The problem in plain terms
If your sales or legal team produces PDFs from Opportunity, Quote or Contract records every day, your Salesforce file footprint grows fast and invisibly. Salesforce file storage limits bite when you keep every draft, every signed PDF and every version on the record without a simple policy.
Salesforce file storage limits: Files vs Notes and Attachments
There are two practical storage choices for generated documents attached to records: Salesforce Files (Content) and Notes and Attachments. Use Files for heavy use and large documents, and Notes and Attachments only for small, legacy needs.
What you need to know as an admin
- DocuGen can file the finished document either to Salesforce Files or to Notes and Attachments, per template configuration.
- DocuGen supports documents up to 40 MB. Salesforce Notes and Attachments are capped at 25 MB by Salesforce and that limit cannot be changed, so any generated document over 25 MB must go to Files.
- Files gives you versioning and easier sharing options; Notes and Attachments is a legacy object and less flexible for automation.
Practical policy: decide what you keep and where
Pick a simple rule set and apply it consistently. Your users won't follow a long checklist, so make templates and flows enforce the policy.
Suggested rules
- Store all final signed PDFs to Salesforce Files on the related record (Opportunity/Contract/Quote). Signed PDFs are your audit evidence; keep them.
- Keep drafts only if they are necessary for internal review. Otherwise, delete temporary drafts after the signature run completes.
- Force Files for any document template expected to exceed 20 MB. That avoids failed uploads into Notes and Attachments which reject files above 25 MB.
Document lifecycle example (hypothetical)
Hypothetical scenario: your team has 200 renewals a month. Each renewal produces three PDFs: a proposal (2 MB), a pricing appendix (6 MB) and a combined signed agreement (8 MB). If you saved every file to Notes and Attachments you would quickly hit problems: the appendix and combined file approaches the Notes and Attachments limit and you also multiply record clutter. If instead you configure templates to save final signed agreements to Files and keep drafts only temporarily, you reduce failed uploads and keep the org cleaner.
How to enforce this with no code
- Create two DocuGen templates: one marked to save to Files for final signed documents, one marked to save drafts to a temporary storage location or a user’s email.
- Use a Flow (Record-Triggered or button) to call DocuGen on Opportunity.StageName change or a manual button. The Flow can pick the template based on record type or an Opportunity checkbox.
- Add a scheduled cleanup Flow to delete draft attachments older than X days, keeping only the latest signed file on the record.
Filename, versioning and storage hygiene
Naming files consistently helps keep storage sizes predictable and simplifies cleanup. Use merge fields in your template naming so admins and support can find the right file fast.
Suggested filename pattern:
Contract_{!Opportunity.Name}_{!Contract__c.StartDate}_v{!VersionNumber}
Keep version numbers or a timestamp to avoid accidental overwrites. Because DocuGen writes the finished PDF back to the same record, you can rely on a single canonical file per record if your Flow or process deletes older signed versions.
- Bundle templates when you need multiple documents signed together. Bundling means one signature run and one returned PDF, rather than separate files that multiply storage.
- Use DocuGen’s anchor-tag signature positions so signature placement survives repagination; that avoids repeated re-generation and storage of multiple layout fixes.
- For large documents approach 40 MB, test in a sandbox first — DocuGen supports up to 40 MB per document, but your org should choose Files for anything near that size.
Keep security and auditability in mind
Signed PDFs generated and returned by DocuGen are written back to the same Salesforce record. If you need stronger signer identity, DocuGen supports emailed one-time codes and per-signer passwords stored on that signer’s Salesforce record. That lets you maintain an audit trail and avoid extra copies outside the org.
Quick checklist for rollout
- Decide: Files for final signed docs, Notes and Attachments only for tiny, legacy items.
- Set DocuGen templates to write to Files for expected >20 MB output.
- Use Flow to centralise template selection and to delete interim drafts automatically.
- Bundle templates where possible to reduce duplicate files and signature runs.
- Test in sandbox — DocuGen works the same in sandboxes as in production, so you can validate behavior safely.
Where Savvy DocuGen fits
DocuGen fills Word and PDF templates from any Salesforce record and files the finished document back on the record either to Files or Notes and Attachments per template. It supports documents up to 40 MB and bundles multiple templates into a single signature run to keep storage tidy. DocuGen sends for signature through your Circularo account and returns the signed PDF to the same record, with anchor-tag signature positions that survive repagination.
If you want to test these storage rules in your org, try DocuGen in a sandbox and run a few real-life templates against Opportunity, Quote and Contract records. It’ll let you validate your Files vs Notes and Attachments policy before you roll anything out to users.
Try Savvy DocuGen in your sandbox
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