SF-Data-Arch Large Data Volume Considerations Practice Question
Which strategy should be employed when designing a data archiving solution for a high-volume object to ensure continued system performance?
⚠ Common exam trap
Many candidates incorrectly recommend creating more custom indexes or skinny tables instead of removing historical data from the active database entirely.
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
✓
Offload historical records to an external system or Big Object.
Archiving is critical for maintaining performance in Salesforce. By moving stale data to an external data store or a Big Object, you keep the active 'working set' of records small. This ensures that queries, reports, and DML operations remain fast. An effective strategy involves identifying criteria for record age or status and offloading these records periodically to prevent the primary object from reaching a state that degrades system performance.
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 all historical data in a hidden custom object within Salesforce.
Why it's wrong here
Storing historical data in a standard custom object does not prevent the object from hitting its own large data volume thresholds. Eventually, the hidden object will become slow as well, and it consumes valuable storage space, which can become expensive and impact total organization limits.
- ✗
Regularly delete records that are older than three years.
Why it's wrong here
Simply deleting data causes permanent loss of records, which is often unacceptable for compliance or historical reporting requirements. Archiving implies moving the data to a more cost-effective, accessible storage medium rather than permanent destruction, which is a key requirement for most data lifecycle management policies.
- ✓
Offload historical records to an external system or Big Object.
Why this is correct
This is the correct approach to maintain performance. Offloading data to an external repository or Big Object reduces the record count in the transactional object, keeping indexes lean and queries fast, while still allowing access to historical data when needed for compliance or analytical purposes.
- ✗
Use Salesforce Sharing Rules to hide older records from users.
Why it's wrong here
Sharing rules only control visibility; they do not remove records from the database tables. The underlying engine must still process these records during queries and reporting, meaning that performance will not improve regardless of who can see the data within the application interface.
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.