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## **What are the Big Objects?**

Big objects allow you to store and manage a massive amount (billions of rows) of data on the Salesforce platform. It provides a consistent performance with massive data for searching and returning results quickly.

Big objects are accessible with a standard set of APIs to your org or external system.

## **Types of Big Objects**:

- **Standard big objects** are defined by Salesforce and are included in Salesforce products. For example, FieldHistoryArchive stores the history of field changes on your Salesforce objects
- **Custom big objects** are defined and deployed by you through the Metadata API.

## **Custom Big Objects**

**Considerations**:

- You must use the Metadata API to define a big object or add a field to a custom big object.
- Big objects support custom Lightning and Visualforce components rather than standard UI elements.
- You can create up to 100 big objects per org.
- Features like triggers, flows, processes, and the Salesforce app are not available.
- You can't use Salesforce Connect external objects to access big objects in another org.

## **How to Create a Big Object:**

Salesforce doesn't provide the ability to define a custom big object from the Salesforce UI. The only way we have to build it is through the Metadata API. To create a big object, you need three files:

- **An object file**:  This file is required to create a big object. In this file, we define the custom big object's fields and indexes.
- **A permission set or profile file**: This file is not required, but we use this file to define user access for a custom big object. Here we define field permissions for a custom big object.
- **A package.xml file**: This file is also required. This is the same file that we use for salesforce component deployment and retrieval. Here we describe our custom object.

**Sample big object file** (Rider_History\_\_b.object):

```xml
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<CustomObject xmlns="http://soap.sforce.com/2006/04/metadata">
   <deploymentStatus>Deployed</deploymentStatus>
       <fields>
          <fullName>Start\_Location\_Lat\_\_c</fullName>
          <label>Start Location Latitude</label>
          <required>false</required>
          <type>Number</type>
          <scale>4</scale>
          <precision>7</precision>
          <unique>false</unique>
       </fields>
       <fields>
          <fullName>Start\_Location\_Long\_\_c</fullName>
          <label>Start Location Longitude</label>
          <required>false</required>
          <type>Number</type>
          <scale>4</scale>
          <precision>7</precision>
          <unique>false</unique>
      </fields>
      <fields>
          <fullName>Start\_Time\_\_c</fullName>
          <label>Start Time</label>
          <required>true</required>
          <type>DateTime</type>
          <unique>false</unique>
      </fields>
      <fields>
         <fullName>End\_Time\_\_c</fullName>
         <label>End Time</label>
         <required>false</required>
         <type>DateTime</type>
         <unique>false</unique>
      </fields>
      <fields>
         <fullName>Service\_Type\_\_c</fullName>
         <label>Service Type</label>
         <length>16</length>
         <required>false</required>
         <type>Text</type>
         <unique>false</unique>
      </fields>
      <fields>
         <fullName>Rider\_Account\_\_c</fullName>
         <label>Rider Account</label>
         <length>16</length>
         <required>true</required>
         <type>Text</type>
         <unique>false</unique>
      </fields>
      <fields>
         <fullName>Rider\_Rating\_\_c</fullName>
         <label>Rider Rating</label>
         <required>false</required>
         <type>Number</type>
         <scale>1</scale>
         <precision>2</precision>
         <unique>false</unique>
      </fields>
      <indexes>
         <fullName>Rider\_History\_Index</fullName>
         <label>Rider History Index</label>
      <fields>
         <name>Rider\_Account\_\_c</name>
         <sortDirection>DESC</sortDirection>
      </fields>
      <fields>
         <name>Start\_Time\_\_c</name>
         <sortDirection>DESC</sortDirection>
      </fields>
 </indexes>
     <label>Rider History</label>
     <pluralLabel>Rider Histories</pluralLabel>
</CustomObject>
```

**File location** (src->objects): ![Rider file.jpg](/uploads/Rider-file.jpg)

**Sample permission set file** (rider_history.permissionset)

```xml
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
   <PermissionSet xmlns="http://soap.sforce.com/2006/04/metadata">
      <fieldPermissions>
         <editable>true</editable>
         <field>rider\_history\_\_b.Start\_Location\_Lat\_\_c</field>
         <readable>true</readable>
      </fieldPermissions>
      <fieldPermissions>
         <editable>true</editable>
         <field>rider\_history\_\_b.Start\_Location\_Long\_\_c</field>
         <readable>true</readable>
      </fieldPermissions>
      <fieldPermissions>
         <editable>true</editable>
         <field>rider\_history\_\_b.End\_Time\_\_c</field>
         <readable>true</readable>
      </fieldPermissions>
      <fieldPermissions>
         <editable>true</editable>
         <field>rider\_history\_\_b.Service\_Type\_\_c</field>
         <readable>true</readable>
      </fieldPermissions>
      <fieldPermissions>
         <editable>true</editable>
         <field>rider\_history\_\_b.Rider\_Rating\_\_c</field>
         <readable>true</readable>
      </fieldPermissions>
      <label>Rider History Permission Set</label>
</PermissionSet>
```

**File location** (src->permissionsets)![permissionsets.jpg](/uploads/permissionsets.jpg)

**Sample package.xml file:**

```xml
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
   <Package xmlns="http://soap.sforce.com/2006/04/metadata">
   <types>
      <members>\*</members>
      <name>CustomObject</name>
   </types>
   <types>
      <members>\*</members>
      <name>PermissionSet</name>
   </types>
   <version>41.0</version>
</Package>
```

**File location** (src)![src.jpg](/uploads/src.jpg)

## **Deployment of metadata files created above**

We can use any metadata deployment tool like ant or [workbench](https://workbench.developerforce.com/) for the deployment of our components.

I'll demonstrate here using workbench:

**Step 1**) Zip src folder.

**Step 2**) Login to the [workbench](https://workbench.developerforce.com/).

**Step 3**) Go to migration -> Deploy

**Step 4**) Upload your zip folder by clicking "choose file".

**Step 5**) Check options as shown below and click next.

![Workbench__Deploy.jpg](/uploads/Workbench__Deploy-1.jpg)

This is what your Rider History big object looks like after deployment:

![Rider History.jpg](/uploads/Rider-History.jpg)

You can see your big object under the setup option "create -> big objects"

### **Apex CRUD operations to custom big objects**

- **Create**
  - public static List\<Database.SaveResult\> insertImmediate(List\<SObject\> sobjects)
  - public static Database.SaveResult insertImmediate(SObject sobject)
- **Read**
  - SOQL/ Async SOQL
- **Update**
  - Re-inserting a record with the same index.
- **Delete**
  - public static List\<Database.DeleteResult\> deleteImmediate(List\<SObject\> sobjects)
  - public static Database.DeleteResult deleteImmediate(SObject sobject)

To query data, we have two options:

1. Async SOQL
2. SOQL

Use standard SOQL when:

- You want to display the results in the UI without having the user wait for results.
- You want results returned immediately for manipulation within a block of Apex code.
- You know that the query will return a small amount of data.

Use Async SOQL when:

- You are querying against millions of records.
- You want to ensure that your query completes.
- You do not need to do aggregate queries or filtering outside of the index.

**References**:

- [Big Object Basic trailhead](https://trailhead.salesforce.com/modules/big_objects)
- [Big Object Implementation Guide](https://trailhead.salesforce.com/modules/big_objects)
- [Deploy unmanaged package using workbench](http://www.simplysfdc.com/2016/12/salesforce-deployment-with-unmanaged.html)

**Happy coding**!

Read also [Effective data storage in Salesforce](https://cloudanswers.com/effective-data-storage-in-salesforce-for-every-business-size/)


Salesforce big objects allow you to store and manage a massive amount of data on the Salesforce platform.It provides a consistent performance

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