Short answer
Data Loader is Salesforce's free desktop and command-line tool for bulk importing, updating, upserting, exporting and deleting records. It handles large volumes through the Bulk API and is a standard tool for migrations and data clean-up.
Salesforce Data Loader explained
Data Loader reads and writes CSV files and can run interactively or from the command line on a schedule. It supports insert, update, upsert by external ID, delete and export, and can use the Bulk API for millions of records. Because it uses a user's credentials and stores files locally, firms with strict security often run it on a controlled machine.
For smaller jobs, the Data Import Wizard inside Salesforce is simpler; for complex or recurring jobs, ETL tools or MuleSoft are more robust.
How Vantage Point helps: we run large data loads with Data Loader and ETL tools, with test loads in sandboxes and reconciliation reports.
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between Data Loader and the Data Import Wizard?
The Data Import Wizard runs in the browser for up to 50,000 records of common objects. Data Loader handles larger volumes, all objects and more operations.
Does Data Loader count against API limits?
Yes. Data Loader uses the Salesforce APIs, so large loads consume API calls or Bulk API batches.