Introducing the Data Cloud Spring ‘24 Release: Data Cloud Makes All Enterprise Data Actionable in Every Salesforce Application and Workflow
Today, Salesforce announced the Data Cloud Spring ‘24 Release, which includes new innovations to make data in Data Cloud more usable across Salesforce’s CRM applications and platform services. Features like Data Cloud Related Lists and Data Cloud Triggered Flows make it possible to view customer engagement data from a website on every customer record in Salesforce and automate an alert to a salesperson.
Data Cloud makes it possible to connect data from any source or data lake and use it within the applications that business users need to use every day. This is possible because Data Cloud is built on Salesforce’s foundational metadata layer, which provides a common language that integrates all Salesforce applications and low-code platform services including Einstein AI, Flow for automation, Lightning for UI, and Apex for deep, pro-code customization.
Why it matters: Despite significant efforts, a staggering 81% of business leaders report struggling with data fragmentation and data silos. This disconnected information hinders crucial tasks like improving the customer experience, even though 80% of customers expect better experiences based on the data companies collect.
Salesforce Data Cloud is the first data platform that not only unifies data from across the enterprise, but also uses this harmonized data to power the AI and applications that businesses use every day.
David Schmaier, President and Chief Product Officer, Salesforce
This powerful combination of data and CRM enables customers to build richer, more personalized customer experiences and connect all of this data in real time to Salesforce’s powerful Einstein AI services to ground generative AI and fuel predictive insights with trusted company data.
What’s new in Data Cloud Spring ‘24:
- Data Spaces is now GA: With Data Spaces, customers can logically segregate data, metadata, and processes for departmental, regulatory, and compliance needs.
- Model Builder is now GA: Customers can choose an LLM or build an AI model based on the job to be done. Model Builder is a no-code, low-code, and pro-code way for companies to build their own predictive AI models trained on their Data Cloud data. For generative AI, Model Builder allows customers to select from LLMs managed by Salesforce, or bring their own models. Businesses can also use predictive and generative AI models from Salesforce partners, including Amazon Bedrock, Amazon SageMaker, Anthropic, Cohere, Databricks, Google Cloud’s Vertex AI, and OpenAI, and train select models on Data Cloud data without moving or copying data.
- Data Cloud Related Lists is now GA: With Data Cloud Related Lists, Data Cloud data can be surfaced across Einstein 1 Platform in a Related List on any Salesforce Object. Now, B2B companies can immediately enrich their leads, contacts, and account records with real-time engagement data from Data Cloud.
- Data Cloud Copy Fields is now GA: With Data Cloud Copy Fields, customers can expose the insights generated in Data Cloud in core CRM, eliminating the need for complex data integrations and custom development. Now, customers can copy data from a Data Model Object or Calculated Insight Object into a field on Contact or Lead record.
- Data Cloud for Industries Enhancements: With Data Cloud for Industries solutions, customers can leverage pre-built connectors, data models, calculated insights, and data kits to power industry specific AI, automation, and workflows. Data Cloud for Financial Services is now GA.
- Data Graphs Enhancements: With Data Graphs in Data Cloud, customers can define the relationships between data points, eliminating the need for SQL queries or creating data joins manually. With the ability to trace the related fields and rearrange the relationships in a drag-and-drop manner, Data Graphs make it easy to ensure that the correct field data will be included in an AI application. Real-Time Data Graphs is now in pilot, empowering brands to access and update key customer data in milliseconds.
- Service Intelligence is now GA: With Service Intelligence, service teams can easily derive insights about the quality of their service with AI models to predict ‘propensity to escalate’ and ‘time to resolve’ for their cases based on Data Cloud data.
- Data Cloud Triggered Flows Enhancements: With Data Cloud Triggered Flows, customers can automate business processes based on a change in a data point from across all Data Cloud data sources or when calculated insight conditions have been met. Now, users can test and troubleshoot their Flows before activating.
Unlock your trapped data with Data Cloud
“Salesforce Data Cloud is the first data platform that not only unifies data from across the enterprise, but also uses this harmonized data to power the AI and applications that businesses use every day,” said David Schmaier, President and Chief Product Officer, Salesforce. “This enables salespeople, marketers, customer service agents, and more to develop deeper customer relationships, save time, and dramatically improve productivity. Data Cloud truly unlocks trapped data to power a better customer experience.”
How it works: The power of Data Cloud in Salesforce
Before Data Cloud, Sales Cloud users acted on data that was manually entered, created via system generated activities, or via APIs with other systems. Now, with Data Cloud, customers can enrich their Sales Cloud experience with a comprehensive view of their customer across all systems and touchpoints with insights about customer behavior — whether that data sits in external sources or across Salesforce applications. All of this data can now be leveraged to power workflows and customer experiences. For example, (a) automatically creating an opportunity based on web engagement data, and (b) providing propensity scores about upsell opportunities based on product usage trends from data in an external data lake.
Customers everywhere embrace Data Cloud
With record-breaking adoption, Data Cloud is quickly becoming the go-to solution for unified data management. The high demand is evident, with 25% of million-dollar deals in Salesforce’s fourth quarter including Data Cloud, and the recent addition of over 1,000 new customers in one quarter. Salesforce was recognized as a Leader in the inaugural Gartner Magic Quadrant for Customer Data Platforms, validation of the power of hyperscale data combined with Salesforce’s data, metadata, and leading CRM applications.
Companies across all industries, geographies, and segments are driving growth and productivity by connecting their enterprise data to business applications with Data Cloud and the #1 AI CRM.
- Cognizant, one of the world’s leading professional services companies, is unifying their fragmented data from multiple systems and enhancing productivity with Data Cloud, ultimately streamlining processes across the company.
- Daikin, a leader in advanced, high-quality air conditioning solutions, is leveraging the power of Einstein and Data Cloud to monitor the status of equipment in the field, resulting in better customer experiences and accelerating new business through their dealer network. For example, with Data Cloud, Daikin can understand where they have local inventory to speed delivery to consumers and reduce aging inventory.
- Turtle Bay, a luxury vacation destination on O‘ahu, has invested in Data Cloud to help segment customers into ideal personas, and Einstein Copilot will make tailored recommendations. For example, if they are segmented into a family category, family-friendly activities will be recommended by Einstein Copilot.
- Xerox, a global leader in office and production print technology and related solutions, is using Data Cloud to bring together one complete, actionable, and trusted view of clients. Xerox will have insights and automation to power new proactive and frictionless client experiences that will also drive cross-sell revenue. By harnessing the data in one place, Xerox can now better segment its customers and deliver personalized, relevant campaigns.
Get hands on with Data Cloud
At TrailblazerDX, Salesforce will empower all Trailblazers to take advantage of Data Cloud and offer a comprehensive suite of resources to empower customers on their journey. This includes:
- Technical Resources: Developer Center, Dev Guides, and documentation providing detailed information about using Data Cloud.
- Data Cloud Certification: Get certified with the new Data Cloud Consultant Certification.
- Hands-on training: Trailhead offers interactive challenges and learning paths to gain practical experience with Data Cloud.
- Expert consultations: Connect with Data Cloud specialists for personalized guidance and support.
- Open-source tools: Explore and contribute to open-source code on GitHub repositories for Calculated Insights, WebSDK, and Next Best Action functionalities.
More information:
- Learn more about Data Cloud and read an interview that dives deeper on Salesforce’s fastest-growing organic innovation
- Learn more about Salesforce’s Einstein 1 Platform
