Salesforce Certified Data Architecture Practice Test

What approach allows UC to report on changes to key fields on the Contact object effectively?

1. Create a workflow for field updates based on creation rules.

2. Write an Apex trigger to store old values in another object.

3. Enable tracking for specific fields and create reports.

4. Create a Contact report with the necessary fields and schedule it.

The correct answer is: Enable tracking for specific fields and create reports.

Enabling tracking for specific fields on the Contact object is the most effective approach for reporting on changes. Salesforce provides a feature called "Field History Tracking" that allows you to monitor changes made to certain fields. By enabling this tracking, you can capture the old and new values of these key fields each time they are altered. This information is then stored in a field history related list, which can be accessed to create detailed reports on the historical changes. This approach is straightforward and leverages built-in Salesforce functionality that doesn't require additional coding or complex configurations, making it accessible for users with varying technical expertise. Using reports generated from the tracked field data allows for easy visualization and analysis of trends or patterns over time regarding changes in the Contact object. In contrast, while writing an Apex trigger to store old values in another object provides a customized solution, it introduces complexity and maintenance overhead. Furthermore, workflow rules primarily serve to automate actions based on certain criteria but may not capture detailed historical change data like field tracking does. Creating a report and scheduling it also does not inherently capture changes over time but would simply provide a snapshot of data at a given moment. Thus, enabling field tracking stands out as the most efficient and effective option for this scenario.