Keeping Data Clean in Salesforce - Database Sherpa

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Keeping Data Clean in Salesforce Keeping data clean is critical to user adoption as well as accurate reporting. It’s not uncommon to see messy data in a database. Why? Because there are multiple hands making changes (which is a good thing). Sometimes, it can be tough to police the changes, but there are things you can do to keep the data clean while it’s being entered into the database.

Here we’ll focus on two very effective ways to keep your data clean: validation rules and required fields. You can use these methods either independently or together.

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Validation Rules

Validation rules allow you to create a way to stop the record from being saved if the formula you write is true. For example, I might have a checkbox I’d like to make sure is checked if a picklist is filled in. In this example, if the “Active” checkbox is selected, then the Contact Type should not be empty. So, a validation rule on Contact can be written to do the following:

The key is that Error Condition Formula must evaluate to True for the validation rule to take effect. In this case, the formula is saying that if the Contact Type is Blank (nothing is selected) and the Checkbox isn’t checked (which is false), then we need this validation rule to take effect (meaning, bad data is attempting to be saved into the database). Now, what about the case if the Contact Type isn’t empty, then the check box Active must be checked (that’s the other side of the equation). You could create another validation rule like this:

This will make sure that if the Contact Type isn’t blank, then the Active checkbox should be checked. Or you can put them together in one validation rule with an OR:

Do what makes the most sense to you. If you prefer two validation rules, then do that. If you prefer one, do that. Either will work. This does take time to figure out, and you might want to try it with something simple to start. If you do make a mistake, it is possible to inactivate a validation rule. Just uncheck the “Active” checkbox in the Validation Rule itself so a user can continue to enter data into the database. Do remember, once a validation rule is active, users must abide by the rule. However, existing data will not be impacted until it is edited and saved. The key is that hitting the “Save” button causes the validation rules to run.

Additional Resources Here is a great resource to get yourself familiar with formula operators and functions: https://help.salesforce.com/htviewhelpdoc?id=customize_functions.htm&siteLang=en_US And, here are some examples of validation rules which you might find very helpful: https://help.salesforce.com/HTViewHelpDoc?id=fields_useful_field_validation_formulas.htm

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Required Fields

It is possible to make fields required in Salesforce. This will force the user to enter in data before being able to save the record. This will ensure that data will be filled in (such as demographic information) for the record or else the user will receive an error when they click save. Be judicious with required field usage as it can be annoying to some users. Keep it simple and only because the data must be filled in for reporting purposes. Keep in mind, data cannot be saved if that fields is not filled in. So, if you know your users are going to enter partial data and then fill it in later, don’t make the fields required. If there are fields that you know need to be filled in, there are two places where fields can be required, one at the object level (like requiring a field on the contact object) or on the page layout (if you have multiple record types, you will likely need to go to multiple page layouts to make the change). Our example will focus on the second type of required field, at the page layout level. Many people find it a little easier to keep track of why their page layouts work the way they do if you make required fields at the page layouts level rather than the object level. (The procedure is much the same for both.) You just have to remember to do it on all page layouts that use that field.

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Here is an example of a required field on Opportunities. You might want to have a field called designation, and you want to make that sure all users, when entering in a donation, select a designation, but you have multiple record types:

In our example, you don’t want designation required for Memorial Fund, Membership or In-Kind Donation. So, in the page layout used for the other record types (Donation, Grant, Major Gift and Matching Donation), which all happen to be the Donation Layout, we can then make the field required. From the page layout, find the field and click the wrench next to the field to bring up the field properties:

You will see a little red asterisk next to the field that is required now.

There are other tricks to help keep data clean, depending on how the messy data is being introduced. However, these two methods can address most of the messy data that occurs during data entry, and you can use them independently or in combination. Give them a try, and you can let your Salesforce database work with you to keep your data clean.

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