Salesforce Certified Data Architecture Practice Test

What approach should the architect recommend to view Account data and Invoice data in one report?

1. Create a report in an external system combining data.

2. Create a report combining Account data and Invoices external object.

3. Create a Visualforce page that merges both data sets.

4. Create separate reports and aggregate them in a dashboard.

The correct answer is: Create a report combining Account data and Invoices external object.

Recommending the creation of a report that combines Account data and Invoices as an external object is a sound approach due to the seamless integration and ease of access within the Salesforce environment. By leveraging external objects, users can directly pull in and visualize data from external sources, which enhances the reporting capabilities without needing to export or manipulate data outside of Salesforce. Creating a report in Salesforce allows for rich customization and functionality offered by the platform’s reporting tools. This enables users to use filters, sorting, and aggregation features that are available natively in Salesforce. It facilitates real-time data analysis, allowing stakeholders to make informed decisions based on the most up-to-date information. Additionally, this method maintains data integrity, as it utilizes Salesforce's data access and permission features, ensuring that users can only view the data they are authorized to see. This is particularly important in environments where compliance and data governance are priorities. In contrast, alternative approaches like creating a Visualforce page might complicate the user experience and require additional development efforts, while separate reports aggregated in a dashboard can lead to fragmented insights that do not provide a holistic view. Using an external system may introduce challenges with data consistency and accessibility, as well as potential delays in data updates. By focusing on integrating both datasets within