Set Up Advanced Master Deciding Rule

This feature empowers System Administrators to define Master Deciding Rules for a given entity within the Master Deciding Rule entity. Administrators can create one or more rules that determine how master records should be selected when handling duplicate records.

By specifying criteria such as data fields and conditions, System Administrators gain precise control over which record qualifies as the master, ensuring data consistency, accuracy, and streamlined record management throughout the system.

To configure the master deciding criteria, follow the steps below:

• Go to Entity Configuration.

• Navigate to Merge Settings.

• Drill down to Active Master Deciding Rules and click on New Master Deciding Rule.

The System Administrator can create one or multiple master selection rules for an entity (e.g., Contact, Account, Custom entity, etc.)

Fill in the details below:

Rule Name: Enter rule name for easy identification

Rule Type: Select One of the Rule Types.

Each rule must have a type that can be selected from a predefined list, such as:

• Criteria-Based: Use when you want the master record to be decided based on specific field values, like email or phone. Best for industry-specific criteria.

• Latest Modified: Ideal for businesses where the most recently updated data is considered accurate and relevant.

• Oldest Modified: Useful when older records are more reliable (e.g., legacy systems or historical data).

• Latest Created: Best when new records typically hold the latest, most accurate data.

• Oldest Created: Suitable for scenarios where the original record is always treated as the master.

• Most Field Values: Recommended for retaining the record with the maximum information completeness.

• Most Activities: Useful when you want the master to be the record with the most engagement history (calls, emails, notes).

• Latest Interaction: Prioritize the record that had the most recent interaction with a customer.

• Score: Score range is 1-100. If the admin thinks that the master deciding rule is important, then a higher score is set for the rule, increasing the weightage of the rule during master selection.

Now click on Save and Close.

For example, In the account entity configuration, administrators can define Master Deciding Rules under the Merge Settings tab to determine which record should be retained as the master during duplicate record merging.

The image illustrates the creation of a new Master Deciding Rule named Email Contains Rule, where the administrator selects Latest Modified as the rule type, sets the score to 80, and applies it to the account entity.

Available rule types include options like Criteria Based, Latest Modified, Oldest Modified, Most Field Values, and more, providing flexibility for different business scenarios.

The created rules will be listed as below:

Similarly, Admin can create multiple rules as given below:

The image displays the list of active rules, such as:

• Email Contains Rule (Criteria Based) with a score of 50

• Latest Modified Master Rule with a score of 80

• Most Field Master Rule with a score of 30

• Phone Contains Data Rule with a score of 70

Each rule type specifies the logic used to evaluate duplicates, while the score determines the rule's priority in the merge decision process—the higher the score, the greater the weight of that rule.

How Scores and Rules Work During Auto-Merge

During the merging process in DeDupeD, all active Master Deciding Rules are evaluated based on their assigned scores. The rule with the highest cumulative score determines the primary record that will be retained as the master, ensuring that the most relevant and complete record is preserved.

Example: If two duplicate records exist and the following rules are active:

• Latest Modified Master Rule (Score: 80)

• Most Field Master Rule (Score: 70)

• Email Contains Rule (Score: 50)

The system checks which record satisfies these rules. If Record A is the latest modified and also has the most filled fields, it gains 80 + 70 = 150 points.

If Record B only satisfies the email condition, it gets 50 points.

In this case, Record A becomes the master record because it has the highest cumulative score.