A Complete Guide To Salesforce Data Model

By: Michael TetrickMay 17, 2023

Salesforce, a leading enterprise software provider, serves more than 150,000 companies globally with its customer relationship management (CRM) services. These services enable businesses to store, process, and analyze vital data. This process ensures users can easily access and organize their Salesforce data.

Organizations must establish a suitable data model within the Salesforce CRM platform to achieve this. Such a model ensures the data is presented clearly and understandably, facilitating seamless operations. Hence, having an appropriate Salesforce data model becomes an indispensable requirement for any company.

After subscribing to an optimal Salesforce license and inputting data into the system, you gain the ability to automate various processes. This automated data model empowers your team members to engage in CRM activities and serve your customers with personalized and efficient care.

Objects In Salesforce Data Model

Standard Objects: Standard Salesforce Objects are the pre-built objects of a data model developed by Salesforce and included with the CRM platform when you adopt it. These items are essential to Salesforce's core functionality, and the application already has everything required to carry out fundamental CRM tasks.

Common standard objects include lead, contact, account, and opportunity.

Custom objects: If the pre-existing standard objects are insufficient to satisfy particular business requirements, users can construct custom Salesforce objects after adopting the Salesforce data model. These items are exclusive to a company and were made to meet their particular requirements. Reports and dashboards are made using the recorded data in these objects.

Standard fields: By default, common fields like Name, ID, and Created Date are created in a Salesforce data model. These are the default fields that Salesforce always includes when you create a custom object. The identical field is present in each standard object in Salesforce.

Custom fields: The purpose of custom fields is to store more data of different types. You can construct custom fields in a data model to hold personal information, such as the employee's address and birth date.

Lookup relationships: The fields of one object in data modeling in Salesforce can be accessible by the other object if two are linked together through a lookup connection. A L

a lookup relationship can be established in one of two ways: one-to-one or one-to-many. It is possible for the Salesforce items connected by such a relationship to have other connections.

Master-Detail Relationships: This refers to a very close connection between two objects. When you delete the parent record in a master-detail relationship, the child record is also automatically erased, and the parent record controls the sharing settings for the child records.

Data Model: To accurately represent the data contained in the database, you will need to construct objects, fields, and relationships during data modeling in Salesforce.

How To Access The Data Model?

Salesforce provides users with two essential tools for creating a data model:

  • Object Manager
  • Schema Builder

These tools play a crucial role in shaping the structure and functionality of the Salesforce platform. While both Object Manager and Schema Builder serve the purpose of configuring objects, fields, and relationships, they each have their unique characteristics and limitations.

Although a powerful tool, Schema Builder has certain constraints regarding salesforce customization in a Salesforce data model. While using Schema Builder, users can visualize and modify the relationships between objects, create custom objects and fields, and tailor the data model according to specific requirements.

With Object Manager, users have granular control over the data model, allowing them to define and refine the structure of their Salesforce implementation. It empowers users to customize fields and their properties in a Salesforce data model. Object Manager serves as a one-stop solution for managing the entire lifecycle of the data model, from initial creation to ongoing maintenance and enhancements.

  • How To Access Object Manager:
  • To access Object Manager, navigate to Setup and select the Object Manager tab in the navigation menu.
  • Input Object Manager into the Quick Find field.
  • How To Access Schema Builder:
  • Schema Builder is accessible through Object Manager or by inserting "Schema Builder" in the Quick Find text field in Setup.
  • It is a tool for creating and viewing data models and modifying them to meet specific requirements.

Abilities of Schema Builder:

Schema Builder offers a range of capabilities that empower users to manage data models within a Salesforce data model effectively.

  • With Schema Builder, users can gain insights into each object's relationship structure and available fields, providing a comprehensive view of the data model.
  • One of the key functionalities of Schema Builder is the ability to identify relationships between objects and create new custom objects and fields. This allows for high customization and design flexibility when constructing the data model.
  • Users can leverage Schema Builder to create objects, fields, and relationships. This enables them to tailor the process to their specific needs during data modeling in Salesforce.
  • Furthermore, Schema Builder facilitates the addition of various components to the data model, including custom objects, lookup relationships, and master-detail relationships. It supports the creation of all types of custom fields except for geolocation.
  • It can add roll-up summary fields to objects during data modeling in Salesforce.
  • While objects can be hidden on the Schema Builder canvas to declutter the view, this tool cannot hide fields in a Salesforce data model.

Data Management In Salesforce

  • Import Data Into Salesforce

After creating your data model within Salesforce, you can populate your organization with data. Salesforce offers three native tools that facilitate data importation:

  • Data Import Wizard
  • Data Loader
  • Dataloader.io

When deciding which native tools to utilize within data modeling in Salesforce, you should consider various factors. These include the Salesforce objects each tool supports and the volume of records you intend to import. Additionally, the order in which records are imported is crucial in establishing proper relationships between different objects. It is essential to import parent object records before importing child object records.

You can associate and link records together by utilizing record IDs during data modeling in Salesforce. For instance, importing account records should precede the importation of contact records. You can use account record IDs to establish connections between parent accounts and child contacts.

  • Export Data From Salesforce

You can export your Salesforce data model either manually or automatically. The information will be exported in CSV format. Similar to data import, Salesforce offers three export tools:

  • Wizard for exporting data
  • Data loader
  • Dataloader.io

Create Your Salesforce Data Model With Rely Services

Regarding building your Salesforce data model, Rely Services is here to assist you every step of the way. Our team of experts understands the intricacies of Salesforce and can help you create a robust and efficient data model tailored to your specific needs.

By leveraging our expertise and industry experience, you can maximize the potential of your Salesforce organization. With Rely Services, you can embark on your journey toward streamlined and optimized data modeling in Salesforce.

Take the first step towards success by contacting Rely Services now!