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Data Quality


For a CRM implementation to be successful, you've got to be able trust the data. Here are some suggestions for maintaining data quality.

  • Search before you create - Teach users to search before creating records to reduce data duplication. Duplicate data is inevitable, but searching first helps keep it to a manageable level.
  • Standardize naming conventions - Continue to reinforce standardized naming conventions for company names and addresses. For example, is it U.S.A., USA, or US? Is it Acme or Acme LLC?
  • Merge records - Although having duplicate records may be inevitable, having a process to keep on top of duplicates is critical. Within Salesforce CRM, you can merge duplicate Lead, Account, and Contact data with easy-to-use wizards.
  • Use the Excel Connector - The Excel Connector provides bi-directional access to Salesforce CRM from Excel spreadsheets, so you can import records from Excel directly into Salesforce CRM. This tool also lets you perform mass updates, which can be very handy for data-cleansing projects. Although the connector is easy to install and easy to use, you need to be careful anytime you're manipulating large amounts of live data.
  • Set up data quality dashboards - With Salesforce CRM, you can set up such dashboards to highlight when fields are left blank. For example, you can create a dashboard that indicates the number of times the field "main competitor" was left blank. You can also track overdue tasks or the last time a record was updated.
  • Adopt partner solutions - You can use partner solutions from the Force.com AppExchange to help improve data quality. For example, RingLead Declone and DemandTools both automatically de-duplicate your manually created Leads, Web forms, and uploaded lists.

  • For additional tips, see the Best Practice document "8 Steps Toward Top Data Quality."

Note: The Excel Connector is an open source tool-it is not a supported product. If you have questions, please use the Excel Connector Documentation and the Force.com discussion boards on the topic.