Salesforce Admins are often busy keeping up with daily requests tied to field changes, new workflows, new users and report and dashboard requests, but you need to ensure that you set aside time to maintain and Clean Your Org.

Below are 6 things that we think a Salesforce Admin can do to maintain and keep your Org clean:

1. Create a Data Management Plan for Salesforce

2. Review, Deprecate, Archive and/or Delete Unused Fields and Data Quality

3. Review, Deprecate and Delete Unneeded Reports

4. Manage the Amount of Used Data and File Space 

5. Analyze Network Access Entries

6. Evaluate Installed Apps

Over the next few weeks, we will cover each of the above topics to provide insight and recommendations. In this article, we will tackle creating a Data Management Plan for Salesforce.

What is a Data Management Plan?

A Data Management Plan is a formal living document that outlines processes and procedures related to the data in Salesforce. It should outline how data will be acquired, validated, actively managed, protected and preserved. Like any plan, you should review your data management plan at least yearly to ensure it aligns with your always changing business environment.

Why do I need a Data Management Plan?

We at Your Admin Team are all about processes but we promise we won’t go overboard. You may be thinking “We’re just a small business with 10 people. We don’t need to do this.” Let us assure you: Yes, YOU DO!  Salesforce is highly customizable, which is exactly why you need a Data Management Plan.

Salesforce includes a lot of functionality in their base licenses but there are limits to everything. File and data storage amounts in Salesforce are two areas that you should monitor; once you go above the limit, Salesforce charges for additional storage. Salesforce also imposes limits by object on custom fields, workflow rules, validation rules, rollup summary fields and other items per object. Hitting the limit on these items may affect data quality and system performance which you don’t want to happen.

What are the critical components to a Data Management Plan?

• Section One:  Purpose, Roles, Responsibilities, Stakeholders

• Section Two: Data Policies and Procedures

• Section Three: Data Review Templates

We’ve created a Google Drive template that you can access below. It’s a template that captures the basics. We want to keep our promise to not overwhelm you with process, but if you’re inspired to capture more information, go for it!

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1abCdO1mGI0YoDL-qm039yC3wboJUSZoNR-J-VCV8pog/edit?usp=sharing

Where can I find Data and File Limits?

Data and file limits are based on the Salesforce Edition that you purchased. To access this information:

1. Go to Setup and type “Company Information” in the Quick Find Box

2. Under the Company Information section, you’ll find two rows:

a. Used Data Space

b. Used File Space

If you click [View] next to each of the rows, you will be able to see a breakdown of the following:

a. Data, File and Big Object Storage Limit and amount being used

b. Current Data Storage Usage by Object

c. Current File Storage Usage by Object

d. Current Big Object Storage Usage

e. Top Users by Data Storage Amount

f. Top Users by File Storage Amount

Where can I find Object Limits?

Object limits can be found in the Object Manager:

1. Go to Setup and click Object Manager

2. Select the Object that you want to review and go to “Object Limits”

3. Review the details to determine if you need to review any of the item categories.

On the page, you will see all the items that have limits along with your current usage and percentage used.  

One More Time, why do I need a Data Management Plan?

Our company lives by the mantra “Do what’s right, not what’s easy.” Creating and maintaining a Data Management Plan is the right thing to do, but it’s not easy. If you’re looking to stand out as an Administrator, taking the proactive step to create a plan will demonstrate your focus and due diligence. Even if your manager doesn’t see the need to create one, our recommendation is to do it anyway. It will help you and your employer better manage your org.

Need an extra set of hands to help clean up your org?  Contact Us

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