How an Agency Turned Data Chaos into Trust Using Microsoft Purview, Salesforce & Automation

Feb 5
3 min read

Across the enterprises, data is growing faster than governance frameworks can keep up. For one agency, the challenge had reached a breaking point. Their teams were handling thousands of cases each year, but the information lived everywhere—Salesforce, SharePoint, SQL Server, disconnected spreadsheets, and legacy folders. There was no standard terminology, no defined ownership, and no reliable way to trace where data was coming from.

Conflicting reports. Duplicate case records. Privacy audit risks.

The message was clear: Without governance, even the best systems can’t deliver trustworthy data.

Winobell got involved as Data Governance and Analytics Consultant, to help the agency shift from reactive cleanup to proactive control—without introducing heavy new tools or major system overhauls. What followed became a blueprint for modern, practical data governance in Salesforce.

The Turning Point: Data Governance as an Operational Discipline

The agency didn’t need more dashboards—they needed clarity:

What does each data term mean?
Who owns it?
Where does it flow?
How do we ensure it’s accurate?
How do we meet FIPPA and GDPR expectations?

We proposed a federated governance model aligned with DAMA principles, leveraging the tools the agency already had: Microsoft Purview, Salesforce, Informatica IDQ, Power Automate, and Power BI.

No new platforms. Just smarter orchestration.

Building the Foundation: A Connected Governance Ecosystem

1. Centralized Metadata & Glossary Using Purview

All key assets—Salesforce objects, SQL Server tables, SharePoint files—were cataloged and connected to a standardized glossary. For the first time, staff could look up a term like “Hearing,” “Decision,” or “Eviction Order” and understand exactly what it meant across systems.

2. Sensitivity Labels & Classification

PII and legal information were tagged with Purview’s built-in sensitivity labels, ensuring compliance with privacy legislation.

3. Automated Stewardship Workflows

Using Power Automate, we built workflows that:

Sent data quality alerts
Routed approvals
Assigned stewardship tasks
Provided notifications in Microsoft Teams & Outlook

Governance became part of the daily workflow—not an afterthought.

4. Data Quality Monitoring with Informatica IDQ

Critical Data Elements were profiled and monitored for completeness, accuracy, and conformity. When something broke, the right person was notified instantly.

5. End-to-End Lineage from Salesforce to Power BI

One of the biggest wins was the lineage mapping that showed how Salesforce Cases, Hearings, and Decisions flowed into reporting dashboards in Power BI.

Teams could finally see exactly where their numbers came from.

A Small Win That Changed Everything

Early on, some teams viewed governance as “extra work”, so we picked a recurring data-quality issue that frustrated everyone and automated the entire detection-to-resolution cycle.

It fixed the problem in days—something that had dragged on for months.

That moment converted skeptics into advocates.

The Transformation: From Guesswork to Confidence

Within months, the agency saw measurable improvements:

60% reduction in manual lineage documentation
70% faster resolution of data-quality issues
20% improvement in privacy & audit readiness
One unified Power BI governance dashboard for executive oversight

But the real change was cultural.

During a demo, one senior executive searched “Order Return” in the catalog. Within seconds, he saw the definition, lineage, and source system behind it.

He smiled and said: “This is like finally having a proper library catalog for our data.”

That single sentence captured the entire transformation.

A Blueprint for Modern Data Governance

This project proved that enterprise teams don’t need massive new platforms to build effective data governance. What they need is:

Clear ownership
A connected metadata backbone
Automated workflows
Practical standards
Tools their teams already use

Start small. Automate early. Show tangible value fast.

That’s how adoption happens.

Thinking About Data Governance for Salesforce or Enterprise Systems?

If your organization is exploring:

✔ Integrating Salesforce with governance and metadata tools

✔ Launching a data governance program that actually sticks

✔ Building lineage, quality rules, and business glossaries

✔ Improving audit readiness and trust in data

Book a Consultation

Schedule a free 30-minute discovery call with our team by emailing us at support@winobell.com .

A Salesforce Architect for the hours you need — nothing more, nothing less. 👉 Contact us today to learn how we can help your team gain full control of Salesforce operations.