START WITH THE OUTCOME
The outcome determines which data you actually need.
A useful Data 360 scope starts with a business action: identify the right customer, build a service audience, support a marketing decision or provide trusted context to another Salesforce process.
Once the intended action is concrete, the required sources, attributes, freshness and identity logic become much easier to challenge.
COLLECT LESS. USE MORE.
Data 360 needs a job to do.
Do not start with every available source
Connecting data because it exists creates scope without proving value. Start with the minimum sources needed to support the use case.
Let the use case define the data
Ask which information changes the decision, audience or next action. If a field does not matter to the outcome, it may not belong in the first scope.
The goal is not the largest profile. It is the smallest trustworthy profile that supports the intended action.
EXAMPLE USE CASE
Example: Build a service audience that the team can act on.
Imagine a service team wants to identify customers affected by a known product or contract situation and contact them proactively.
The value comes from the service action. Data 360 is the means, not the outcome.
- Define the affected customer condition
- Identify the source systems that hold the required evidence
- Choose the identifiers strong enough to link the relevant records
- Build only the profile attributes needed for the audience
Further steps (2)
- Activate the audience into the service process
- Feed the outcome back so the team can see whether the activation helped
- Use case
- Required data
- Identity & permitted use
- Activation
- Feedback
Use Data 360 when it removes real cross-system complexity — not simply because it is available.
MAKE THE FIRST ACTIVATION TESTABLE
Start with an activation you can trace from source to outcome.
The first scope should be small enough that the team can follow the data from the source, through identity and segmentation, into the destination — and then see what happened.
- One clearly defined business action
- A limited set of required data sources
- Identity rules the team can explain and test
- One known activation destination
Further steps (1)
- A measurable response or feedback signal
SCOPE THE FIRST USE CASE
What to decide before the first Data 360 build.
The first scope should be narrow enough to explain and broad enough to prove whether Data 360 is helping.
What business action should improve?
Name the audience, decision or process — not just the data domain.
Which sources are genuinely required?
Include only data that contributes to the first outcome.
Which identifiers are strong enough for this use case?
Decide what must match, what may match and what should stay separate.
Which quality rules matter to the activation?
Focus on completeness, freshness and meaning that directly affect the use case.
More criteria (2)
Where will the result be used?
CRM, Marketing Cloud, service, analytics or another activation endpoint.
How will the result come back?
Define the signal that shows whether the activation produced the intended outcome.
FROM OUTCOME TO DATA MODEL
Work backwards from the outcome.
The fastest way to avoid a bloated Data 360 scope is to reverse the normal order: decide what must happen, define the evidence required and only then build the profile and activation path.
01
Define the action
What should the business, customer or employee be able to do differently?
02
Define the evidence
Which data proves that the profile belongs in the use case?
03
Clarify identity and permitted use
Which records may be linked, and under which consent or usage rules may the result be activated?
04
Build the path
Model only the sources, transformations and activation steps required for the first use case.
05
Measure the impact
Use the response from the activation to decide what should be improved or expanded next.
For a closer look at the data quality this requires, read The Data Foundation for AI: What Agentforce and Data 360 Really Need.
Frequently asked questions about Data 360
Does every Customer 360 use case need Data 360?
No. If the required data already sits in one system and identity is straightforward, a simpler Salesforce or integration solution may be enough. Data 360 is most useful when the use case genuinely spans sources, identity and activation.
How many data sources should we connect at the start?
As few as the first use case needs. Start with the sources that provide the evidence required for the activation and expand only when another use case justifies it.
Does identity resolution need to be perfect before we start?
No, but it does need to be appropriate for the use case. The matching rules should be explainable, testable and strict enough that false merges do not create unacceptable business risk.
Sources and further reading
Primary Salesforce documentation and reference material for Data 360, identity resolution and activation.
- Salesforce – What is Data 360?Checked on
Supports Data 360 fundamentals, provisioning and the activation path; recheck product names and platform capabilities before publication.
- Salesforce – How Data 360 worksChecked on
Supports Data 360 fundamentals, provisioning and the activation path; recheck product names and platform capabilities before publication.
- Salesforce Architects – Data 360 ProvisioningChecked on
Supports Data 360 fundamentals, provisioning and the activation path; recheck product names and platform capabilities before publication.
Topics in this article
THREE WORKING VIEWS
Three views that make the activation path traceable.
Illustrative configured workspaces make the decision, evidence and operating state visible. All records are fictional.
Check the identity rule
Illustrative exact-match review of two source records.
Swipe with your finger or drag with the mouse button held down. You can also select an image or use the arrow keys.
Image 1 of 3: Check the identity rule
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