SF-Data-Arch Data Modeling and Database Design Practice Question
An enterprise architect is evaluating data storage strategies for a telecommunications client experiencing rapid data growth of fifty million call detail records annually. Which TWO strategies should the architect implement to maintain database query performance and platform data limits? Choose 2 answers.
⚠ Common exam trap
Candidates often suggest custom objects or external objects without considering the specific performance benefits of Big Objects for massive, non-transactional historical data sets.
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
✓
Utilize Salesforce Big Objects to store historical call records asynchronously and index primary lookup keys.
When dealing with massive data volumes exceeding standard transactional limits, traditional custom objects will quickly degrade platform performance and storage capacity. Offloading historical analytical data to Salesforce Big Objects or external systems via Salesforce Connect preserves core transactional limits. Additionally, implementing strict data archiving strategies prevents data skew and maintains query optimization.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Store the call detail records in standard custom objects with indexes applied to all foreign keys.
Why it's wrong here
Indexing every foreign key on a standard custom object still leaves fifty million records inside the platform's primary storage, hitting data limits and slowing queries. It tempts because indexes speed filtered lookups, but the scenario demands offloading historical records to external or archived storage, not merely tuning the existing object.
- ✓
Utilize Salesforce Big Objects to store historical call records asynchronously and index primary lookup keys.
Why this is correct
Big Objects store billions of records on a separate, non-transactional index, so historical call detail records leave standard object storage and its limits. Asynchronous writes and indexed lookup keys keep queries performant while preserving the required access path.
- ✓
Configure Salesforce Connect with OData adapters to federate call detail records from an external data lake.
Why this is correct
Salesforce Connect with OData federates call detail records that remain in the external data lake, so they never consume platform storage limits. Queries retrieve them in real time, satisfying the requirement to maintain performance without loading fifty million records annually.
- ✗
Create hierarchical custom object structures linking every call record directly to the Account master object.
Why it's wrong here
Linking every call record directly to the Account master object creates massive parent-child skew and sharing overhead, degrading query performance rather than relieving it. It tempts because hierarchical relationships aid reporting rollups, but at fifty million records annually the correct strategy is archiving or external storage, not deeper Account linkage.
- ✗
Rely on standard Salesforce report archives to automatically move historical records out of reporting tables.
Why it's wrong here
Standard report archives only store report outputs; they do not relocate call detail records out of the underlying object tables, so record volume and query cost remain unchanged. It tempts because archiving sounds like data offloading, but the correct strategy is a genuine data retention or external object approach.
About these practice questions
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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
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