Salesforce is a cloud-based Customer Relationship Management (CRM) platform that enables businesses to manage their sales, customer service, and marketing efforts. One of the key benefits of using Salesforce is its ability to store and manage vast amounts of customer data. This allows companies to gain valuable insights into their customers’ behaviors, preferences, and needs.
Overview
At its core, Salesforce stores data in a relational database, which means that data is organized into tables and relationships. Each data record in Salesforce is stored as a row in a specific table and each table has columns that represent specific data fields (think of all the tabs in an Excel workbook relating to each other).
One of the key benefits of Salesforce data storage is its ability to provide a centralized repository for all of your organization’s customer information, providing you with a single source of truth for customer information. This makes it easy to access and manage customer data from a single location, reducing the need for manual data entry and minimizing errors. This is especially important for sales and customer service teams, who need quick and easy access to customer information to support their work.
The database is built on top of the powerful Salesforce platform, allowing it to handle large amounts of data and support complex data relationships. Salesforce offers advanced analytics and reporting, providing businesses with valuable insights into their customers and their behaviors. Salesforce provides a range of analytics tools, such as dashboards and reports, that allow businesses to visualize and analyze customer data.
Another advantage of Salesforce data storage is its scalability. As your organization grows, you can easily add new data fields and custom objects to support new business processes and use cases. This allows you to manage and track all aspects of your customer interactions, from lead generation and opportunity management to customer service and support.
Types of Data Storage in Salesforce
The data storage in Salesforce is divided into two main components: the database and the file storage system.
The database is used to store structured data such as customer information, sales opportunities, and support cases. The structure of this data is stored in a set of standardized objects, such as Accounts, Contacts, Opportunities, Leads, and Cases. Each object represents a different type of customer information, and each record within an object represents a specific customer instance. For example, a company might have one Account object that represents a particular business customer and several Contact objects that represent the individuals at that business who interact with the company.
Salesforce also allows businesses to create custom objects, which are tailored to their specific needs. Each object (standard or custom) has fields that store specific attributes for that object. Field types such as picklists, formulas, and checkboxes can standardize data input and create a structure to prevent data input errors.
The file storage system, on the other hand, is used to store unstructured data such as documents, images, and videos. The files are stored in a way that is easily accessible and manageable by Salesforce users.
The Cost of Data Storage
The amount of data you have in your Salesforce comes with a cost. In general, how much storage you are allotted is based on your Salesforce edition, the number of user licenses, and if you have purchased any additional data storage. If you are a current Salesforce customer, you can check under ‘Storage Usage’ in Setup for data and file storage allotment and usage. For specific pricing for what is right for you, you will need to speak with a Salesforce Account Executive.
Salesforce uses a simple method for calculating storage usage. Almost all records use 2KB of space despite how many fields are actually used (there are a few exceptions to this rule, but we’ll keep it simple here). You can see a breakdown of current data usage per record type under ‘Storage Usage’ as mentioned above.
It is critical to have an effective data management strategy. The cost of data is real and with so much information, it is crucial to have set up processes for managing data throughout its lifecycle. Salesforce has many tools that help companies manage big data volumes as well as third-party applications which can be found on the AppExchange. If you need help with selecting the right approach or defining a data management strategy we are happy to help!
Data Security in Salesforce
One of the key concerns for businesses when it comes to storing data in the cloud is security. Salesforce takes data security very seriously and has implemented a number of measures to ensure the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of customer data.
Salesforce uses encryption to secure data both at rest and in transit. When you access Salesforce using a supported web browser, Secure Socket Layer (SSL) technology protects your information using both server authentication and data encryption. When you log in, you will see a small lock icon indicating that a secure connection has been established to the Salesforce server.
Salesforce also offers (for an additional cost) Shield Platform Encryption which protects data at rest using either a generated or uploaded encryption key and it offers a higher level of encryption (256-bit AES) if your organization requires it.
In addition to encryption, Salesforce is now requiring Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) for users to log in. MFA is a secure authentication method that requires users to prove their identity by supplying two or more pieces of evidence (or factors) when they log in. One factor is their username and password. Other factors include something the user has, such as an authenticator app or security key. By tying user access to multiple types of factors, MFA makes it harder for common threats, like phishing attacks and account takeovers, to succeed. MFA functionality is provided for free to all products built on the Salesforce platform.
Conclusion
In conclusion, Salesforce is a powerful platform for storing and managing customer data, providing businesses with a single source of truth for customer information and valuable insights into customer behavior. Whether you are looking to manage leads, customer service, or sales, Salesforce provides a range of tools and capabilities to securely support your business needs.
Brian Colbo
Solution Architect
Brian is one of our Senior Salesforce Business Consultants, who continuously strive for customer success and the highest level of satisfaction. He has a sophisticated background in supply chain management, sales, and marketing which makes him one of our finest Salesforce business consultants.
About Roycon
We’re an Austin-based Salesforce Consulting Partner, with a passion and belief that the Salesforce platform’s capabilities can help businesses run more efficiently and effectively. Whether you are just getting started with Salesforce or looking to realize its full potential, Roycon specializes in Salesforce Implementations, Salesforce Ongoing Support, and Salesforce Integrations, and Development. We’re the certified partner to guide the way to increase Salesforce Adoption, make strategic decisions, and build your Salesforce Roadmap for success.