Let’s be honest—querying related objects in Salesforce isn’t exactly fun.
If you’ve ever tried pulling a report of Opportunities along with Account names and the Owners’ aliases, you’ve probably ended up with multiple browser tabs open for SOQL dot notation help, a couple of manual VLOOKUPs, and maybe even a silent prayer.
We’ve been there. So we made it better.
We’re thrilled to announce a major upgrade to our Extract functionality (a.k.a. Salesforce Query Builder) in Data I Am:
You can now query related objects in Salesforce—with just a few clicks!
What Are Related Objects in Salesforce?
Salesforce data is stored in a web of related objects—like linked database tables. A few examples:
- A Contact belongs to an Account
- An Opportunity is tied to both an Account and an Owner
- A Case links to a Contact and an Account
Also see: Object Relationships Overview by Salesforce
How to Query Related Objects with Data I Am
Until now, if you wanted to export data with related fields, you had to export one object at a time, merge them in Excel using VLOOKUP, and hope nothing breaks.
But now you can: choose your base object, then select related fields across related objects—visually and with zero SOQL (yes, no guessing the dot-notation syntax).
✅ Select any standard or custom Salesforce object
✅ Browse related objects and pick the fields you want
✅ Preview your result set before full extraction
It’s clean, intuitive, and designed for Salesforce admins, analysts, and consultants who just want the data—without the SOQL and spreadsheet drama.
⚠️ Like native SOQL and most third-party tools, you can go up the relationship chain — from child to parent (e.g., Opportunity → Account → Owner). However, you can’t yet go down (e.g., Account → all Contacts). We’re working on a way to support that for you — even though SOQL itself doesn’t natively allow it.
Example: Query Related Salesforce Data
Let’s say your manager asks for a list of open Opportunities that includes:
- Opportunity Name
- Account Name
- Owner’s Alias
In Data I Am, just:
- Select the Opportunity object and the Name field
- From Related Objects:
- Choose Account → Name
- Choose Owner → Alias
- See the auto-generated SOQL:
SELECT Name, Account.Name, Owner.Alias FROM Opportunity - Preview result set → Run job → Done!
Also see the blog post: Visual Query Builder
Modern Data I Am vs. Clunky Old Data Loaders
With this latest enhancement, Data I Am is now more functionally capable than any leading data loader in the market. (Not bragging — just stating the facts.)
Unlike traditional tools, Data I Am includes smart, AI-powered capabilities like:
✅ Flagging and fixing invalid picklist values
✅ Fetching missing Record IDs
✅ Correcting inconsistent data formats
✅ Previewing (and downloading) cleaned data before loading
Want to see how Data I Am compares to Salesforce Data Loader (desktop) and MuleSoft dataloader.io? Check out our side-by-side feature comparison — a.k.a. the “truth table” — right here: https://dataiam.com/#data-loaders-side-by-side
TL;DR
You can now query related objects in Salesforce using the Data I Am Query Builder—a visual, no-code way to quickly extract Salesforce data from related objects.
No SOQL scribbling → SOQL with dot notation is generated for you
No VLOOKUP dance → Select related fields visually
No trial-and-error guessing → Preview the result set before exporting
Try it FREE at: dataiam.com
Or email our co-founder, Zeb, at TryNewThings@dataiam.com for a live walkthrough.
We’d love to hear your use case!
About the Author
Zeb Mahmood has spent his career unlocking business value by moving, fixing, and loading data—first as an engineer, then as a product leader, and now as a cofounder.
With 2 decades in product management, 9 years at Salesforce, and hands-on experience in early-stage startups, he’s learned a simple truth: data is the lifeblood of every business. But when it’s messy or trapped in spreadsheets, it can’t drive impact.
That’s why Zeb cofounded Data I Am — a Fix & Load AI built for Salesforce Admins and data handlers who just want their data to work. No frustration. No failed imports. Just clean, reliable data that loads seamlessly into Salesforce and delivers results.
Zeb believes great products don’t win on tech alone — they win through empathy. Empathy for users, buyers, partners, and the people building the product every day.
