How would you implement and govern a B2B master data management strategy for Accounts across multiple Salesforce clouds?

B2B master data management (MDM) for Accounts is a foundational architecture challenge in multi-cloud and multi-org environments:

System of Record: Designate one system as the authoritative source for Account master data — typically Salesforce CRM (Sales Cloud). Other systems (Marketing Cloud, B2B Commerce, ERP) are consumers, not owners, of Account data.

Deduplication: Enable Salesforce Duplicate Rules and Matching Rules on Account to prevent duplicate creation. Use Data Cloud's Identity Resolution for cross-system account deduplication (matching on company name, domain, D-U-N-S number).

Account hierarchy: Model Account hierarchy using the Parent Account lookup. Global accounts (HQ) → Regional subsidiaries → Local entities. This structure drives territory management, forecasting roll-ups, and pricing entitlements.

Data enrichment: Integrate with D&B, ZoomInfo, or Salesforce's Dun & Bradstreet connector to keep firmographic data (company size, industry, revenue) current.

Governance: Define Account ownership rules (who can create, merge, edit global accounts). Implement validation rules and approval processes for account creation to prevent free-form entry. Regular data quality reports (incomplete accounts, potential duplicates) assigned to data stewards.