Handling large amounts of data in Salesforce can be challenging because of platform limits. Apex Cursors (currently in Beta) are a new, powerful tool that helps you process big data in smaller, manageable chunks with ease and efficiency.
What Are Apex Cursors?
Apex Cursors let you break down SOQL query results into smaller parts called "chunks." Instead of loading all data at once (which may cause memory issues), cursors fetch a specific number of records starting from an offset position. This helps you process large datasets step-by-step within a single transaction.
How Do Apex Cursors Work?
- You create a cursor by running a SOQL query using Database.getCursor().
- Using the fetch(position, count) method, you get a chunk of records starting from the specified position.
- You keep track of your current position to continue fetching the next set of records.
- This continues until all records are processed.
Key Benefits
- Efficient Memory Use: Handles large data without loading everything at once.
- Simpler than Batch Apex: Stateless design means less code complexity.
- Flexible Chunk Sizes: Choose how many records to process per chunk.
- Error Handling: Retry transient errors without restarting entire process.
- Supports up to 50 million records per cursor.
Simple Example in Apex
When to Use Apex Cursors?
Use Apex Cursors when working with large datasets where you want to avoid governor limits and process records efficiently in chunks, especially for scenarios like data cleansing, archiving, or batch updating.
Conclusion
Apex Cursors are a game-changer for Salesforce developers handling big data. They let you process large data sets efficiently and flexibly in smaller chunks, improving memory use and performance. Unlike traditional batch processing, cursors offer simpler code management and better error recovery. As this Beta feature evolves, it’s a smart tool to add for scalable and robust Salesforce applications.
Try Apex Cursors to handle large data smoothly and build more efficient apps today!
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