The Identity Backbone of Salesforce Data Cloud: Party, Individual, Unified Link, and Unified Individual
- sfmcstories
- 4 minutes ago
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Salesforce Data 360 uses four key identity objects—Party, Individual, Unified Link Individual, and Unified Individual—to unify customer data across systems. These objects form the backbone of the Customer 360 Data Model, enabling businesses to create a single, trusted customer profile.
In the age of omnichannel engagement, customer data is scattered across CRM systems, marketing platforms, service logs, loyalty programs, and more. Salesforce Data 360 (formerly Data Cloud) solves this fragmentation by offering a robust identity resolution framework built on four foundational objects: Party, Individual, Unified Link Individual, and Unified Individual. Together, they power the Customer 360 Data Model—a standardized schema that connects disparate data into a unified view.
Party: The Raw Identity Container
The Party object is the entry point for all ingested data. It represents any entity—person, organization, household, or device—and serves as the raw container for records from external systems.
Purpose: Capture raw identity data from CRM, loyalty, service, and other platforms.
Structure: Includes contact information, identifiers, and metadata from each source system.
Role in Data Cloud: Party records are the foundation for downstream identity resolution.
Example: “Aishwarya Sharma” in CRM, “Ash Sharma” in loyalty, and “A. Sharma” in service logs are separate Party records.
Individual: The Person-Centric View
The Individual object refines Party records into standardized person-level profiles. It focuses on attributes like name, email, phone, and address to align records across systems.
Purpose: Represent a person across multiple systems using common identifiers.
Structure: Includes contact points (email, phone, address) and demographic attributes.
Role in Data Cloud: Enables identity resolution and consent management.
Example: All three Party records above are matched into one Individual: “Aishwarya Sharma.”
Unified Link Individual: The Identity Bridge
Unified Link Individual acts as the bridge between source records and the unified profile. It tracks which Party records contributed to the Unified Individual.
Purpose: Maintain traceability between raw data and the unified profile.
Structure: Includes source system, record ID, and confidence scores.
Role in Data Cloud: Supports auditability and transparency in identity resolution.
Example: The CRM record for “Aishwarya Sharma” is linked to the Unified Individual via Unified Link Individual.
Unified Individual: The Golden Record
The Unified Individual is the final, consolidated profile—a single, trusted view of the customer.
Purpose: Power personalization, analytics, and engagement across Salesforce clouds.
Structure: Combines attributes from all matched Individuals into one Golden Record.
Role in Data Cloud: Drives segmentation, activation, and customer insights.
Example: “Aishwarya Sharma” now has a Unified Individual profile that includes CRM history, loyalty points, service interactions, and marketing preferences.
Why These Objects Matter
Together, these objects form the identity backbone of Salesforce Data Cloud:
Party: Raw data from every system.
Individual: Standardized person-level view.
Unified Link Individual: Traceable connections between source and unified profile.
Unified Individual: The Golden Record for engagement and analytics.
This architecture ensures that businesses can treat customers as real people—not fragmented data points.
Final Thoughts
Salesforce’s Customer 360 Data Model simplifies data integration by offering standardized guidelines and schema-driven objects. By understanding how Party, Individual, Unified Link Individual, and Unified Individual work together, teams can unlock the full power of Data Cloud—delivering personalized, compliant, and emotionally resonant experiences at scale.
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