How I design a governance-ready metadata dictionary that serves as the strategic layer above automated metadata tools like Elements.Cloud.

Technical Documentation vs. Strategic Context

Writing and maintaining relevant documentation has always been a challenge for salesforce teams. Manual documentation are hard to maintain and organise. Automated technical metadata tools have emerged as a solution, but they only answer "what exists" not "why it exists" and "how it impacts the business." While tools like Elements.Cloud provide comprehensive technical metadata, and facilitate diagram driven documentation, they can lack the crucial strategic layer and decision log that enterprise solution architects need for governance decisions.

The Gap: Technical metadata tells you every field and relationship. Strategic metadata dictionary tells you which changes will break critical business processes, and why architecture design decisions were made

Why Build and Maintain Manually a Metadata Dictionary?

1. Business-Technical Bridge

Creating the strategic layer above automated metadata tools bridges the gap between technical implementation and business value. This dictionary doesn't replace tools like Elements.Cloud—it enhances them by providing business context for every technical decision.

Strategic Value:

System capability map as the foundation
Every technical component connects to business outcomes and processes
Change impact assessment becomes a governance capability
Technical debt gets business-justified prioritization
Easier onboarding or handover for the team members managing salesforce.

2. Scalable Structure

A hub/domain-based organisation mirrors how solution architects actually work, making complex enterprise analysis manageable through focused domains.

Hub Relevance:

Hubs	Description	When to use	Main Databases
‣	Understand what the org does and why	"What business process does this affect?"	Capability Map
Business Process
‣	Objects, pages, and user interfaces	"Which objects and pages are involved?"	Salesfore Object
Lightning Page
‣	System connections and data flow	"What systems might break?"	Systems
Integrations
‣	Who can do what and why	"Who needs access to what”	Permissions
Users
‣	Flows, processes, and custom logic	"What automations need updating?"	Automations

3. Governance & CoE Ready

Built-in fields for technical debt tracking, review dates, and business ownership demonstrate Center of Excellence thinking from day one.