Free DATA-ARCHITECT sample questions

Correct answer: Enable Person Accounts for the global Patient representation. Create a custom `Device_Assignment__c` junction object between Person Account and `Medical_Device__c` to track service history. Use record types on the Person Account to manage regional differences.

This is the optimal solution. Person Accounts provide a standard, scalable way to represent individuals, combining Account and Contact functionality, which is ideal for a Patient model. A junction object (`Device_Assignment__c`) correctly models the many-to-many relationship and can hold rich details like service history. Record types on the Person Account effectively manage regional variations in layouts and processes, while standard field encryption and security features can be leveraged for GDPR/HIPAA compliance.

Correct answer: In the Batch Apex query, order the `Project__c` records by their `AccountId`.

This is the recommended best practice for mitigating lock contention caused by parent-child data skew. By ordering the child records by their parent ID (`AccountId`), the batch job processes all children for a single parent sequentially. This prevents different parallel batches from attempting to lock the same parent Account record simultaneously, thus avoiding the `UNABLE_TO_LOCK_ROW` error.

Correct answers: Big Objects; Async SOQL

Big Objects are specifically designed to store and manage massive data volumes (billions of records) on the Salesforce platform. They are ideal for archival, event monitoring, or historical data that doesn't require the full feature set of standard or custom objects.

Async SOQL is the primary mechanism for running queries against Big Objects. It is designed to handle the massive scale of data stored in Big Objects by running the query in the background and storing the results in a target object.

Correct answer: Ensure the `Legacy_Account_ID__c` field on the Account object is marked as an External ID, then map the legacy ID column in the Contact CSV to the Account relationship field in Data Loader.

This is the correct and most efficient best practice. By marking `Legacy_Account_ID__c` as an External ID, Data Loader can use this unique identifier to look up the parent Account record and automatically populate the `AccountId` lookup field on the Contact object. This avoids the need for manual ID mapping and is the primary purpose of External ID fields in data migration.

Correct answer: False

This is correct. The 'View Encrypted Data' permission allows users to see the unmasked data on record detail pages. However, the data remains masked in reports, list views, search results, and other areas. Encryption significantly impacts how data can be used in filters and queries.

Correct answer: Data Survivorship Rules

Data Survivorship Rules are the specific configurations that determine which data from which source system should be preserved in the final 'golden record' when duplicates are merged. In this case, a rule would be set to prioritize the 'address' field from the billing system and the 'email' field from the marketing platform.

Correct answer: Distribute the `Service_Request__c` records across multiple functionally equivalent 'bucket' Account records.

This is a common and effective strategy for mitigating lookup skew. By creating multiple 'bucket' or 'sub-accounts' under the main fleet account and distributing the child records among them, you reduce the number of children linked to any single parent record. This breaks up the skew and significantly reduces lock contention and improves performance.

Correct answer: Duplicate Rules and Matching Rules

This is the standard, declarative feature set designed specifically for identifying and managing duplicates. A Matching Rule defines how to identify duplicates (e.g., based on fuzzy name and exact email), and a Duplicate Rule determines what to do when a duplicate is found (e.g., block creation or allow with an alert). This is the primary tool for preventing new duplicates.

Correct answer: Request Salesforce Support to create a skinny table that includes fields from the involved objects.

Skinny tables are the ideal solution for this scenario. They are custom database tables that contain a subset of fields from a standard or custom object, including fields from related objects. By combining fields from `Opportunity`, `OpportunityLineItem`, and the related custom objects into a single, denormalized table, Salesforce can avoid expensive joins at runtime, dramatically improving report and query performance.

Correct answer: Propose a phased migration strategy. First, perform an initial bulk load of all historical, read-only data in the weeks leading up to the cutover. During the 12-hour window, extract and load only the delta (changed/new records) since the initial load. Defer sharing calculations until after the delta load is complete.

This is the correct and standard approach for large-scale migrations with tight downtime constraints. By pre-loading the majority of the data beforehand, the work performed during the critical 12-hour window is minimized to only the delta. Deferring sharing calculations is a key performance optimization that saves significant time during the load process, allowing the recalculation to happen after the data is in place.