What Is Data 360 (Data Cloud)? For Marketers
Data 360, formerly Data Cloud, explained for marketing teams: what it does, the parts you touch in Marketing Cloud Next, and what is IT territory.
Data 360 (formerly Data Cloud) is Salesforce's data platform. It takes in data from Salesforce and other sources, maps it to one data model, links the records that belong to the same person or company, and makes the result usable for segments, personalisation and AI. Marketing Cloud Next can't be used without it.
This guide is for B2B teams on Account Engagement (Pardot) who are adding Marketing Cloud Next (MCN).
- Marketing Cloud Next requires Data 360 (formerly Data Cloud), and the no-cost Salesforce Foundations add-on is one way to get it.
- Your marketing team works with a small part of Data 360: published segments, personalisation through a data graph, consent and unified profiles; data streams, mappings and identity rules belong to an admin.
- Pardot data arrives through two connectors: prospect fields and Pardot assets through the Salesforce CRM connector, activity through the Account Engagement connector, which uses credits and skips prospects not synced with Salesforce.
- Ingesting Salesforce CRM data has used no credits since 7 August 2025, while identity resolution, segment publishing and Pardot activity ingestion are billed.
- Data 360 doesn't change or merge your CRM records, so sales keeps working with the same leads, contacts, scores and grades.
What Is Data 360, in Salesforce's Own Words?
Salesforce's Help glossary:
"A product used to organize and unify data across Salesforce and other external data sources. After data has been ingested or connected into Data 360, it can be used across Salesforce applications and beyond."
When Did Data Cloud Become Data 360?
On 14 October 2025. The Help page "About Salesforce Data 360" says: "As of October 14, 2025, Data Cloud has been rebranded to Data 360." It adds that "the functionality and content remains unchanged." Earlier names include Salesforce CDP and Customer Data Platform.
The old name is still visible in the product: the permission set is called Data Cloud Architect, the licence Data Cloud Provisioning. Existing Data Cloud contracts keep their agreement and pricing until the end of the current term.
What Are the Building Blocks of Data 360?
Salesforce describes five stages: connect the data, prepare and map it, unify it into profiles, calculate insights, then act on it. The names below follow Salesforce's Help glossary.
| Building block | What it is | Role in a Marketing Cloud Next project |
|---|---|---|
| Data stream | One source of data flowing into Data 360, for example the leads from your CRM, in batches or continuously. Connectors such as Salesforce CRM or Account Engagement create them. | An admin deploys them during setup. |
| Data lake object (DLO) | The storage container where a stream's data lands before it is mapped. | A data analyst reviews fields and mappings. |
| Data model object (DMO) | An object in Salesforce's common data model, such as Account, Party Identification or Email Engagement. Data from every source is mapped onto these objects so it can be used together. | Standard objects come first; custom ones are possible. |
| Data mapping | Linking DLO fields to DMO fields. "Only mapped fields and objects with relationships can be used for segmentation and activation." | Starter data bundles in the Salesforce connectors map most objects automatically. |
| Data space | A separate section of your data, for example per brand, region or department. Every org starts with a default one. | Campaign segments use the default data space. |
| Data kit | A ready-made package of Data 360 objects, fields and data streams that Salesforce provides for a feature. | MCN's data kits are deployed with one click during setup. |
| Identity resolution | A ruleset, a set of match rules (which records belong together) and reconciliation rules (which value the profile shows), that links records about the same person or account. | Admins build the rulesets. |
| Unified individual, unified account | The single profile identity resolution builds from all records of one person or company. | Marketers look at them in Profile Explorer. |
| Calculated insight | A metric Data 360 calculates from stored data, such as a score. | MCN scoring is built on them. |
| Segment | A set of records that share characteristics. | Marketers build and publish them. |
| Data graph | A precalculated view combining data from several DMOs. | The basis for personalisation. |
| Activation | Publishing a segment to an outside target such as Marketing Cloud Engagement. | Not needed for MCN sends. |
Does Data 360 Copy Your Data?
Mostly, yes. Salesforce's implementation guide names two ways in: ingestion copies the data into Data 360 and stores it in data lake objects, while federation, which Salesforce calls zero copy, queries the data where it lives without copying it.
The Salesforce CRM connector and the Account Engagement connector both ingest. Zero copy becomes relevant once a data warehouse joins in. Salesforce's implementation overview sets a rule that also serves GDPR: "Collect and Use Only What You Need."
What Does a Marketing Team Use Data 360 for in Marketing Cloud Next?
Segments, personalisation, consent and one view of each person and account. In Salesforce's words:
"Marketing Cloud Next relies on Data 360 for certain functionality, such as segmentation. Although a marketer can accomplish their tasks in the Marketing app, some admin and data tasks require visiting the Data 360 app to complete."
Segments That Are Published, Not Activated
In MCN you publish a segment and use it in a campaign. Help: "Marketing Cloud Next doesn't require activations. After you create a segment and publish it, it's ready to use with a campaign." Segments for campaign flows must use the default data space and the Unified Individual object.
Standard Publish refreshes every 12 or 24 hours. Rapid Publish refreshes every one or four hours but uses only a week of recent data, and Salesforce asks you to weigh what the extra usage does to your bill. For Pardot users, Salesforce's own comparison: "A segment is similar to a dynamic list in Account Engagement."
Personalisation Across Objects Through a Data Graph
Cross-object merge fields and dynamic content draw on a data graph built on the Unified Individual object. Merge fields accept only Text or Date fields, and without Salesforce Personalization the Marketing app uses one data graph at a time. A field the admin leaves out of the graph isn't available for merge fields or dynamic content.
Consent Lives in Data 360
Trailhead says of Data 360: "It's also where we store consent data." Consent is tied to the contact point (the email address or phone number), and MCN treats anyone without a consent value as opted out. CRM consent records aren't recognised automatically. Our article on carrying Pardot opt-ins over to Marketing Cloud Next covers the matching.
One View of People and Accounts
Each lead or contact you create or import gets an individual record in Data 360 at the next sync, and identity resolution consolidates matching individuals into a unified individual. The ruleset MCN generates uses three match rules: Normalized Email, Lead to Contact and Device to Known. Matching rules for accounts and their cost are in identity resolution for leads, contacts and accounts.
Which Parts of Data 360 Are IT Territory?
Everything that builds or changes the data foundation. Salesforce's MCN setup guide gives it to an admin with the Data Cloud Architect permission set: "a Marketing Cloud Next admin must install data kits and deploy data streams. These admins also configure identity resolution and people scoring rules."
Salesforce's setup guide for Pardot customers splits the work into four roles: a Data Manager (identity resolution, data streams, data model, data graphs), a Marketing Admin, a Salesforce Admin and a Compliance Lead.
Our rule of thumb: a use case built on leads, contacts, accounts, opportunities and Pardot activity belongs to the MCN setup. Once it needs ERP, product usage or warehouse data, zero copy federation with a warehouse or grounding for Agentforce, it becomes a data project with IT at the table.
How Does Pardot Data Get Into Data 360?
Through two connectors, and the Pardot connector is not the one that brings your prospects. The Salesforce CRM connector brings prospect fields and Pardot assets; the Account Engagement connector brings activity. Salesforce's setup guide calls Data 360 "the aggregation layer that can read both data sources", your CRM and Pardot.
| Pardot data | Route into Data 360 | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Prospect fields (Account Engagement fields starting with pi_) | Read from the synced lead or contact through the Lead and Contact data streams of the Salesforce CRM connector | None since 7 August 2025 |
| Pardot assets: marketing forms, marketing links, landing pages, list emails | Salesforce CRM connector, data bundle "Marketing - Account Engagement CRM" | None since 7 August 2025 |
| Email opens, clicks and unsubscribes, form and form handler views and submissions, web page views, custom URL clicks | Account Engagement connector, one data stream per activity type, up to 2 years back | "each ingestion consumes Data 360 credits" |
| Activity of prospects not linked to a lead, contact or person account; operational emails; email preference page opens | Not ingested | None |
| Data 360 segments back into Pardot | Dynamic lists of up to 1 million prospects each | Segment publishing uses credits |
Activity only arrives for prospects already synced with Salesforce and for assets with a connected campaign that syncs. The first ingestion "can take days or weeks", and Pardot sandboxes don't support the Data 360 connector. Gaps in your Pardot sync today become gaps in Data 360; our article on integrating Pardot and Salesforce covers the sync.
Salesforce's Help and its PDF integration guide give different maximums for dynamic lists per business unit, so check yours in the org.
What This Means for Sales
Sales keeps the same leads and contacts: identity resolution doesn't change source records, and the Lead to Contact rule keeps a lead and the contact it became as one person in Data 360. In the coexistence model Salesforce recommends, Pardot stays the source for score and grade, so the values sales trusts today stay where they are.
Is Data 360 a CDP?
Yes, and Salesforce positions it as more. The product page presents three capabilities, "Headless Data Platform", "Agent Context Engine" and "CDP". Its FAQ:
"Unlike other data platforms that focus primarily on managing and organizing data, Data 360 was purpose-built to help companies take action on their data across everyday applications like Sales, Service, and Marketing Cloud."
For a B2B marketing team on MCN, the CDP side is the part you use: unified profiles, segments and consent on top of CRM data.
Do You Need Data 360 for Marketing Cloud Next and Agentforce?
Yes for both. Salesforce's MCN edition page: "Salesforce Enterprise or Unlimited edition and any Data 360 edition are also required." For Agentforce, Trailhead: "Data 360 must be provisioned and enabled for all Agentforce use." Salesforce's prerequisites page tells existing Pardot customers to request Data 360 access through their account executive.
Data 360 runs in Developer, Enterprise, Performance and Unlimited editions, in Lightning Experience only; Professional Edition can't get Data 360 Provisioning. What MCN itself includes is in what Marketing Cloud Next is and which edition you get.
What Does Data 360 Cost?
You pay for usage, and part of it is free. Usage is counted in credits: each action, such as unifying profiles or publishing a segment, uses credits according to how much data it processes. Ingesting from the Salesforce CRM has used no credits since 7 August 2025; identity resolution, segment publishing and Pardot activity ingestion do.
Salesforce lists Flex Credits at $500 per 100,000 credits, Profiles at $240 and Enterprise Profiles at $420 per 1,000 profiles a year; your contract sets the real price. Rates and a worked example are in Data 360 pricing and credits, explained; the one-pager "Data 360 Credits, Explained for Marketers" is on our eBooks and one-pagers page.
Your Options: Stay, Add or Move
Data 360 becomes your topic when Marketing Cloud Next does.
- Stay with Pardot. Pardot itself doesn't need Data 360: Salesforce's Account Engagement edition page asks for a Data 360 licence only for the next-gen features. Salesforce has no end-of-life plans for Pardot, and doing nothing is a valid outcome.
- Add Marketing Cloud Next. Pardot Growth, Plus, Advanced and Premium customers with Sales or Service Cloud Enterprise Edition or higher reach MCN through Account Engagement+, and that step needs a Data 360 licence, which the no-cost Salesforce Foundations can provide. Our Marketing Cloud Next consulting for teams that already own Pardot starts with what your licence includes.
- Move to Marketing Cloud Next. Every campaign you move then runs on Data 360 segments, consent records and the data graph.
The setup follows a documented order, described in the steps for implementing Data 360 for Marketing Cloud Next. If you'd rather hand it over, our Data 360 setup for Marketing Cloud Next is the next step.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Data Cloud the Same as Data 360?
Yes. Salesforce renamed Data Cloud to Data 360 on 14 October 2025 and says the functionality stayed the same. Parts of the product, such as the Data Cloud Architect permission set, still carry the old name.
Is Data 360 Free?
Provisioning is free, with a limited amount of storage and consumption credits; Salesforce Foundations is one way to get it. Usage beyond that is billed, but ingesting data from the Salesforce CRM uses no credits.
Does the Pardot Connector Bring My Prospects Into Data 360?
No. Prospect fields arrive with the synced leads and contacts through the Salesforce CRM connector. The Account Engagement connector brings activity such as email clicks and form submissions, and that ingestion uses credits.
Does Data 360 Replace My CRM?
No. Data 360 reads your CRM records and builds unified profiles beside them. Identity resolution doesn't change source data, and Salesforce says a unified individual isn't a static "golden record".
What Is a Data Graph in Data 360?
A precalculated view that combines data from several data model objects, so queries need fewer calls. In Marketing Cloud Next, personalization and personalized flow decisions need a data graph built on the Unified Individual, and the fields an admin puts into it decide what merge fields and dynamic content can use. Without Salesforce Personalization, the Marketing app works with one data graph at a time.
What Are Calculated Insights in Data 360?
Metrics that Data 360 calculates from stored data; Salesforce's glossary calls the feature a tool that "queries, transforms, and creates complex calculations based on stored data." Marketing Cloud Next scoring runs on them. A batch calculated insight uses credits each time it runs, based on the records in every object it reads, so its schedule shows on your bill. How these scores compare with Pardot's is in our article on Pardot lead scoring and grading.
What Is Activation in Data 360, and Does Marketing Cloud Next Need It?
Activation publishes a segment to an outside target, such as Marketing Cloud Engagement, and uses credits for the rows it processes. Marketing Cloud Next doesn't need it for its own sends: you publish a segment and use it in a campaign. Activation only matters when a segment should reach another system; Marketing Cloud Next also has activation-triggered flows, which follow the segment's publish schedule.
