SF-Data-Arch Data Governance Practice Question
A financial services company must retain Salesforce records for seven years to satisfy a regulator. Records older than two years are rarely accessed but must remain retrievable within 48 hours if requested. The org's data volume is growing 40 percent per year, and the architect wants to minimize storage cost while preserving the ability to restore records with their original Salesforce IDs and relationships. Which approach best meets these requirements?
⚠ Common exam trap
The trap here is treating deletion plus Recycle Bin or a CSV export as archiving, when regulatory retention requires durable, queryable storage that preserves IDs and relationships.
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
✓
Use Salesforce Big Objects to archive records and query them with Async SOQL when a regulatory request arrives.
Archiving to Big Objects keeps data on-platform, preserves identifiers and relationships, and costs far less than keeping everything in standard storage. Async SOQL supports bulk retrieval so records can be produced within the 48-hour window. Deleting records, exporting to CSV, or simply buying more storage each fail at least one of the three requirements: retention, retrievability, or cost.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Increase the org's data storage allocation by purchasing additional storage blocks and keep all records online indefinitely.
Why it's wrong here
Purchasing storage is simple but directly contradicts the goal of minimizing storage cost, and cost grows linearly with the 40 percent annual data growth. It also does not address lifecycle governance, leaving cold records mixed with active data. This is the least cost-effective option for a seven-year retention requirement on rarely accessed records.
- ✗
Enable Data Storage Management by deleting records older than two years and relying on Salesforce Recycle Bin for recovery.
Why it's wrong here
The Recycle Bin retains deleted records for only 15 days, far short of a seven-year regulatory requirement. Deleting records also breaks relationships and cannot be undone after the Recycle Bin window closes. This approach reduces storage cost but fails the retention and retrievability obligations, so it is not a viable archiving strategy for regulated data.
- ✓
Use Salesforce Big Objects to archive records and query them with Async SOQL when a regulatory request arrives.
Why this is correct
Big Objects store massive volumes on the Salesforce platform at lower cost and preserve a stable record identifier, so archived records stay queryable without external tooling. Async SOQL retrieves them in bulk for a 48-hour response window. Because the archive remains inside Salesforce, relationships and IDs can be maintained, making this the option that satisfies retention, retrievability, and cost goals together.
- ✗
Export older records to a CSV file stored in an on-premises file share and delete them from Salesforce.
Why it's wrong here
A flat CSV export loses Salesforce IDs and relationship integrity unless a custom key is maintained, and restoring records within 48 hours would require a manual re-import that is error-prone and slow. It also creates an unmanaged copy outside the platform's security model. This satisfies neither the retrievability target nor a defensible audit trail.
About these practice questions
This SF-Data-Arch question is part of Courseiva's 222-question bank — original exam-style content with full explanations and wrong-answer analysis, never real exam questions or exam 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.