SF-Data-Arch Practice Test 16 — 15 Questions

Question 1

Which TWO of the following are consequences of having excessive indexes on a Salesforce object with large data volumes?

Accepted Answer

Increased time to complete DML operations.. While indexes improve read performance, they impose a cost on write operations. Every time a record is inserted, updated, or deleted, Salesforce must update all associated index tables. With an excessive number of indexes, this overhead becomes significant, leading to slower transaction times, potential lock contention, and overall system instability during high-volume DML activities. Balancing read performance needs with write performance costs is critical in data architecture.

Answer

Improved insert and update performance.

Answer

Faster SOQL query execution times.

Answer

Automatic reduction in storage space usage.

Question 2

Why is it recommended to perform large data deletes using a soft-delete approach followed by a hard-delete during off-peak hours?

Accepted Answer

To prevent record locking and system-wide performance degradation.. Large-scale deletions are resource-intensive and can trigger cascading deletes if records have child relationships. By first marking records for deletion (soft-delete), you can manage the process in controlled batches. This prevents the system from locking up during a massive operation. Performing the actual hard-delete during off-peak hours minimizes the impact on concurrent user activity and reduces the risk of reaching governor limits during peak times.

Answer

To keep the Recycle Bin empty at all times.

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To allow for data recovery if a mistake is made.

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To ensure that all triggers are fired during the deletion.

Question 3

When designing a system for LDV, what is the role of an 'Indexed Field'?

Accepted Answer

To speed up the retrieval of records by narrowing search space.. Indexes are structures that the database uses to find records quickly without scanning the entire table. In an LDV environment, they are the primary defense against query timeouts. By ensuring that frequently used filters in SOQL queries are indexed, architects can significantly reduce the amount of data the database engine must process, keeping performance within acceptable levels regardless of the total record count.

Answer

To increase storage capacity in the Salesforce database.

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To enforce uniqueness constraints on every custom field.

Answer

To automate the conversion of records to external objects.

Question 4

What is the primary role of a Data Dictionary in a Data Governance program?

Accepted Answer

Establishing a standard metadata definition.. A Data Dictionary acts as a central repository for technical and business metadata. It provides a common language for stakeholders, ensuring that everyone understands what a field represents, its data type, and its business rules. By centralizing this information, the dictionary prevents ambiguity and errors in reporting, which is a fundamental requirement for building a reliable, governed data environment.

Answer

Enforcing record-level security.

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Automating data cleaning processes.

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Managing integration authentication tokens.

Question 5

Universal Containers has 50 million records in a custom object. A report summarizing these records times out. Which strategy is most effective for improving report performance?

Accepted Answer

Create a summary object to store pre-aggregated data.. Summarizing 50 million records directly in a standard report is inefficient due to the overhead of the reporting engine. Using a Summary Object allows Salesforce to pre-aggregate data asynchronously, moving the heavy lifting from query time to insert time. This approach ensures reports operate on a significantly smaller dataset, preventing timeout errors and improving user experience for large-scale data analysis scenarios.

Answer

Increase the report timeout limit in Setup.

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Implement a custom lightning web component for reporting.

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Add more indexes to the custom object fields.

Question 6

When evaluating external data integration, which THREE architectural patterns should a Data Architect consider to minimize the impact on Salesforce governor limits?

Accepted Answer

Use Salesforce Connect to access external data without importing it.. To keep Salesforce performant, architects must offload heavy processing. Integrating with an middleware, using asynchronous patterns, and leveraging external objects (Salesforce Connect) are all strategies to avoid hitting governor limits. These methods decouple the heavy lifting from the Salesforce transaction, allowing the platform to remain responsive while the external system handles the data processing, aggregation, or long-term storage, keeping the overall architecture lean and within prescribed operational constraints.

Answer

Perform all data transformations using Apex inside the Salesforce transaction.

Answer

Increase the batch size limit by contacting Salesforce Support.

Question 7

A company is importing 50 million records into a custom object. Which strategy should be used to minimize record locking contention during the high-volume insert operation?

Accepted Answer

Sort the data by OwnerID and process records in serial mode.. Minimizing locking contention requires optimizing the database interaction patterns within Salesforce. Serializing record processing and organizing batches by OwnerID or AccountID prevents multiple threads from attempting to lock the same parent records simultaneously. This approach ensures that the database index updates are serialized per specific record groups, drastically reducing the incidence of 'UNABLE_TO_LOCK_ROW' errors during large volume data loads in a multi-tenant environment.

Answer

Perform the load using the standard Salesforce UI 'Import Wizard'.

Answer

Increase the batch size to the maximum allowed limit of 10,000.

Answer

Disable all Validation Rules and Apex Triggers permanently.

Question 8

What is the primary benefit of performing a data cleansing exercise before initiating a migration to Salesforce?

Accepted Answer

It prevents the migration of invalid or duplicate data into the new system.. Data cleansing is the process of detecting and correcting corrupt or inaccurate records. Doing this before migration is vital because it prevents the 'garbage in, garbage out' syndrome. High-quality data ensures that the new system is reliable from day one, improves user adoption, and prevents the need for costly post-migration data remediation projects which are significantly more complex once the data is integrated into existing business logic.

Answer

It eliminates the need for field mapping in the ETL process.

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It ensures that the target Salesforce Org meets storage limits.

Answer

It automatically adjusts the Salesforce schema to fit the legacy data.

Question 9

Refer to the exhibit. What is the most likely reason this query fails?

Accepted Answer

The field 'Status__c' is not indexed.. The query fails because 'Status__c' is likely not indexed, or the 'Pending' value is too common, exceeding the selectivity threshold. On objects with millions of records, Salesforce requires that filters target a small enough subset to be efficient. When a filter is too broad or lacks an index, the system rejects the query to prevent performance degradation for the entire multi-tenant environment.

Answer

The LIMIT clause is too high for the object size.

Answer

The query includes too many fields in the SELECT clause.

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The record count exceeds the object storage limit.

Question 10

An architect is modeling a 'Subscription' service where Customers have multiple active subscriptions. Which approach best handles the 'Current' vs 'Historical' subscription data for reporting?

Accepted Answer

Use a single object with 'Status' and 'Date' fields.. Using a combination of a status field and a date range is the standard way to model active versus historical subscriptions. By flagging records as 'Active' and using the 'End Date' field, the architect allows the system to easily filter for current records while maintaining a full history. This design supports both operational reporting and long-term analytical tracking, which is essential for subscription-based business models.

Answer

Use two separate objects for Current and Historical subscriptions.

Answer

Delete historical records to save storage space.

Answer

Use a multi-select picklist to track history.

Question 11

Universal Containers is classifying their data based on sensitivity levels (e.g., Public, Internal, Confidential, Restricted). Which Salesforce feature allows them to record this classification directly on the field definition?

Accepted Answer

Data Classification Metadata fields.. Salesforce provides built-in Data Classification fields for every custom and standard field. This allows organizations to track the Data Owner, Field Usage, Data Sensitivity, and Compliance Categorization directly in the metadata, which is essential for data governance and regulatory compliance reporting.

Answer

Field-Level Security (FLS) settings.

Answer

Shield Platform Encryption.

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Custom Metadata Types.

Question 12

What is the primary architectural goal of using the Salesforce Bulk API 2.0?

Accepted Answer

To efficiently manage large volume data operations.. The Bulk API 2.0 is designed specifically for handling large data volumes by automating the batching process. It simplifies the developer experience while optimizing for high throughput. By offloading the batching logic to the Salesforce platform, it ensures that data loads occur in a manner that respects system resources and governor limits, which is the foundational requirement for managing enterprise-scale data in the cloud.

Answer

To provide real-time updates for end-user applications.

Answer

To bypass all security and validation rules.

Answer

To allow for direct SQL query access to the database.

Question 13

Which governance component ensures that Salesforce Orgs are prepared for major feature updates and potential breaking changes?

Accepted Answer

Change Management Process.. The Change Management process is critical for handling major updates. It includes impact analysis, sandbox testing, and regression testing. By governing this process, architects ensure that features are validated in a safe environment before production deployment. This minimizes the risk of system outages, ensures business continuity, and keeps the Salesforce environment stable during the rapid release cadence of the platform.

Answer

Data Classification Policy.

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Data Dictionary.

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Master Data Management (MDM).

Question 14

Which strategy best supports Data Governance when scaling a Salesforce implementation across multiple business units with varying data requirements?

Accepted Answer

Federated Governance.. A Federated Data Governance model is best for large, complex organizations. It allows for central oversight and standardized definitions while giving local business units the autonomy to manage their domain-specific data. This balanced approach avoids the bottlenecks of a purely centralized model while preventing the chaos of a decentralized one, ensuring both compliance and business agility at scale.

Answer

Centralized Governance.

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Decentralized Governance.

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Automated Governance.

Question 15

A Data Architect needs to implement a field-level security strategy where PII is visible only to the 'HR' profile. However, other profiles need to run reports on the account data without seeing the PII. What is the correct way to handle this?

Accepted Answer

Apply field-level security to the PII field for all profiles except HR.. Field-level security (FLS) is the primary method for controlling access to specific fields. By defining FLS for the HR profile and restricting access for others, the architect ensures data privacy. When users without access run reports, Salesforce automatically hides the field, preventing unauthorized viewing while allowing them to report on other non-sensitive data. This approach is the native, secure way to manage field visibility without complex custom components or data splitting strategies.

Answer

Create two separate objects and use a lookup relationship to link them.

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Implement a custom Lightning component to mask the field data.

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Use an Apex trigger to clear the field value if the user is not in the HR profile.