Salesforce Data Cloud One: The Future of Code-Free Data Management

In data we trust!

However, as businesses expand, they often find themselves managing multiple systems, each housing fragmented customer data. This fragmentation can lead to challenges such as inconsistent data definitions, siloed information, and operational inefficiencies.

But this is just part of a much larger story.

By 2025, businesses are predicted to face 180 zettabytes of unstructured data, spanning customer details, financial records, and more⁽ⁱ⁾.

In fact, 90% of organizations are already struggling with unstructured data, and 43% of IT leaders express concern about whether their current infrastructure can handle the rapidly growing data demands⁽ⁱⁱ⁾.

That said, the complexity of data management is only increasing.

As unstructured data continues to flood in, businesses must find a way to paddle through this growing challenge.

That’s where solutions like Salesforce Data Cloud One come into play. Designed to unify fragmented customer data across multiple Salesforce orgs, Data Cloud One helps businesses manage structured and unstructured data with ease.

By adopting Data Cloud One, you can:

• Enhance data quality by creating standardized definitions across all systems
• Gain deeper insights with a unified customer view
• Automate data synchronization to streamline operations
• Scale with confidence to meet future data demands

In this blog post, we’ll explore the key features of Salesforce Data Cloud One and best practices for effective implementation, empowering businesses to turn fragmented data into actionable insights that enhance efficiency and innovation.

Salesforce Data Cloud One: Key Insights & Advantages

As your business expands, so do your operational needs. You might create various Salesforce orgs for different departments, regions, or brands, or inherit them through acquisitions. This can lead to customer data being stored across multiple orgs. While extensive data is beneficial, its true value lies in providing a comprehensive view of each customer accessible to all segments of your business.

Salesforce CRM offers standard connections to consolidate data from multiple orgs into a central home org within Data Cloud, which serves as the primary management hub. However, connected orgs cannot directly access this unified data. To utilize it, you typically need to:

• Implement data actions that trigger flows based on Data Cloud information or develop complex custom-coded solutions.
• Maintain a separate Data Cloud instance for each org, which can be time-consuming and costly.

Data Cloud One simplifies accessing a unified Data Cloud across multiple orgs. Orgs linked through a Data Cloud One companion connection – known as companion orgs – benefit from specific functionalities of Data Cloud via the Data Cloud One app. Users can view unified customer profiles, create custom flows, access actionable insights, and enhance their business processes by leveraging CRM platform capabilities powered by Data Cloud.

When integrating an organization with Data Cloud, you can choose between a standard connection and a Data Cloud One companion connection. Here’s how they differ in terms of access.

Access Overview

Both connection types provide access to Data Cloud Data- including metadata, objects, and records – within controlled shared data spaces. These data spaces act as logical partitions that enhance data organization, governance, and security.

Users can also access specific features from the Data Cloud One app, such as calculated insights, Data Explorer, and platform capabilities like Flows.

The companion connection offers:

• Access to metadata, objects, and records within controlled shared spaces.
• Utilization of Data Cloud features and platform functionalities across multiple Salesforce orgs.

The availability of data and metadata for companion organizations is governed by the data spaces you manage, allowing you to control what information is shared.

While seamless connection and data sharing are essential, data security remains paramount, as various departments may be reluctant to share sensitive information across the organization.

From an end-user perspective, the interfaces may appear quite similar, but this is by design. Data Cloud One enables users in different orgs to share crucial business information effortlessly with just a few clicks – no coding required.

Key Benefits of Data Cloud One

The significance of Data Cloud One is highlighted by its benefits:

• Easily connect multiple Salesforce orgs, creating a unified source of truth and facilitating data sharing through a user-friendly interface.
• Maintain control over shared data with companion organizations via data spaces.
• Leverage Data Cloud-powered features across various Salesforce orgs.
• Eliminate complex processes and custom coding for data sharing, saving time and reducing costs.

Real-World Application: Salesforce Data Cloud One in Action

Consider the sales administrator at your organization, who is continuously exploring ways to enhance sales effectiveness. They have an idea to develop calculated insights that categorize customers based on their spending across various product types. This information could then be harnessed to create a targeted marketing campaign using Einstein.

However, if your company has multiple sales platforms for each product line, customer spending and product sales data might be scattered across different systems. Without Data Cloud One, the sales administrator would:

• Gather this data into the primary organization through a standard connection.
• Seek assistance from the home organization administrator to generate calculated insights.
• Write custom code to extract the results into their Marketing org to kick off the campaign.

This process can be complicated and time-consuming, making it challenging for the sales admin to find the time to execute it amidst their busy schedule.

With the recent implementation of Data Cloud One, the sales administrator has a unified view of each customer, complete with all relevant details across every organization they access. They can easily create calculated insights within their Marketing org and launch AI-driven campaigns powered by the consolidated data in the home Data Cloud organization. This streamlined process saves valuable time and maximizes the overall return on investment.

What You Need to Know: Pricing and Considerations for Data Cloud One

Before initiating your Data Cloud One setup, it’s vital to engage your legal team to address any data residency concerns and ensure the solution aligns with your company’s growth strategy. If distinct organizations require total control over their data, you might need to implement separate Data Cloud instances.

On the other hand, if you prefer centralized oversight and aim to reduce data silos, linking multiple organizations to a single Data Cloud instance would be the better choice.

As you plan your Data Cloud One implementation, it’s important to carefully determine the necessary data spaces to avoid oversharing or undersharing data.

Data Cloud One is included in the existing Data Cloud SKU. Any usage from connected organizations will draw credits directly from the primary organization. You receive three free companion connections, and you can purchase additional connections via add-on licenses.

Getting Started: Essential Tips for Salesforce Data Cloud One

When considering Data Cloud One, keep the following best practices in mind:

• Consult Legal Advisors: Before establishing connections between organizations in different regions, consult your legal team. Data stored in companion organizations will reside in the home organization’s region, which may lead to data residency complications.
• Align with Growth Objectives: Ensure that your decision to implement a single Data Cloud instance aligns with your long-term growth strategies. If you anticipate substantial growth in a particular area, collaborate with your data architecture team to determine if a separate Data Cloud instance is necessary for that organization.
• Evaluate Data Control Needs: Determine if all organizations need full autonomy over their data and Data Cloud settings. If so, it may be better to set up multiple Data Cloud organizations. Conversely, if the goal is to centralize control and reduce data silos, connecting several organizations to a single Data Cloud is the way to go.

Once you’ve concluded that Data Cloud One is suitable for your business, follow these steps to initiate the process:

• Verify Existing Setups: Ensure that the organizations you intend to connect do not already have Data Cloud provisioned or any existing connections to another Data Cloud.
• Plan Your Data Space Strategy: Decide which data spaces you will share with each companion organization.
• Establish Connections: Connect the companion organization to the home organization.
• Share and Sync: Share data spaces and synchronize metadata.

By following these steps, users across all connected organizations will have access to a unified source of truth through Data Cloud, enabling them to leverage it for their specific requirements.

Conclusion

Data Cloud One revolutionizes how organizations manage customer data across multiple Salesforce environments, whether they span various departments or geographical regions. By providing a unified view of each customer, it empowers connected organizations to easily access shared data.

With Data Cloud One, users can seamlessly explore consolidated customer profiles, design tailored workflows, and gain valuable insights- all without the complexity of traditional solutions. This streamlined approach not only saves time but also amplifies the effectiveness of teams like sales and marketing, ensuring they have the crucial customer information they need, no matter their organizational affiliation.

By launching Data Cloud One, Salesforce is not just enhancing multi-org strategies; it’s paving the way for a new era of data-driven innovation. The collaboration between Salesforce and its customers is unlocking imaginative solutions and fostering the development of exciting new capabilities.

As you embark on your journey with Data Cloud One, how will you harness this powerful platform to transform your operations and elevate customer experiences?

Statistics References:

^{(i) & (ii)} Delta Edge