Salesforce Certified Data Architecture Practice Test

Using hard delete in Bulk API to permanently delete records is a strategic recommendation for data architects focused on efficiently managing data storage and maintaining an optimized Salesforce organization. The Bulk API is specifically designed for handling large volumes of data, allowing users to delete thousands of records at once, which makes it a practical choice for organizations needing to manage and reduce their record count effectively.

Hard delete is particularly valuable because it removes records permanently from the recycle bin, which can help reclaim storage space immediately instead of allowing records to linger temporarily. This permanent removal is essential for organizations that have strict data retention policies or are subject to compliance regulations.

In contrast, while batch Apex can also be used for deleting records, it involves more complexity in terms of governance limits and execution time, making it less directly suited for bulk operations compared to the Bulk API. Similarly, methods like the REST API are typically not optimized for handling large batches of data, and using them could lead to performance issues.

Identifying records that have not been modified in the last 3 years certainly aligns with a sound data management strategy, allowing for targeted deletion. However, it does not itself perform any action to reduce records—it is more of a preliminary analysis step.

Overall, recommending the hard delete via Bulk API leverages Salesforce