Discover What’s New with Data for Winter '26

Learning Objectives

After completing this unit, you’ll be able to:

Execute CLI commands to manage data, interact with APIs, and monitor deployments more efficiently.
Apply Salesforce Database Encryption to secure all data at rest across your org.
Identify and classify sensitive data in your org using Data Detect.
Integrate external datasets at scale by configuring Salesforce Connect without row restrictions.
Configure Archive policies to reduce storage costs, preserve compliance, and improve system performance.

In order to maintain your certification, you must complete all five units of this module.

Stay Current with Your Certification

Salesforce certifications hold the most value when you keep them relevant. To keep your Salesforce Architect certification current, complete this module by the due date.

Interested in learning more about getting certified? Check out the Salesforce Architect certification.

While anyone can earn this badge, this module is designed for those who hold the Salesforce Architect certification.

As part of the Salesforce Certification Program, you agree to the terms of the Salesforce Certification Program Agreement. Review the exam policies in the agreement and the Salesforce Certification Program Agreement and Code of Conduct article before you continue.

Salesforce Architect Certification Overview

Salesforce Architect certification validates your ability to design, implement, and manage scalable, secure, and high-performing solutions on the Salesforce Platform. As a certified architect, you possess the expertise to navigate complex requirements and deliver integrated solutions that align with business objectives.

Certified Salesforce Architects demonstrate skills to:

Design and implement enterprise-level solutions using Salesforce technologies.
Architect integrations between Salesforce and external systems.
Ensure data integrity and security across the platform.
Optimize performance and scalability of Salesforce applications.
Lead cross-functional teams to deliver successful implementations.

This certification is a prerequisite for the Salesforce Certified Technical Architect.

In this module, we highlight key updates you need to know for Winter ’26 to keep your certification current and your skills sharp.

Keep Up with the Latest Salesforce CLI Enhancements

Salesforce CLI helps you work more efficiently with Salesforce DX projects. With the latest updates, you can streamline data operations, execute API requests directly from the command line, customize sandboxes, and monitor command execution with more visibility than ever before.

The CLI now supports a --query flag in the data export tree command, allowing you to export records from junction objects and their parent records while preserving many-to-many relationships. This is especially useful for objects like AccountContactRelation. It also makes importing those records with a data import tree call much smoother.

For large datasets, the CLI adds the following new bulk commands that complement existing operations like data delete and upsert bulk.

Data export bulk
Data export resume
Data import bulk
Data import resume
Data update bulk
Data update resume

You can also retrieve results from completed bulk operations using the new data bulk results command, whether the job was run via CLI or an external tool like Data Loader.

It’s easier to query data because now you can run SOSL searches using datasearch and export SOQL query results directly to CSV or JSON using the --output-file flag.

Together, these Salesforce CLI enhancements empower you to manage large datasets, run tests, deploy changes, and interact with APIs more efficiently and flexibly. By mastering these features, you can improve productivity, simplify complex operations, and ensure your Salesforce DX projects stay current with the latest platform capabilities.

Encrypt Your Database with Salesforce Database Encryption

Salesforce Shield helps organizations build stronger trust, compliance, and governance directly into their business-critical applications. One of the most powerful capabilities in Shield is Salesforce Database Encryption, now available on Hyperforce, providing comprehensive encryption for data at rest across an entire org.

With Database Encryption, you can encrypt your entire Salesforce org in environments where this feature is enabled. This includes both Lightning Experience and Salesforce Classic for Enterprise, Performance, Unlimited, and Developer editions. By applying encryption at the database level, you gain an additional layer of protection on top of the base-level encryption that Salesforce automatically provides for all data at rest.

Whereas Shield Platform Encryption allowed customers to selectively encrypt individual fields—sometimes causing trade-offs with querying, filtering, and searching data—Database Encryption secures data across the org without those limitations. Organizations can now meet stringent compliance and governance requirements more easily while avoiding the performance and functional impacts previously associated with field-level encryption. Customers also have the flexibility to combine Shield Database Encryption and Shield Platform Encryption for even greater security, depending on their specific compliance needs.

By adopting Salesforce Database Encryption, you strengthen your org’s data governance and security posture while ensuring that critical business information remains protected and compliant with regulatory requirements.

Discover and Classify Sensitive Data with Data Detect

Data Detect is a native tool fully integrated into the new Shield app that helps you identify and categorize sensitive data across your org. This capability is a core component of data privacy and governance strategies, allowing architects and developers to locate, classify, and protect sensitive information efficiently. By understanding where sensitive data resides, you can enhance compliance, maintain data quality, and implement more effective security measures across your Salesforce environment.

Data Detect was previously available as a managed package, but this package is scheduled for end of support in Spring ’26. The new native integration within Shield ensures that all of its features are easily accessible from the App Launcher, making it simpler to launch and use.

This feature is available in Enterprise, Unlimited, and Developer editions with the Salesforce Shield add-on subscription and is accessible in Lightning Experience where Data Detect is installed.

Access Data Without Limits Using Salesforce Connect

Salesforce Connect now lets you access external data without being constrained by previous row limits. With the latest enhancements, adapters for OData 4.01, GraphQL, and SQL adapters for Amazon Athena and Snowflake no longer have limits on the number of new rows they can create or retrieve per hour. Previously, these adapters were capped at 100,000 new rows per hour, which could restrict large-scale data integration projects. This change does not affect API callout limits.

This functionality is available in both Lightning Experience and Salesforce Classic for Enterprise, Performance, Unlimited, and Developer editions hosted on Hyperforce. Rolling availability began in Spring ’25, providing orgs with greater flexibility and scalability when connecting to vast external datasets.

This update is a major enhancement for Salesforce architects and developers who work with large data volumes (LDVs). By removing row restrictions, Salesforce Connect now supports more seamless integration with external systems and enables real-time access to large datasets without worrying about throttling or data caps.

Save on Storage and Boost Performance with Salesforce Archive

As your business data grows, managing large volumes of transactional records becomes critical for maintaining performance, controlling costs, and ensuring compliance. Salesforce Archive, now generally available as of Spring ’25, provides a native solution to move expired or unused records to an external, low-cost data store while keeping them accessible when needed. This solution helps organizations optimize query and reporting performance, reduce storage footprint, and maintain accurate, consistent information.

Salesforce Archive is available in Lightning Experience for Enterprise, Performance, Unlimited, and Developer editions. It’s offered as an add-on license, and archived data can be visualized directly from Salesforce using Salesforce Connect. For unsupported instances—such as South Korea (kor*), Indonesia (idn*), Brazil (bra*), and the Middle East (are*)—admins can check their org instance via Company Information in Setup or by contacting their account executive.

Salesforce Archive boosts system performance, shortens processing times for users, reduces storage costs, avoids redundant or inconsistent records, preserves historical data for analysis, and ensures compliance with data retention regulations. Instead of hard deleting records that must be retained for regulatory purposes or future reference, organizations can set up Archive policies. These policies allow you to define which objects to scan, which records and files to archive, and how often the policies run. You can also monitor and manage archive job sessions directly from Salesforce.

Salesforce Archive is a powerful tool for controlling data growth in your org while maintaining compliance and system efficiency.

Summary

Together, these updates strengthen how architects and developers manage data, security, and performance in Salesforce. From new CLI commands that streamline data workflows, to Shield features that enhance encryption and data governance, to scalable solutions like Salesforce Connect and Archive, you now have more powerful tools to meet complex business and compliance needs. By mastering these capabilities, you can design simpler, more secure, and more efficient architectures that keep pace with growing data volumes and evolving security requirements.

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