The importance of strong data simply can’t be understated. Not only does data inform our operational choices, but it also impacts the functionality of the system itself. And as a business grows, the repository of information will grow along with it.
How do you manage this wealth of data? And how does the way in which it’s handled impact your development pipeline?
Salesforce data governance is a combination of principles and practices that are aimed at maintaining a quality pool of data. This is done through categorization and management of system data based on internally defined standards. The goal is to create a pool of data that is trustworthy and consistent to avoid misuse.
This can seem like a tricky consideration to address. However, a strategy can be implemented with some intentional tactics.
But how does this apply to your Salesforce development pipeline? What benefits can be seen by strengthening and optimizing your business’ pool of data?
Here are 9 ways a data governance strategy will help your Salesforce DevSecOps pipeline:
1. Highlights Inconsistencies
Salesforce data governance makes it much easier to maintain an updated overview of the various aspects of your development pipeline. These insights can be used to perform a variety of functions, one of which being an ability to recognize inconsistent successes in updates and applications.
Are all your releases performing as well as you hoped? Do some lack functionality and overall success once they are live?
Being aware of these inconsistencies can help direct your efforts on future development projects, and the insights of Salesforce data governance are essential to finding these insights.
2. Points Toward Improvements
Salesforce development projects will not all have the same levels of efficiency. Tasks—while similar—will vary slightly from project to project. And much how Salesforce data governance helps highlight inconsistencies, it can also be used to find ways to improve your development processes.
The insights gained from a clear organizational structure for your data can be used to improve tactics throughout the development pipeline.
More information doesn’t necessarily mean more insights. But information that is clearly organized into useful reports makes it easier to understand the effectiveness of your efforts.
3. Simplifies Planning
The first consideration of your development pipeline sets the stage for the eventual success of your efforts. Planning out a strategic and thoughtful approach sets your team members on the best path toward productivity.
Continually updated reports and an intuitive organizational structure of system data informs the planning process before your developers get to work.
Compiling all this information without Salesforce data governance will take a lot of time and effort. Make this process easier on your team by organizing all the applicable information into a structure that is easy to understand and navigate.
4. Institutes Hierarchy for Data Collection
Data governance is a series of strategies that are to be carried out by dedicated team members. The hierarchy created through this structure will make sure nothing falls through the cracks. Missing important data and losing track of it is just as bad as accidentally deleting something before it can be assessed for value.
A data governance strategy creates the infrastructure needed to get the most from your data.
Various team members with well-defined roles and responsibilities will ensure important data is compiled and arranged in a way that makes it available for later use.
5. Helps Find Errors
A quality pool of data is one that is organized in a useful way, but also one that is free of unreliable or incorrect information. However, you’re never going to be able to differentiate good and bad data if you don’t take the time to look at it.
Data governance aims to remove or correct erroneous information and raise the overall quality of your data pool.
High quality data can provide many of the other benefits on this list. Your Salesforce development pipeline directly benefits from working with reliable information.
6. Aligns Compliance Considerations
Depending on your industry and location, there are potentially a number of government regulations relating to how you handle and process system data. Sensitive information needs to be protected and compiled in certain ways, and this is difficult to maintain when it isn’t intentionally arranged.
Salesforce data governance organizes sensitive data in a way that can be properly protected and transparent when necessary.
These considerations are essential, as failure to adhere to these regulations can be met with penalties and fines.
7. Heightens Accountability
A major aspect of Salesforce data governance is to appoint team members to various roles relating to how data is collected, handled, and arranged. The reports and insights gained from this process make it easier to interpret your successes, but it also makes it easier for a data governance manager to maintain a clear view on the various processes within your pipeline.
Oversight is essential to a successful system, and a clear organizational structure of data and responsibilities supports the accountability necessary to accomplish this.
8. Cleans Up Your System
Not all data within your Salesforce system is necessary to maintain within your active environment. In fact, keeping unnecessary data can actually slow your system down and make it more difficult to backup essential system data.
A clear data governance structure makes it easier to identify data that can be archived or deleted altogether.
Getting rid of unneeded data unclogs your Salesforce environment, freeing up necessary space to keep your system running smoothly. A development pipeline that isn’t bogged down with unneeded data streamlines your teams’ efforts.
9. Informs Future Development Projects
There’s something to learn from every update or application you release. This could come from successes or failures at any stage in the process. However, you’re never going to be able to learn these lessons if you can’t analyze the data created along the way.
The insights gained through Salesforce data governance will help you refine your processes to optimize and streamline future development projects.
Your data is a valuable resource. Your success in utilizing this resource will impact your successes with your future projects. Give yourself a better chance at properly utilizing your data by instituting Salesforce data governance strategies.
