What is Dataset in Salesforce Einstein?

A dataset is simply a collection of rows and columns. If you have used Excel or Google Sheets, then one dataset is one worksheet. If you have built databases, it is one table.

Column of the dataset indicates various fields. Rows of the dataset indicates various records.

A dataset can contain the following type of data

  • Dimension
  • Measure
  • Date

Dimension is a qualitative value / text / a field that you want to group your data with / measure your data against / use it as filter eg: City Name, Status, Salesperson, product number, etc. A number (like Product Number) can also be a dimension as the number represents something you can group by. In a Lens (Chart) Dimension is used in Bar & Filter.

Measure is a quantitative value / number / a field that gives actual value eg: Amount, Number of Cases, etc. While creating the dataset, it is important to identify the value fields and ensure that the column is marked as Measure. A measure can further be aggregated (like Count of Rows , Sum of Rows, etc.). In a Lens (Chart) Measure is used in Bar Length & Filter.

Date is used to denote Date fields in Dataset. If we mark the column as Date, then it helps in analysis by automatically allowing the grouping / filtering by Days, Months, Year and also Relative Dates like Last Week, Last Month, etc. In a Lens (Chart) Date is used in Bar & Filter.

Once the dataset is setup and ready to use, we can then build various charts and dashboards on top the datasets to provide useful analysis and insights for the business.

Salesforce Einstein : Is it for me?

Salesforce Einstein – In Salesforce world, this has a created a buzz. Salesforce Einstein is a big thing. It combines the power of Analytics and AI.
The big question that comes to your mind, should I really know and learn about Einstein?

Person 1 : I am an expert in Apex / Aura / LWC. Do I really need to know about Einstein Analytics or Discovery?
Person 2: I am an expert Admin. I can do amazing things with Flows, Process Builders, Layouts, etc. I can’t write code. Do I really need to know about Salesforce Einstein?
Person 3 : I am a consultant. I know Sales Cloud, Service Cloud, Community, FSL. Should I know about Einstein?

As per me, for the above scenarios, the answer is “Yes” .. Really !!

Before I talk about Salesforce Einstein features, its really important to understand why I should invest my time in knowing about a certain technology and how it impacts my day to day work.

Salesforce is one platform that is continuously growing and innovating at a rapid pace. In my career, I started with Admin work, Learnt Apex, then Aura and LWC. Along with that I am also enhancing my knowledge in Einstein .

Let’s say we have a brand new org and we need to make it functional for user(s).
First we try to do everything out of the box and basic for users to be functional as soon as possible.
Once they start using the system, we build fancy UI (Developer’s delight) and automation.
Then we bring other systems together on one platform.
Then what : We continue to innovate and enhance.

However at the same time we are also building a very crucial thing – Data.

Data plays an important role in our day to day role by providing analysis of what we have done so far, what we are currently doing and what better we can do in future.

Now with large amount of data we have (Salesforce or other systems), how do we Analyze it / how can we use the past experience to build a better future?
The answer is Salesforce Einstein.

Do we really need a tool to analyze / predict – Why can’t my Dev team just run some queries and put some logic into it?
May be 100 records, they can do it minutes. 1,000 records may be hours. 10,000 records – Days? Can you really wait for days?
Now think about what if there are 50,000 records?

What if you no longer need to wait for IT to provide all this and can access powerful data insights on your desktop browser or mobile.

Welcome to the world of Salesforce Einstein. A place where you can easily build Dashboards to visualize data and share insights (Einstein Analytics). A place where you can use the power of machine learning, AI and statistical Analysis (Einstein Discovery).

So is Salesforce Einstein replacement for a Dev / Admin / Consultant ? Consider Einstein as your Friend, Adviser , Additional Team member who will provide you powerful insights to help in day to day work.