When tasked with optimizing a data stewardship engagement for a Salesforce instance, a data architect should focus on understanding the current state of the Salesforce setup, how data flows into the system, and how it is managed. The areas to review before proposing any design recommendations include:

A. Review the sharing model to determine impact on duplicate records.
The sharing model in Salesforce dictates how records are accessed and shared among users. While it might not directly impact the creation of duplicate records, understanding the sharing model is crucial for ensuring that any changes to data management practices do not inadvertently restrict access to data or create visibility issues that could lead to users creating duplicates because they cannot see existing records.

D. Determine if any integration points create records in Salesforce.
Integrations are a common source of duplicate records and data quality issues in Salesforce. By identifying all the external systems that create records in Salesforce, the architect can assess whether these integrations are properly deduplicating records upon creation and update, and if they are contributing to data quality issues. This knowledge is critical for optimizing data stewardship as it allows for addressing one of the primary sources of data duplication and inconsistency.

E. Export the setup audit trail to review what fields are being used.
The setup audit trail provides a history of changes made in the Salesforce setup, including changes to fields, objects, and other configurations. By reviewing the audit trail, the architect can identify which fields are actively being used, modified, or potentially abandoned. This information can help in consolidating redundant fields, removing unused fields, and optimizing the data model for better data stewardship practices....