Please also keep in mind that there are already a number of standard attributes against the Contact entity.
I suggest that you first determine and/or evaluate which "redundant" fields on the Contact entity are custom + don't contain historical details + wouldn't be of any use in the future (some of the standard fields may be re-usable).
After this:
For the fields that contain historical data (custom or standard), remove these off the views and form but do not delete them (also check that there are no JavaScript dependencies on these). I would also add some sort of comment or indicator in the description
of the attribute to flag it's "historical" status.
For the standard fields (which you don't use), I suggest removing them off the views and form and making them not searchable (in the attribute properties) - this will keep them out of the way and eliminate any confusion for users when they are determining
criteria while searching.
For the custom fields which DON'T contain historical data or any dependencies (consider javascript, workflow, plug-ins, custom code) - you may delete these, I would suggest backing up customizations first to be on the safe side.
Thanks,
Maryse
The xRM Architect:
