When you dive into Data Cloud you will likely hear the term “Data Streams”. If I would describe it in one sentence, Data streams in Salesforce Data Cloud are essential for bringing data from various sources into your Salesforce environment. They act as pipelines that allow you to import data in a continuous and timely manner, enabling you to keep your data resources up-to-date and ready for analysis.
So what are Data Streams?
Data Streams are not a new concept. They are similar to the concept of a data connector in Salesforce Data Connector. The main difference is that Data Streams are part of Salesforce Data Cloud and are specifically designed for use within Salesforce Data Cloud environments.
Salesforce Data Cloud supports two main types of data streams: standard and custom.
Standard Data Streams
These streams are pre-configured to connect with common data sources like Salesforce Sales Cloud or Marketing Cloud. They come with predefined mappings and schemas, which simplifies the setup process. For instance, if you want to bring in customer interaction data from your Sales Cloud, a standard data stream would handle this seamlessly.
Custom Data Streams
When your data source doesn’t fit into the predefined templates, custom data streams allow you to define how data should be imported. This involves setting up the necessary mappings and schemas manually, giving you the flexibility to integrate unique or specialized data sources into Salesforce Data Cloud.
Practical Use of Data Streams
- Customer Insights: By using data streams, businesses can collect and analyze customer data from multiple touchpoints, such as website visits, purchase history, and customer service interactions. This consolidated view helps in understanding customer behavior and improving service.
- Operational Monitoring: For industries like manufacturing, data streams can pull data from IoT devices in real time to monitor equipment status and predict maintenance needs, helping to reduce downtime and improve efficiency.
- Financial Transactions: Banks can use data streams to track real-time transactions, enabling them to detect fraudulent activities quickly and respond to customer needs more effectively.
Considerations
While data streams offer significant advantages, it’s important to consider their setup and maintenance costs. Streaming data typically incurs higher costs than batch processing due to the need for constant data flow and processing power. Additionally, once a data stream is linked to certain data structures in Salesforce, it may not be easily deleted, necessitating careful planning and management.