Short answer
Personally identifiable information (PII) is data that can identify a person, such as Social Security numbers, account numbers, dates of birth and addresses. Data masking hides or replaces sensitive values, in CRM views, sandboxes and AI prompts, so people and systems see only what they need.
PII and Data Masking explained
Masking takes several forms: showing only the last four digits to most users, scrambling data in test sandboxes, and removing or tokenizing sensitive values before they are sent to an AI model. Salesforce offers Data Mask for sandboxes and the Einstein Trust Layer for AI prompts; field-level security and encryption add further protection. Health information (PHI) carries extra obligations under HIPAA.
Knowing where sensitive data lives in the CRM is the first step.
How Vantage Point helps: we find sensitive data in your CRM, restrict and mask it, and set rules for what may be shared with AI tools.
Frequently asked questions
Should Social Security numbers be stored in the CRM?
Only if there is a clear business need. If so, restrict them with field-level security, encrypt them and mask them for most users.
Does production data in sandboxes need masking?
Yes, ideally. Full and partial sandboxes copy real client data, so masking reduces the risk of exposure during testing.