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Heroku Connect is a helpful tool for syncing data from your Salesforce account to a Heroku Postgres database. This allows developers to work with customer data using standard SQL, which is often easier than using Salesforce's own tools.
However, despite its usefulness, Heroku Connect frequently runs into frustrating mapping issues. These problems can stop your data from syncing, create inconsistencies, and cause delays that require a developer to step in and fix things manually.
This article will walk you through the most common Heroku Connect mapping problems and introduce Stacksync as a modern, real-time solution designed to prevent them from happening in the first place.
In Heroku Connect, "mapping" is how you connect a Salesforce object (like "Contacts" or "Accounts") to a table in your Postgres database. When it works, it acts as a smooth bridge between your CRM and your application. But too often, this bridge gets blocked, disrupting the flow of important business data and forcing developers to spend valuable time fixing it.
One of the most frequent and frustrating issues is when a mapping gets stuck with the status "Altering DB schema" [1]. This happens when Heroku Connect tries to update your database table to match a change in Salesforce but can't finish the job.
This can be caused by long-running processes that have locked the database table, or by database rules (called foreign key constraints) that prevent the change. Fixing this usually requires a developer to dig into the database to find and stop the conflicting process, which is both risky and time-consuming.
Even when your mappings don't get stuck, Heroku Connect can be slow. Syncing data between your database and Salesforce can take a long time, often because the system has to use a slower API (the SOAP API) instead of the faster Bulk API [8]. These delays mean your team might be working with outdated information, which defeats the purpose of syncing your data. For teams that need instant data, it is better to replace Heroku Connect with an affordable solution that provides real-time sync that scales.
When something goes wrong, your first instinct is to check the logs. But with Heroku Connect, the logs can be overwhelming and hard to understand, making it difficult to figure out what caused the problem [2]. Developers often have to use other tools just to diagnose what went wrong, turning a simple fix into a lengthy investigation [3].
Heroku Connect also has limits on what kind of data it can sync. For example, it can't sync "calculated fields" from Salesforce, which are fields that get their value from a formula (like a "Total Revenue" field that adds up other numbers). This is because these fields don't trigger the specific system updates that Heroku Connect needs to see a change [7]. This forces teams to either create complicated workarounds or leave important data out of their sync entirely.
While you can troubleshoot these issues as they pop up, this approach keeps your team in a reactive mode, constantly putting out fires instead of building new features. The core problems—like its 10-minute sync delay and other architectural limits—can't be fixed with a simple patch. Modern businesses need a data solution that is fast, reliable, and automatic. Instead of constantly fixing a broken tool, it's worth considering a modern Heroku Connect alternative built for today's needs.
Stacksync is a modern data integration platform built specifically to overcome the issues that frustrate Heroku Connect users. It takes a completely different approach, focusing on real-time, two-way, and scalable data synchronization that eliminates mapping failures.
Heroku Connect checks for new data in batches, usually every 10 minutes. Stacksync, on the other hand, uses an event-driven system that syncs data instantly, often in milliseconds. More importantly, Stacksync offers true two-way sync, which means that whether a change happens in Salesforce or in your database, the other system is updated immediately. This is essential for applications that depend on instant data consistency, making it the clear winner in any Heroku Connect vs. Stacksync showdown.
Instead of making you dig through confusing logs, Stacksync gives you a clear Issue Management Dashboard. This dashboard shows you any sync issues in a simple, actionable view, letting you retry or fix them with a single click. With real-time alerts through email or Slack, you can proactively manage issues before they become major problems.
Stacksync is built for flexibility and supports all standard and custom objects and fields, including the calculated fields that Heroku Connect can't handle. This ensures you always have a complete and accurate copy of your Salesforce data. Additionally, Stacksync’s Smart API Rate Limits automatically adjust to your data traffic, preventing you from hitting API limits—a common cause of sync failures with other tools.
While Heroku Connect can handle basic data syncing, its mapping issues, slow performance, and architectural limitations make it a poor choice for businesses that need reliable, real-time data. Continuously fighting with sync failures drains your team's resources and holds back innovation.
Stacksync isn't just another Heroku Connect alternative; it is a strategic upgrade for any team tired of dealing with data sync problems. Stacksync delivers the speed, reliability, and visibility you need to power modern applications and data workflows without the constant maintenance headache.
Ready to see how a truly seamless data sync solution works?
Book a demo or start a 14-day free trial today.
