What you will find in this blog:
- Certinia PSA Storage Solutions: Discover why high-volume Certinia (formerly FinancialForce) PSA data impacts Salesforce storage and how to manage it without built-in archiving.
- Safe Data Deletion & Backup: Learn critical precautions like sandbox testing and archiving, plus best practices for safely deleting historical records.
- Key Records to Target: Identify specific high-volume Certinia PSA record types (Timecard Splits, Expenses, etc.) and guidance on how to address them.
Introduction: Is your Salesforce storage creeping up, causing concerns about performance or additional costs? For Certinia (formerly FinancialForce) PSA users, managing data volume is crucial, especially since the platform doesn’t have a built-in archiving feature. Over time, high-volume transactional records can consume significant storage. The good news? You can proactively manage this.
At Xenogenix, as experienced Salesforce and Certinia partners, we understand the intricacies of optimising your cloud solutions. This guide will walk you through how to judiciously delete high-volume Certinia PSA records to reduce your total storage, ensuring your Salesforce environment remains efficient and cost-effective.
Why Delete PSA Records? Certinia PSA generates a large volume of transactional data, including timecard splits, expenses, milestones, and budget details. While essential for operations, historical records can accumulate, leading to:
- Increased storage consumption, potentially requiring you to purchase more data.
- Slightly slower report generation or system performance if queries have to sift through massive datasets.
Key Considerations Before Deleting: Certinia advises extreme caution when deleting records, especially from a production environment. Our primary recommendations are:
- Always Test in Sandbox First: Before any deletion in your live org, replicate the process in a sandbox environment to understand the exact impact and confirm expected outcomes.
- Empty Your Recycle Bin (if needed): New deletions can overwrite existing items in your Recycle Bin. Ensure it’s clear of anything you wish to retain before proceeding.
- Archive Data: Deleting means permanent removal from your live Salesforce org. For compliance or future reference, always export high-volume records as a .csv file and archive them securely before deletion.
Which High-Volume PSA Records Can You Delete?
Here’s a breakdown of common high-volume records and considerations for their deletion:
- Transactional Records (Timecard Splits, Expenses, Milestones, Budgets, Miscellaneous Adjustments):
- These are often the biggest culprits for storage.
- Identify records older than a specific cutoff date (e.g., more than 5 years old).
- Export these records for your archives.
- Use tools like Salesforce Data Loader to delete them. You can use a script for mass deletion based on your criteria.
- Utilisation Detail Records:
- These records capture granular details about resource utilisation.
- They can be exported and deleted for periods older than your required reporting window.
- Note: These records can often be regenerated if needed, but consider the effort involved.
- Backlog Detail Records:
- These relate to your project backlog calculations.
- You can delete historical backlog detail records.
- Consider using the “Reuse Detail Objects” in the Backlog Calculation job to prevent excessive record creation going forward.
- If using Data Loader, delete Backlog Detail records before their associated Backlog Calculation records.
- Est vs Actuals Records (EVAs):
- Similar to other record types, users are advised to export and delete EVAs older than a specified date, with the understanding that they can be regenerated. A script example is also provided.
- Time Date Records:
- The article mentions that deleting these child records of timecards can affect timecards and reports if they rely on this object.
Need a Helping Hand with Storage Management? Navigating high-volume data deletion requires careful planning and execution to avoid disrupting your operations or losing critical information. At Xenogenix, we specialise in Certinia and Salesforce optimisation. Our experts can:
- Assess your org’s current storage usage and identify key areas for reduction.
- Develop a tailored data retention and deletion strategy.
- Safely implement deletion processes, ensuring data integrity and compliance.
- Provide ongoing guidance to keep your Salesforce environment lean and efficient.
Don’t let data overload slow you down or inflate your costs. Contact Xenogenix today for a consultation on optimising your Salesforce and Certinia storage!