Metadata Vs. Data | Understanding the Difference
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When teams learn the difference between data and metadata, they perform their jobs within Salesforce much better, such as finding data faster or organizing it meaningfully to optimize processes.
If this sounds like something you want to bring to your organization to create smoother Salesforce operations, join us in the article below. We will quickly discuss the differences between these two concepts for improved data collection, efficient report generation, and ultimately, timely business decision-making.
Data Vs. Metadata
Take a look at our table below to quickly scan the main differences between data and metadata.
| Data | Metadata | |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | They are files and facts collected from sources. | It gives Salesforce users extra information about data. |
| Information | Data includes numbers, text, and images collected from names, dates, and behaviors. | Metadata tells analysts the characteristics of data, which include its content, context, format, and structure. |
| Processing | On a high level, data can be processed in five steps to transform it into workable insights. First, data is collected using surveys or databases. Then, data is entered into data processing software. At the same time, data is stored somewhere safe, like Salesforce. Analysts can use processing software to work with the data and create reports from formulas and calculations. Then, these insights need to be presented to stakeholders in charts and reports, as these are easier and faster to understand than raw data. | The processing of metadata can also be simplified to a five step operation. First, metadata is created when data is collected or added to a system. This is usually an automatic process completed by software. The next step is safely storing metadata in databases like Salesforce next to its related data. Metadata is then viewed, corrected, or deleted to ensure it is accurate. Now, metadata is used by analysts to search for data sets or get a better understanding of related details. The last step of metadata processing is to share it with other software systems in a stack for various users to access. |
| Storage | Data is stored in databases or platforms like Salesforce. | Metadata can be stored with the data it is related to or in a separate repository. |
What is Data?
It is actual information in Salesforce. For example, the following customer details can be considered as data:
Importance of Data
One reason businesses find Salesforce data important is that it is used to generate business reports. Managers and executives can then examine these generated documents to gain insights that support objective data-driven business decisions.
When businesses observe, collect, and work with accurate Salesforce data, they can make smart moves in the market and predict trends or customer behaviors based on research.
How is Data Used?
This is a broad question, but we can give you one example that shows how Salesforce data is used in personalized marketing.
So, customer data is made up of the following interesting information:
When analysts study this data, they get to understand customers better. They can then pass these details on to marketers who create personalized campaigns and product recommendation initiatives.
These are useful tactics that allow a business to present relevant content to customers, which can help to increase sales.
What is Metadata?
It is additional information about the data you are working with in Salesforce. Let’s go back to our customer data example to explain this concept. The metadata for customer data would include the following:
Why Metadata is Important
Metadata is extremely important when it comes to searching for data and organizing it correctly in Salesforce. It gives us more context about the data we work with. Overall, metadata is crucial for saving trailblazers time when they want to locate data.
How is Metadata Used?
Whenever a person looks for a file on their local PC or in Salesforce, metadata will be returned, such as:
Metadata helps people quickly find documents, images, audio files, or other content. Thanks to metadata, we can filter and sort through files faster on devices.
Data and Metadata Examples
Here is an image explaining the differences between data and metadata in a database to support all learning styles.
TITAN for Better Data Management within Salesforce
Understanding data is important for Salesforce users as it can boost work productivity in all departments. We hope you now have a better grasp of data and metadata. If you want to learn more about TITAN’s data management solutions for Salesforce, please contact us via one of our social media channels.
Our Titan Files app combined with Salesforce Flows empowers teams to streamline processes by creating, modifying, and organizing files from Salesforce without code or complex configurations.
We can help teams collect and push data to Salesforce seamlessly with no code in various flexible ways. And more than that, our powerful platform works bi-directionally with Salesforce, so teams can also pre-fill data into Titan-built projects like surveys, documents, or portals for saving time and elevating customer experiences.
Contact us for more information.
See you soon.
Disclaimer: The comparisons listed in this article are based on information provided by the companies online and online reviews from users. If you found a mistake, please contact us.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is metadata a type of data?
Yes.
How to identify metadata?
On a computer, you can check a file’s metadata by right-clicking on the file. Then, select the Properties option to see the file’s metadata which should include:
- Name
- Type
- Location
- Size
- Date of Creation
- Author
