Salesforce to S3 File Migration & Cleanup
Automate archiving old Salesforce files to Amazon S3, log them back in Salesforce, and free up org storage — all from a scheduled n8n workflow.
🔧 How It Works (High-Level)
Schedule Trigger kicks off (e.g., daily).
Query Salesforce for ContentDocument records older than 365 days.
Loop Each File → download binary via REST.
Upload to S3 with the original filename.
Lookup Links (ContentDocumentLink) to keep the parent record reference.
Filter Out Users (ignore LinkedEntityId starting with 005).
Create S3_File__c record in Salesforce for traceability.
Delete Original File from Salesforce to reclaim storage.
Notify via Slack when the batch is done.
🚀 Set Up Steps (Time: ~45–90 mins)
Import n8n Workflow JSON and wire up credentials (Salesforce OAuth2, AWS S3, Slack).
Install Salesforce Unmanaged Package (Custom Object S3_File__c, Apex controller, LWC, settings).
Fill S3Settings__c (bucket, region, keys, expiry) or swap to Named Credentials.
Test with a Sandbox Batch (e.g., small date range) and verify upload/delete.
Schedule & Monitor (tweak interval, Slack channel).
💖 Why you’ll love it
💸 Slash storage costs — offload gigabytes to S3
🔍 Full traceability — every file still tracked in Salesforce
🧰 Plug & play — import JSON, install package, plug in creds
🧱 Modular & extensible — swap S3, add approvals, build an uploader UI
⏱ Set it & forget it — scheduled automation + Slack alerts
📦 What’s Included
n8n JSON Flow** – ready to import.
Salesforce Unmanaged Package** – Apex (S3FilesController.cls), LWC (s3FilesViewer), S3_File__c, S3Settings__c.
S3 + Salesforce Setup Guide** – quick reference for configuring keys, permissions, and the LWC.
All components are editable — extend, replace, or integrate with your own processes.
🧱 Requirements
n8n instance (self-hosted or Cloud) with HTTP Request, AWS S3, Slack, and Salesforce nodes.
Salesforce org with API access & permission to install unmanaged packages.
You have to have Query All Files permission. Setup-> Permission Sets / Profile -> App Permission -> Content -> Query All Files. Allows View All Data users to SOQL query all files in the org.
AWS S3 bucket + IAM user/role with GetObject/PutObject (and optional ListBucket).
