Preserving traceability and business rule context In line with our establishment of a golden record, or single source of truth, it is important that an MDM strategy plays nicely with existing business rules, and changes to data are preserved throughout the organization. For example, the process of creating a bank account in a connected system […]

External data retrieval using a custom adapter In scenarios where an existing adapter isn’t suitable, a custom adapter can be created in Apex, using the Apex Connector Framework. The knowledge of coding such an adapter isn’t in the scope of the exam or this book, but documentation can be found here: https://developer.salesforce.com/ docs/atlas.en-us.234.0.apexcode.meta/apexcode/apex_connector_top.htm. A custom adapter is generally […]

Using Salesforce Connect to pull in data in real time for read-only purposes In scenarios where data on a Salesforce record doesn’t necessarily need to reside within Salesforce (pulled on -demand from one or more systems or data sources), Salesforce Connect can be used to effectively present data to a user as if it resides […]

Salesforce holding the golden record associations In scenarios where Salesforce is to be considered as the data master for customer information, connected system identifiers can be represented as either custom fields on a particular record, or as a custom object associated with the record. For example, a contact record in Salesforce is the golden record […]

The golden record As we now know, the golden record, or single source of truth, is essentially a data record where the definitive source of information is stored in order to orchestrate business operations. Users should be able to view a golden record to see the correct version of a piece of information. While the […]

Coexistence of the golden record Similar to the consolidated golden record implementation method briefly explained previously, MDM changes can happen in both the golden record system and any source system for master data. While this approach can take longer to implement, data can be mastered in the golden record system or any of the master […]

Hierarchy management This is a relatively simple conceptwhereby the hierarchy of various data records and elements is represented. For example, you may break company geographies or markets into EMEA (Europe, Middle East, and Africa), then by country. You may have account hierarchies represented as group accounts, then regional accounts, followed by local office accounts. Now […]

Key terms The following terms are used a lot in the field of MDM. When dealing with MDM situations as a Salesforce Data Architect, you may come across these. Harmonizing data Data harmonization is the practice of taking data from multiple sources and processing it (often through machine learning and automation) into a standard, accurate, […]

Next up in our learning journey is Master Data Management (MDM). As part of the exam curriculum, you should be able to understand how to effectively design and implement an MDM strategy on the Salesforce platform, so we’ll cover what MDM is and how to implement it. In addition, you will be able to articulate […]

Summary We’ve started our learning journey and begun with concepts around data modelling and design. We’ve covered sharing and security, delving into the various mechanisms available in Salesforce to control access to data. We’ve paid particular attention to how the OWDs and role hierarchy can have a profound impact on the data that your users […]