Salesforce Data Architecture and Management

Ahsan Zafar

• Publisher: Packt Publishing
• Year: 2021
• ISBN:
  9781801076906
• Edition: 1
• Topic: Informatique
• Subtopic: Modélisation et conception de données

Learn everything you need to become a successful data architect on the Salesforce platformKey Features• Adopt best practices relating to data governance and learn how to implement them• Learn how to work with data in Salesforce while maintaining scalability and security of an instance• Gain insights into managing large data volumes in SalesforceBook DescriptionAs Salesforce orgs mature over time, data management and integrations are becoming more challenging than ever. Salesforce Data Architecture and Management follows a hands-on approach to managing data and tracking the performance of your Salesforce org.You'll start by understanding the role and skills required to become a successful data architect. The book focuses on data modeling concepts, how to apply them in Salesforce, and how they relate to objects and fields in Salesforce. You'll learn the intricacies of managing data in Salesforce, starting from understanding why Salesforce has chosen to optimize for read rather than write operations. After developing a solid foundation, you'll explore examples and best practices for managing your data. You'll understand how to manage your master data and discover what the Golden Record is and why it is important for organizations. Next, you'll learn how to align your MDM and CRM strategy with a discussion on Salesforce's Customer 360 and its key components. You'll also cover data governance, its multiple facets, and how GDPR compliance can be achieved with Salesforce. Finally, you'll discover Large Data Volumes (LDVs) and best practices for migrating data using APIs.By the end of this book, you'll be well-versed with data management, data backup, storage, and archiving in Salesforce.What you will learn• Understand the Salesforce data architecture• Explore various data backup and archival strategies• Understand how the Salesforce platform is designed and how it is different from other relational databases• Uncover tools that can help in data management that minimize data trust issues in your Salesforce org• Focus on the Salesforce Customer 360 platform, its key components, and how it can help organizations in connecting with customers• Discover how Salesforce can be used for GDPR compliance• Measure and monitor the performance of your Salesforce orgWho this book is forThis book is for aspiring architects, Salesforce admins, and developers. You will also find the book useful if you're preparing for the Salesforce Data Architecture and Management exam. A basic understanding of Salesforce is assumed.

Section 1: Data Architecture and Data Management Essentials

By the end of this section, you will have understood the role of a data architect and the skills that are required to be successful in the role. You will understand what data modeling is, how to apply data modeling concepts in Salesforce, and how they relate to objects and fields in Salesforce. Concepts related to data management and the different aspects of data management will be discussed. Backup and archiving strategies and some tools to use to manage data will also be discussed with hands-on exercises.

In this section, there are the following chapters:

• Chapter 1, Data Architect – Roles and Responsibilities
• Chapter 2, Understanding Salesforce Objects and Data Modeling
• Chapter 3, Understanding Data Management

Chapter 1:Data Architect Roles and Responsibilities

In this chapter, we will first define the term architecture in order to establish a baseline understanding of what the term means. This will help us to establish what it is, bring other stakeholders on the same page, and prevent scope creep in roles and responsibilities. We will then look at the types of architects, their roles, and why it's important for them to work together in order to both produce a cohesive architectural strategy and to deliver value to an enterprise. Often, people may mention needing a solution architect, but in reality, the work they need to do may be more suitable for a data architect because the skill set required is different. So, understanding the different types of architects is important.

In this chapter, we will also look at the responsibilities of a data architect and the soft and hard skills needed to be successful in the role. Covering these topics will help you to communicate with architects more effectively in order to engage the right resources for your project. Understanding this from the beginning will help you to see the overlap that sometimes exists between the skills that data architects and solution architects have and understand when a task may require the skills of one role more than the other.

We will conclude the chapter by discussing a typical day in the life of a data architect, which will allow us to understand the work they do and the potential challenges they face.

In particular, we will cover these topics:

• Defining architecture
• Exploring architecture roles
• Why is data architecture important?
• Data architect responsibilities
• Data architect skills
• A day in the life of a data architect

Defining architecture

Architecture is a broadly used term and can mean different things to different people. Therefore, it is important to first define it so that we can establish a common understanding of this term before proceeding further. The term architecture is defined as the practice of designing systems, buildings, or things. In the context of technology, it refers to the practice of designing structures or systems with individual components with the intention of optimizing the function, cost, and performance of the overall structure.

Thinking in physical terms, a construction architect designing a home will architect how large each room is going to be, as well as decide on the number of windows and their placement in the room. This may also include planning where each room should be located to maximize the use of space and what direction the windows should be facing to maximize sunlight. In a nutshell, a building architect aims to maximize the use of space while keeping optimal functionality and costs in mind.

Similarly, a technology architect designs solutions by making use of the available components, considering the pros and cons of each component, overall costs, and the overall performance of the system. Of course, the desired functionality needed from the overall system and its ability to meet the business objectives will also be a critical factor in determining what individual components to use for the system. The key difference between physical and technology architecture is that most technology architecture used to be based on the waterfall methodology and, as such, required extensive upfront planning, requirements gathering, and documentation. The waterfall methodology is a linear project methodology where a project is broken down into phases, and in most cases, the next phase cannot start until the previous phase has been completed with deliverables signed off. With the advent of Agile and other methodologies, the focus has now turned toward designing solutions that are scalable and can be quickly adapted to changing market conditions. This is important because in order for a business to stay competitive in the global economy, they cannot afford to spend weeks and months updating their systems.

For enterprises, architectural needs vary depending on the needs and stage of the issue the enterprise is trying to solve. Over several years, technology professionals have realized this and have delineated architecture into multiple domains. Since our discussion topic is the role of a data architect, it would be prudent to discuss the various domains of architecture because they are interlinked and exert constraints over each other.

In the subsequent sections, we will look at why data architecture is important as well as explore the different types of architects, their roles, and some of the deliverables they are responsible for producing and maintaining. This will give us a greater understanding of the differences in responsibilities and an appreciation of how the type of architect fits into the architectural puzzle of an enterprise.

Exploring architecture roles

Architects have been around for as long as business systems. They may have had different titles over the years, such as systems analyst, technology analyst, and the like, but fundamentally, they have always designed systems that are scalable and efficient. Today, the titles have become more refined and there are multiple types of architects specializing in their own domains. Understanding each of these is important because it will help us have better communication with them and enable us to bring other stakeholders on the same page as well.

Business architect

Business architects are concerned with identifying how value can be created for internal and external stakeholders of the enterprise. This usually involves producing strategy documents, process maps, capability maps, and commonly used business terms within the enterprise or the industry in which the enterprise operates.

Data architect

Data architects are the key topic of this book. Of course, they are mainly concerned with data: how data is organized, how it is moved internally or externally, and how it can be made accessible to users when it is needed. Data architects create data models and make decisions on how data will be stored, consumed, and archived. Some data architects will also analyze and communicate how insights and intelligence can be derived from data that can be useful to stakeholders. Typical deliverables include data models, data definitions, the flow of data, and integrations.

Solution architect

A solution architect is concerned with designing systems that deliver business value to stakeholders. Working closely with Business Architects (BAs), they ensure that the solution will provide the business value that the business requires. One of the key responsibilities of solution architects is to identify the most optimal technology that will meet business requirements. This can include packaged software such as Salesforce or designing custom solutions from the ground up. Deliverables for this type of architecture include functional and technical design documents, system landscape diagrams, and the actual software that's delivered in line with the design that the architect puts forward.

Domain architects

These are architects that have expertise in a particular domain of technology. For example, Information Security (IS) architects, technology architects, and cloud architects have very specific expertise in their respective areas and are considered domain architects. A Salesforce Certified Technical Architect (CTA), although required to have a broad knowledge of certain areas, are experts in implementing Salesforce solutions.

Information security architect

The IS architect has been becoming more important as data integrations between systems become common and cybersecurity becomes critical for enterprises to protect their data and, by extension, their reputation. IS architects are responsible for designing, implementing, and maintaining security solutions that can protect the organization's network and hardware. They regularly conduct different types of testing to identify vulnerabilities and proactively fix them before a security incident materializes. In cases where the organization's security is breached, they work on a root cause analysis and identify fixes to remediate those vulnerabilities.

Technology architect

A technology (or infrastructure) architect is concerned with the physical infrastructure needed to enable organizations to deliver their software applications to their stakeholders. Servers, networks, and cloud-based Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) fall into this category. Their responsibilities include the following:

• Designing and implementing the infrastructure solutions needed by organizations
• Supporting the hardware needs of projects in an enterprise
• Monitoring production environments to ensure that they are running optimally by monitoring certain attributes such as throughput, latency, and redundancy, among others

Deliverables include network diagrams, server-to-server diagrams, and others. With the advent of the cloud, another type of architect that's gaining traction is the cloud architect.

Cloud architect

These architects are mainly concerned with an enterprise's cloud strategy and its implementation. Like technology architects, they are concerned with implementing cloud solutions that can support software that runs on the cloud. The key difference between technology and cloud architects is that traditionally, the former has been more focused on on-premises systems whereas the latter has been focus...