Introducing the data life cycle

In this section, we will look at the data life cycle and then look at an example within the context of Salesforce. The data life cycle provides a high-level overview of data from the time it is created to the time it is purged. Having clarity regarding how data gets created and moves throughout the life cycle helps in understanding where the activities that we perform daily fit, from an operational point of view, and how they are important. There are five stages a specific element of data will go through in its lifetime:

1. Data creation
2. Storage
3. Usage
4. Archival
5. Purge

We will now look at each of these in more detail.

Data creation

This is the first phase of the data life cycle. In this phase, data is created or acquired, which can happen in many ways. Consider the example of Dun & Bradstreet, which provides data enrichment capabilities for Salesforce. A more common example is the use of an IT application to create...