Are there any budget options for backing up Salesforce directly to Google Drive, bypassing the double transfer of the files that happens when we first download them locally then upload them? I am in particular looking for a solution that does not require installing Google or other products locally to the admin's workstation.
Hi Mahogany - there's no native Salesforce-to-Google-Drive backup, and the built-in Data Export Service still hands you a ZIP you have to download, which is exactly the double-hop you're trying to skip. For a budget, cloud-to-cloud, nothing-installed-locally approach, a few real options:
1) Google Apps Script (most budget-friendly, fully cloud-side). Apps Script runs in Google's cloud, so nothing installs on the admin's machine. You write a small script that queries Salesforce via the REST/Bulk API (using a Connected App for OAuth) on a scheduled trigger and writes the CSVs straight into a Drive folder. It's free within Apps Script's quotas. Trade-off: it needs a bit of scripting comfort to set up.
2) Make (formerly Integromat) or Zapier - low-code, no local install. Build a scheduled scenario with the Salesforce and Google Drive connectors that pulls records and drops files into Drive. The free/cheap tiers handle modest volumes fine; just watch the per-run operation limits if you have a large org.
3) A managed backup service (CloudAlly, Spanning, etc.) if you'd rather not build anything. These run cloud-to-cloud with no local install and are relatively affordable, but note they usually store the backup in their own cloud (with export/restore) rather than writing directly into your Google Drive. Great if a safe offsite copy is the real goal; less so if it specifically has to land in Drive.
Two things to plan for whichever you pick: use the Bulk API if your data volume is large (to stay within API limits), and decide whether you also need Files/attachments (ContentVersion), not just record data - those often get missed in a CSV-only backup.
For a tight budget with someone who can script a little, option 1 is usually the sweet spot. Hope that helps!
