Data: Quick Reference

Fast-track refresher for Domain 3: Data Architecture and Management. Read this if you have 2 hours before a mock board. For deep dives, see Domain 3 full content.

What the Board Expects

The review board tests whether you can design data architectures that balance performance, scalability, and maintainability. You must show:

• Deliberate relationship type selection with trade-off articulation
• LDV awareness: indexing strategy, skew mitigation, archival planning
• Migration phasing with tool selection rationale and rollback planning
• Data quality and governance built into the design, not bolted on

Quick Reference Files

File	Covers	Key Artifacts
Data Modeling Quick Ref	Relationship types, limits, ERD patterns, anti-patterns	Relationship decision table, ERD templates, gotcha callouts
LDV Quick Ref	Thresholds, indexing, selectivity, skew, archival	Limits cheat sheet, skew decision tree, selectivity thresholds
Migration Quick Ref	Phases, tool selection, sequencing, cutover strategies	Migration phase diagram, tool comparison matrix, load order

Domain 3 Board Presentation Checklist

Before presenting, confirm you can answer these:

• Why did you choose master-detail vs lookup for each relationship?
• Which objects will exceed 1M records? What is your index strategy?
• Where is data skew likely? How do you mitigate it?
• What is your migration sequence? Why that order?
• What cutover strategy did you pick and why?
• What is your archival and retention policy?
• How do you handle data quality at entry, integration, and ongoing?
• What compliance requirements affect your data design (GDPR, residency)?

The 5-Minute Framework

When you see a data scenario, work through this sequence:

Figure 1. This six-step sequence prevents a common board mistake: jumping straight to migration or governance before the data model and LDV strategy are settled. Relationship type decisions in step 2 directly affect sharing model complexity in step 6, so the steps are not independent.

1. Identify entities - Standard objects first, custom only with justification
2. Choose relationships - MD vs lookup based on sharing, roll-ups, independence
3. Assess volume - Which objects hit LDV? Growth projections?
4. Plan indexes and archival - Custom indexes, skinny tables, Big Objects, external storage
5. Design migration - Sequence, tools, cutover strategy, trial runs
6. Define governance - Quality controls, stewardship, retention, compliance

Deep Dive References

• Data Modeling: Full relationship analysis, ERD patterns, anti-patterns
• Large Data Volumes: Complete LDV strategy guide
• Data Migration: Detailed migration phases and tool comparison
• Data Quality & Governance: Dedup, MDM, compliance
• External Data: Salesforce Connect, Big Objects, Data Cloud
• Decision Guides: Mermaid flowcharts for every key decision
• Trade-offs: How to articulate what you gained and gave up
• Best Practices & Anti-Patterns: Review checklist

Sources

• Salesforce Data Model Notation
• LDV Best Practices
• Bulk API 2.0 Limits