Introduction to Identity Resolution in Salesforce Data 360

Why Identity Is the Real Foundation of Customer 360

In today’s enterprise landscape, data is abundant—but clarity is scarce.

Organizations collect customer data from CRM systems, marketing platforms, commerce engines, service tools, mobile apps, websites, and third-party providers. Each system captures a partial truth about the customer. Names differ. Emails change. Phone numbers go missing. IDs are duplicated. Devices multiply.

The result is not a lack of data—but fragmented identity.

This is where Identity Resolution becomes the backbone of Salesforce Data 360 (Data Cloud). Without resolving identity, a “Customer 360” is merely a collection of disconnected records. With it, businesses unlock a trusted, unified view of the individual—the prerequisite for personalization, analytics, automation, and AI.

Harness the Power of Identity Resolution in Salesforce Data 360: Transform fragmented records into unified profiles through data ingestion, matching rules, and identity graphs, enabling personalized marketing journeys, complete sales views, comprehensive service contexts, and trusted AI insights.

What Is Identity Resolution?

At its core, identity resolution is the process of determining which records across multiple systems belong to the same real-world individual.

In Salesforce Data 360, identity resolution answers a deceptively simple question:

“Are these records referring to the same person?”

A contact in Sales Cloud A subscriber in Marketing Cloud A website visitor cookie A mobile app user ID A loyalty profile A support case requester

Each may represent the same human—or entirely different ones.

Identity resolution evaluates identifiers, applies rules, and creates relationships that allow Salesforce to confidently say:“Yes, these belong together.”

Identity Resolution vs Deduplication (A Common Misunderstanding)

A frequent misconception is equating identity resolution with deduplication. While related, they serve different purposes.

Deduplication	Identity Resolution
Happens within a single system	Happens across multiple systems
Removes or merges duplicate records	Links records without deleting them
Focused on data hygiene	Focused on identity truth
Often destructive	Non-destructive

Salesforce Data 360 does not delete source records. Instead, it preserves source integrity while establishing identity relationships on top of the data.

This distinction is critical for compliance, auditability, and trust.

Identity Resolution in Salesforce Data 360: Conceptual Overview

Salesforce approaches identity resolution using a graph-based model rather than forced record merges.

At a high level, the process involves:

1. Ingesting data from multiple systems

2. Standardizing identity attributes

3. Evaluating match rules

4. Creating identity links

5. Producing a unified individual view

Rather than flattening data, Data 360 builds an identity graph that shows how different records relate to each other.

Key Identity Concepts in Salesforce Data 360

Understanding Salesforce identity resolution requires familiarity with a few core constructs.

1. Individual (Source-Level Identity)

An Individual represents a person as defined by a source system.

For example:

• A Contact in Sales Cloud

• A Subscriber in Marketing Cloud

• A User ID from a mobile app

Each source system contributes its own version of an Individual, even if they describe the same real person.

2. Unified Individual (Golden Identity)

The Unified Individual is the outcome of identity resolution.

It represents:

• A single real-world person

• Built from multiple source Individuals

• Created through identity rules, not manual merges

This is the profile used for:

• Segmentation

• Activation

• Analytics

• AI and personalization

Think of it as the “golden record without destroying the source records.”

3. Identity Attributes

Identity resolution relies on attributes that help recognize a person, such as:

• Email address

• Phone number

• CRM Contact ID

• Loyalty ID

• Government or enterprise identifiers (hashed/tokenized)

• Device or cookie IDs (with consent)

These attributes are categorized and configured deliberately—poor identity attributes lead to poor identity resolution.

4. Identity Rules

Identity rules define how records are matched.

Salesforce Data 360 supports:

• Exact matching (e.g., same email)

• Deterministic logic (e.g., CRM ID + Country)

• Rule prioritization to avoid false positives

Identity resolution is rules-driven, not probabilistic by default, ensuring explainability and governance.

5. Identity Graph

Instead of merging rows, Salesforce builds an identity graph:

• Nodes represent Individuals

• Edges represent identity relationships

• Unified Individuals sit at the center

This graph allows:

• Traceability back to source systems

• Safe evolution of identity logic

• Transparent identity decisions

Why Identity Resolution Matters Across Salesforce Clouds

Identity resolution is not a standalone capability—it is an enabler.

Marketing

• Prevents over-messaging

• Enables cross-channel personalization

• Ensures consent and preference accuracy

Sales

• Reduces duplicate leads and contacts

• Improves account intelligence

• Aligns buyer behavior with pipeline data

Service

• Provides complete customer context

• Speeds up resolution

• Enhances customer satisfaction

AI & Agentforce

• AI is only as good as the identity it reasons on

• Unified profiles fuel trustworthy predictions

• Agents act on people, not fragments

Identity Resolution and Trust

A powerful but often overlooked benefit of Salesforce’s approach is trust.

Because source records remain untouched, matching rules are explicit, identity relationships are auditable.

Organizations gain: Regulatory confidence, Explainable AI readiness, Data governance alignment.

This is especially critical in industries like healthcare, banking, and telecom—where identity errors have real consequences.

Common Pitfalls to Avoid

1. Over-matching earlyAggressive rules can incorrectly unify different people.

2. Ignoring data qualityIdentity resolution cannot fix bad input data.

3. Treating identity as a one-time setupIdentity evolves as customers evolve.

4. Designing without business contextIdentity strategy must reflect how the business defines “a customer.”

Conclusion

Salesforce Data 360 does not promise a magical “one-click Customer 360.”Instead, it offers a structured, scalable, and trustworthy framework to resolve identity over time.

Identity resolution is:

• Incremental

• Governed

• Business-driven

• Central to AI readiness

When done right, it transforms disconnected data into meaningful customer understanding—the true promise of Customer 360.