Large Data Volume Considerations20% of the exam
Archiving and purging: hard delete, truncation, retention
How to keep active data small: soft versus hard delete, truncation, Mass Delete Records and scheduled batch purges, storage allocations, field history retention with Field Audit Trail, and where archived data should live.
Given a customer scenario, recommend a data archiving and purging plan that is optimal for the customer's data storage management needs.
~7 min read · 20 practice questions ·
What the exam expects
- Recommend a lifecycle that archives or discards data as fast as it arrives, and pick where archived data lives.
- Choose the purge tool: standard delete, Bulk API 2.0 hard delete, truncation, Mass Delete Records or scheduled batch Apex.
- Estimate data and file storage from edition and licenses, and say what doesn't count against it.
- Set field history retention with Field Audit Trail and HistoryRetentionPolicy.
Key terms: soft delete (rows flagged deleted and kept in the Recycle Bin); hard delete (rows bypass the Recycle Bin); truncation (removing every record of a custom object while keeping the object); data tiering (spreading data across objects or stores by how often it's used); HistoryRetentionPolicy (per-object months before history is archived).
Key facts
Recycle Bin
- Detail
- 15 days; doesn't count against storage
Hard delete threshold
- Detail
- One million or more records: Bulk API or Bulk API 2.0 hard delete
Bulk API Hard Delete permission
- Detail
- Disabled by default; Salesforce user license required
Truncation blockers
- Detail
- Custom index, external ID, lookup reference, skinny table, standard object
Data storage, Unlimited
- Detail
- 10 GB plus 120 MB per user license
Data storage, Enterprise
- Detail
- 10 GB plus 20 MB per user license
Big object storage
- Detail
- 1 million records per org by default; contact Salesforce for more
Field history storage
- Detail
- Doesn't count against storage limits
Field Audit Trail default
- Detail
- Archives after 18 months in production, one month in sandboxes
Sources for this section (7)
- Recycle Binhelp.salesforce.com (opens in a new tab)
- LDV Deleting best practicesdeveloper.salesforce.com (opens in a new tab)
- Create a Jobdeveloper.salesforce.com (opens in a new tab)
- Truncation Considerationshelp.salesforce.com (opens in a new tab)
- Storage Allocationshelp.salesforce.com (opens in a new tab)
- Field History Trackinghelp.salesforce.com (opens in a new tab)
- Field Audit Trailhelp.salesforce.com (opens in a new tab)
- Why does a hard delete job fail for an integration user with Modify All Data?
- When should a purge delete child records before parents?
- Why can't a mashup archive feed Salesforce reports?
- Which storage do Salesforce Files count against?
The questions are free to read. Answers with their sources and self-grading are included with the pack.
Keep reading with the Platform Data Architect pack
- Core concepts
- Exam traps
- Worked scenario
The pack includes:
- All 21 lessons of the Platform Data Architect guide, with reading progress
- Interactive decision walks and step-by-step sequence steppers
- Inline practice questions and one-click topic practice (20 questions for this lesson)
- An official source cited for every claim
- An AI tutor that answers from the guide
- Unlimited timed practice exams