Building a cross-platform Salesforce Data Loader

Salesforce’s official Data Loader needs Java and only runs comfortably on Windows. Admins on macOS and Linux were stuck wrestling the JVM just to push a CSV, and remapping columns every single run. SOQL Studio is my answer: a cross-platform data loader built with Rust and Tauri, ~12MB installed, no Java anywhere.

The problem

The official tool assumes a lot: a working JVM, a Windows-shaped environment, and your patience for re-doing column mappings on every import. None of those assumptions hold for the admins I watched use it.

What SOQL Studio does instead

• Bulk CSV import/export with no Java required.
• Auto column mapping that persists across sessions — map once, reuse forever.
• An object browser with quick access to field formulas.
• Remembered logins and one-click switching between sandbox and production.

Why Rust + Tauri

The same stack as my other desktop work: a Rust core talking to the Salesforce APIs, a webview UI on top. The result installs in seconds, starts fast, and runs the same on all three platforms.

What’s next

A deeper post on the auto-mapping design — how mappings are stored, matched, and survive schema drift — is coming.