SF-Data-Arch Master Data Management Practice Question
A data architect is designing a master data management strategy for customer data in Salesforce. The company wants to ensure data quality and consistency across systems. Which two practices should the architect recommend to maintain a single source of truth? (Choose two.)
⚠ Common exam trap
Candidates often confuse tactical data quality features like duplicate rules with strategic MDM practices like governance and stewardship.
Answer choices
Why each option matters
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
Establish a data governance council to define policies and standards
A data stewardship program and a data governance council are both strategic practices that establish accountability and policies for master data. They ensure that data is managed consistently, which is essential for a single source of truth. The other options are either tactical tools or unrelated to data quality management.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✓
Establish a data governance council to define policies and standards
Why this is correct
A data governance council defines data policies, standards, and decision rights. It ensures that master data is managed consistently across the organization. This is a strategic practice that supports a single source of truth by providing oversight and resolving conflicts between business units.
- ✗
Use Salesforce's duplicate management rules to prevent duplicate records
Why it's wrong here
Duplicate management rules are useful for preventing duplicates within Salesforce, but they do not address cross-system consistency or the broader MDM strategy. They are a tactical tool, not a strategic practice for maintaining a single source of truth across multiple systems. The question asks for practices, not specific features.
- ✗
Schedule nightly data backups of Salesforce
Why it's wrong here
Data backups are important for disaster recovery, but they do not ensure data quality or consistency across systems. They are a safeguard against data loss, not a practice for master data management. The focus should be on governance and stewardship.
- ✗
Enable field history tracking on all customer fields
Why it's wrong here
Field history tracking is useful for auditing changes, but it does not directly contribute to maintaining a single source of truth. It is a reactive measure that records what happened, rather than a proactive practice to ensure data quality and consistency across systems.
- ✓
Implement a data stewardship program with defined roles and responsibilities
Why this is correct
A data stewardship program assigns accountability for data quality to specific individuals or teams. This ensures that data issues are addressed promptly and that master data remains accurate and consistent. It is a foundational practice for MDM because it provides governance and ongoing oversight, which are essential for maintaining a single source of truth.
About these practice questions
Courseiva writes every SF-Data-Arch question from scratch — 222 in total, each with an explanation and a wrong-answer breakdown. None are copied from real exams or dumps. Learn why practice questions differ from exam dumps →
JA
Written and reviewed by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
Last reviewed September 2026 · checked against the official Salesforce exam blueprint
This SF-Data-Arch practice question is part of Courseiva's free Salesforce certification practice question bank. Courseiva provides original exam-style practice questions with explanations, topic-based practice, mock exams, readiness tracking, and study analytics to help learners prepare for the SF-Data-Arch exam.