salesforce — and they do run on API and Bulk operations, not only in the UI. What they do not do is compare two rows inside your import file against each other. A CSV containing the same lead twice will create two leads. That is the case for cleaning the file first.
Data Import Wizard or Data Loader — which should I use?: The Data Import Wizard runs in the browser from Setup and handles up to 50,000 records at a time across accounts, contacts, leads, solutions, person accounts, campaign members, and custom objects. Data Loader is a desktop client, supports all objects including custom ones, handles up to 150 million records with Bulk API 2.0, and can export and delete as well as import. Use the wizard for a routine list; use Data Loader for volume, other objects, or scheduled jobs.
Why do my imported rows have leading spaces in them?: Because Salesforce does not trim them. The Bulk API documentation is explicit that field values are not trimmed, and that a space before or after a double quote generates an error for the row. Whitespace is also what quietly defeats duplicate matching, since " [email protected]" and "[email protected]" are different strings. Trim the columns before you import.
What date format does Salesforce expect in a CSV?: Use yyyy-MM-dd for date fields. DateTime values use yyyy-MM-ddTHH:mm:ss.SSS with an offset or a trailing Z. Data Loader has an option to accept dd/MM/yyyy for European formats, which is why the same file can behave differently for two admins. Ambiguous formats like 3/7/26 are a common source of data that imports without an error and is silently wrong.
What happens if my picklist values don't match?: It depends on the picklist. For an unrestricted picklist, the Data Import Wizard uses whatever value is in your file — which is how one field ends up holding CA, Ca, and California. For a restricted picklist, it uses the picklist's default value, or may fail if it cannot find a match. Standardising those values before import is the fix. Multi-select picklist values are separated by a semicolon.
Is there a file size limit?: For Bulk API 2.0, a request can provide CSV data that does not exceed 150 MB of base64-encoded content, with a limit of 150 million records per rolling 24 hours. Sigmera itself imposes no row or file-size cap on any plan, since the work happens on your machine rather than inside an upload quota.