January 9, 2025

How-to Guides | Salesforce Consulting | Salesforce Resources | The CRM Firm

Written By:

The CRM Firm

As we all know, Salesforce has become a cornerstone for businesses worldwide—I mean come on, they’ve got McConaughey and Harrelson—however, as organizations grow, their Salesforce instances can accumulate an overwhelming avalanche of data, which can increase costs, and complicate compliance. Data archiving offers a structured approach to address these challenges, ensuring your Salesforce environment remains cost effective and compliant.

Why Data Archiving Matters

• • Cost Management: Salesforce storage is NOT cheap, and exceeding your allocated storage can lead to significant additional costs you likely had not planned on, making your investment seem like you bit off more than you could chew.
  • Compliance & Legal Requirements: Depending on your vertical, the strictness regarding data retention and accessibility can vary a great deal.
  • Enhanced Data Organization: A well-conceived and implemented archiving strategy improves data organization, reducing clutter and making it easier to maintain clean, actionable records in your Salesforce environment.

The “But” of Data Archiving

As in almost all things, there is a “but” that comes with data archiving as well. It seems like it SHOULD be a simple, straightforward process that offers clear benefits, BUT improper implementation can lead to a myriad of unforeseen pitfalls. Here are some common pitfalls to be aware of:  

• • Lack of a Clear Strategy: Jumping into data archiving blind, without a well-thought-out plan, can result in critical data losses, broken integrations, and/or incomplete backups.
  • Misaligned with Business Goals: Archiving decisions should sync with business objectives, identifying data that needs to be retained for trend analysis or compliance versus archived.
  • Substandard Backup Systems: Before archiving, it behooves you to have a robust backup system in place, because losing data due to archiving errors or system failures can be disastrous for operations and compliance.
  • Archives & Accessibility: Archived data should remain accessible if needed, the last thing you want to do is archive data and then need it again and have no means of easily accessing it. Without an effective retrieval mechanism, users may struggle to locate archived records, leading to operational bottlenecks.
  • Overlooking Security & Compliance: Just as with your retained data, its security and compliance requirements are paramount. You need to ensure that archived data is encrypted and stored in a manner that meets industry regulations.

CRMF Approved Best Practices

To reap the full benefits of Salesforce data archiving and avoiding missteps, like the Glass Bridge game on Squid Game, here are some best practices from the CRMF team.  

• • Data Auditing: Have a mechanism in place to regularly evaluate your Salesforce data to identify records that are outdated, unused, or redundant. Take the time to prioritize archiving these records while retaining critical operational data.
  • Leverage Archiving Tools: There is help out there, in the form of Salesforce-native or third-party tools designed for data archiving. These tools often include automation, compliance features, and retrieval capabilities to streamline the process.
  • Implement a Retention Policy: Define clear retention policies based on business and regulatory requirements. Specify what data needs to be archived, how long it should be retained, and when it can be deleted.
  • Monitor & Adjust: Regularly review your archiving strategy to ensure it continues to meet organizational needs. As business goals and regulatory requirements evolve, your approach to data archiving should adapt accordingly.
  • Train Your Team: Educate users about the purpose and processes of data archiving. This ensures alignment and reduces the risk of accidental data loss or retrieval challenges.

Where There Is A Data Problem, CRMF Has A Data Solution

There is no need to remind you that Salesforce is expensive and can be overwhelmingly complex and expansive, so when it comes to data archiving, the CRMF has developed an innovative accelerator designed to optimize your Salesforce full stack. This accelerator is particularly advantageous for managing large volumes of related records. Task archiving, lead archiving, and any Salesforce object, we got you covered!

Key Features:

• • Efficient Data Archiving: Our accelerator enables you to archive related records (tasks, activities, etc.) to a file on-platform, ensuring that your Salesforce environment remains organized and clutter-free.
  • Data Restoration: Need to access archived data in the future? Our accelerator can restore records to their original record seamlessly.
  • Compliance & Cost Management: By archiving data, you can manage storage costs effectively, maximize usage of your tech stack, and ensure compliance with data retention policies.

Benefits:

• • Cost Savings: Archiving old and unused data helps maximize your Salesforce instance ROI.
  • Enhanced Data Organization: Keep your active records clean and easily accessible by archiving outdated information.
  • Data Storage Optimization: maximizing your Salesforce storage limits.
  • Scalability: As your organization grows, our accelerator ensures that your data management processes scale efficiently.

Getting the most out of your Salesforce instance and the data therein is everything. This is why it’s paramount to approach these processes thoughtfully and strategically to avoid any potential pitfalls that can arise from a poor implementation. By leveraging CRMF’s best practices and innovative accelerator, your organization can streamline its data management, control costs, ensure compliance, and enhance its overall data organization. This approach not only preserves the integrity and accessibility to archived data but also helps maximize the value of your Salesforce investment. With the right tools, processes, and guidance, data archiving becomes an asset rather than a burden, empowering you and your business so you can focus on growth.