About this Salesforce Certified Data Architect study guide
This page is your Salesforce Certified Data Architect study guide. The certification validates skills that employers look for in Salesforce roles—whether you're an administrator, consultant, developer, or architect. It is designed for architects and solution designers who want to prove their knowledge with an industry-recognized credential.
Here you'll find section-wise exam weightage so you know exactly which topics carry the most questions, exam tips and prerequisites, a focused study plan, and sample practice questions with detailed explanations. All content on this page is original and unique—written specifically for this certification to help with both your preparation and search engine indexing. Use this page to align your study with the official outline and to gauge when you're ready to sit the exam. Many candidates use section weightage to prioritize high-value topics and practice questions to build exam-day confidence.
Passing this certification can support career progression, higher earning potential, and recognition in the Salesforce ecosystem. Salesforce exams are updated periodically, so we keep our materials aligned with current objectives.
Last reviewed: January 2025. Salesforce exam outlines may change; always check the official exam guide on Trailhead before booking.
Release compatible: Winter '26 — Study materials and objectives are aligned with the Winter '26 release (compared to Summer '25).
What's new in Winter '26:
- Agentforce and AI: New Agentforce for Service (IT Service), Agentic Commerce, and Agentforce Grid for low-code AI workflows—expect more AI-related objectives on Admin and Consultant exams.
- Data Cloud: Clean Rooms for privacy-safe data collaboration and zero-copy analytics; Data Cloud objectives may include new collaboration and governance topics.
- Automation & Platform: Enhanced automation capabilities and platform updates; Flow, Process Builder, and integration topics remain core—check the official outline for weightage changes.
- Tableau & Analytics: Tableau Next Concierge in Slack and conversational analytics; Tableau certs may reference new Slack and natural-language features.
- Security & Access: Continued focus on identity, access management, and secure data handling; relevant for Administrator and Architect tracks.
Salesforce Certified Data Architect Study Guide
Certified Platform Data Architects are experts at designing sound, scalable, high-performing solutions on the Salesforce Platform that are tailored for enterprise data management.
Exam Weightage by Section
Exam Topics
Exam Tips
- 1All four domains are 25%—study the full outline evenly.
- 2Data Modeling: normalization, LDV, big objects, external objects.
- 3Know Identity and Access Management architect concepts (SSO, SAML, OAuth).
- 4Integration and Development Lifecycle: when to use what, and governance.
Prerequisites
- •Application Architect
- •System Architect
- •Strong data and integration experience
Focus Areas
- •Data Architecture
- •Integration Architecture
- •Identity and Access Management
- •Development Lifecycle
Study Strategy
The Data Architect cert covers data modeling, LDV, identity, integration, and development lifecycle. Study each domain separately, then practice cross-domain scenario questions. Review sample scenarios from CTA prep materials.
Sample Practice Questions
Test your knowledge with these sample questions.
What is the primary focus of a Platform Data Architect?
Which consideration is critical when designing for large data volumes?
What is the purpose of skinny tables in Salesforce?
Which relationship type should be used when the child must always belong to a parent?
What does data archiving strategy involve?
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Contact Us for Full AccessFrequently Asked Questions
- What is covered on the Salesforce Certified Data Architect exam?
- This page shows the section-wise exam weightage so you know exactly which topics carry the most weight. Use the exam topics and practice questions above to align your study with the official outline.
- What certifications do I need before Data Architect?
- You need both Application Architect and System Architect certifications before you can earn the Data Architect credential. The Data Architect certification is part of the Technical Architect path.
- How difficult is the Data Architect certification?
- The Data Architect certification is advanced-level and requires deep knowledge of data modeling, LDV (Large Data Volume), identity management, and integration patterns. It's one of the most challenging Salesforce certifications and requires years of implementation experience.
- How do I prepare for the Salesforce Certified Data Architect certification?
- Use the exam tips, prerequisites, and study strategy on this page. Focus first on the highest-weighted sections, then take the sample practice questions. Schedule the exam when you consistently score well on practice tests.
- Where can I find the official exam outline for Salesforce Certified Data Architect?
- Salesforce publishes exam guides and outlines on Trailhead (trailhead.salesforce.com). This page's section weightage and topics are aligned with those outlines to help you prepare.