Duplicates Prevention Workflow

To maintain a duplicates-free database, you must prevent duplicates from entering the database. The prevention workflow consists of three parts: 1) setting rules and standards for data entry 2) configuration in Administration and 3) handling incoming data in Constituents, Batch, and Import.

• Define rules and standards for constituent data entry: To prevent issues with duplicate identification caused by inconsistencies in name and address formats, define organizational rules and standards for constituent data entry. For recommended best practices, see Best Practices For Constituent Data Entry.

• Configure Data Entry Rules: Use tools provided on the Global data entry settings page in Administration to configure the program to prevent duplicates during data entry and to maintain clean and accurate constituent data.

  • To automatically standardize the format of constituent addresses and names that you add or edit through batches, imports, or the Add an individual or Add an organization screens, turn on the Constituent data hygiene settings. Standardization can help prevent duplicate records, make constituents easier to find in searches, and ensure names and addresses are formatted correctly on communications. For more information about how to configure constituent data hygiene settings, see Constituent data hygiene.

    Note: Standardization only applies to constituent records added after you turn on the constituent data hygiene settings. To standardize all existing constituent records, you must use the Standardize Constituent Names and Addresses global change process. For more information about global change processes, see the Administration Guide.

  • To prevent the creation of duplicate records, define global constituent matching settings. When you add a constituent record through batch, import, or the Add an individual or Add an organization screens, the program calculates how similar the record is to existing records in the database. The program compares field values from the new record with existing records and calculates the degree of similarity between the first names, last/organization names, middle names, suffixes, titles, addresses, and zip code. For more information about how to configure constituent matching settings, see Constituent matching settings.

    Note: Constituent match settings only apply when you turn the matching feature on with the Enable/disable matching configuration task in Administration.

    Note: This duplicate search process is different from the full and incremental search processes. This process occurs automatically during data entry and uses a different matching algorithm.

  • To manage how the program resolves conflicting data on matched constituents, set constituent update rules. Constituent update rules apply when an incoming constituent matches an existing constituent, but their names or contact information are different. For example, two records are very similar but the first name is "Dave" on the existing constituent and "David" on the incoming constituent. Update rules allow you to choose how the program handles this conflict for you. You can set the program to update the existing name, add the incoming name as an alias, ignore the incoming name, or require users to compare the constituents on the duplicate resolution screen to determine which action to take. For more information about how to configure constituent update settings, see Constituent update rules.

    Note: Constituent update rules apply when you add a constituent using the Add an individual screen or the Add an organization screen, or when you add a constituent through manual or imported Constituent Update or Enhanced Revenue batches.

  • Prevent Duplicates During Data Entry: After you configure the data entry rules, these tasks occur in Constituents, Batch, and Import to prevent duplicates from occurring. Some tasks are automated and require no actions from users. Other tasks require users to make decisions about incoming matches and conflicting information.

• Automated Tasks

  • Capitalization rules and address standardization are applied automatically to names and addresses when you add or edit constituents through batches, imports, or the Add an individual or Add an organization screens.

  • The program runs the match confidence calculation immediately when you select Save on the Add an individual or Add an organization screens or when you validate or commit a manual or imported batch.

  • When the program finds matches that score high enough to qualify for automatic updates, it automatically assigns the record ID from the existing constituent to the matched constituent in the batch. For Constituent Update and Enhanced Revenue batches, if the matches have data conflicts, the program automatically updates the existing constituent with information from the incoming constituent according to your organization's selected constituent update rules.

• Hands-on Tasks

  • When matching constituents qualify for manual review (their match confidence score falls in the middle range), the program prompts you to compare the matches on the duplicates resolution screen and decide whether they are a match. For more information about the duplicates resolution screen, see Resolve Duplicate Constituents.

  • If you prefer to be more "hands-on" with your data, you can require users to evaluate matches on the duplicate resolution screen before the program makes any updates, even when the records have match confidence scores high enough to qualify for automatic updates. On the Configure constituent updates screen, select Require manual review (generate exception) for at least one type of update rule. For more information, see Configure constituent update rules.