Best Practices for Data Management

Mastering Data Management in Salesforce

Effective data management is crucial for maximizing success with Salesforce. Ensuring you have high-quality, useful data empowers your team to achieve business goals and identify growth opportunities. Below are learning resources, expert articles, and video guides designed by Salesforce professionals to help you take control of your data.

Build a Data Management Strategy

A solid data management strategy ensures that your team is aligned on how data is collected, analyzed, and used to drive success. These resources will guide you through creating a strategy and avoiding common pitfalls:

Back Up, Manage, and Restore Salesforce Data
Watch this video to learn how to develop a comprehensive plan for backing up and restoring data.
Sales Cloud Customers: Position Your Business for Success
This Trailhead resource helps Sales teams build a robust data management strategy.
Service Cloud Customers: Define Your Service Cloud Goals and Metrics
Use this Trailhead module to create a data strategy tailored to your Service team.

Improve Data Quality

Clean data is essential for tracking, reporting, and ensuring the success of your Salesforce implementation. Explore the following resources to improve your data quality:

Intro to Data Quality
This Trailhead module introduces the basics of assessing and enhancing data quality.
Data Quality Best Practices
Delve into documentation that outlines strategies for achieving accurate and complete data.
Request Duplicate Management Coaching
Premier and Signature Success Plan customers can receive expert coaching to improve data through duplicate management.
Request Data Management Coaching
Access personalized coaching to streamline your data quality processes.

Import Data

Seamlessly bring existing data into Salesforce to ensure you have a full record for reporting and tracking. These resources will guide you through importing data:

Delete Trial Data
Watch this video to learn how to delete sample data from your trial org before importing real user data.
Update Record Types with Data Loader
View this video to mass update or change record types across multiple records.
Import Opportunities in Salesforce
Learn how to prepare data files and import multiple opportunity records with this video series.
Import Your Data
Explore Trailhead resources for detailed instructions on various data-import processes.
Strategies for Managing Account Data
Premier and Signature Success Plan customers can learn best practices for managing account and contact data, with the option to request follow-up support.

Maintain and Clean Up Data

To keep your data clean and reliable over time, follow these best practices for long-term data management:

Take Control of Duplicates
This video shows how to use duplicate rules to manage and eliminate duplicate data.
Duplicate Management
Use this Trailhead resource for a comprehensive guide to resolving and preventing duplicate records.
Manage Duplicate Records
Learn how to maintain clean, accurate data to build trust and ensure compliance.
Join the Duplicate Management Community
Connect with experts and peers to get insights and solutions for managing duplicates in Salesforce.

Go Further with Data Management

Take your data management expertise to the next level with these additional resources:

Ask an Expert
Join live sessions with Salesforce experts to get personalized advice on data management.
Guidance on Success Center
Explore expert resources to optimize your Salesforce setup and achieve business goals.
Explore Salesforce Events
Check out upcoming and recorded Customer Success events for valuable insights.
Get the SFDC Data Manager
Learn how to create custom data flows, build complex data sets, and set validation rules to enhance data quality.
Join the Customer Success Community
Engage with the Salesforce community to ask questions, share experiences, and find solutions.
Salesforce Support on YouTube
Watch expert-led videos on best practices and data management tips.

These curated resources empower you to master data management within Salesforce, ensuring your organization makes the most of its CRM data to drive growth and success.

Content updated September 2024.