Address De-Duplication

Address De-Duplication detects duplicate address records, merges duplicates into a single primary address record, and updates related records to reference the retained address ID. Matching and merge behavior depends on the de-duplication options you select.

During a merge, the utility updates fields in the primary address record only when the duplicate record was modified more recently or when the primary field is empty.

What the merge can update

When the utility merges duplicates, it can update the retained address ID in these areas:

Cases
Check Register
Coupon Register
Phone
Extended Address
Secondary Address
Associated Address
Orders
Survey Results
Letters
Actions
Enclosures

Accessing Address De-Duplication

From the Application Function Bar, select Utilities -> Address Utilities -> Address De-Duplication.

Best practices: Running the utility on a schedule

This utility can affect system performance when you process or compare a large number of address records. Review and test configuration before you run the utility in a production environment.

You can schedule Address De-Duplication to run regularly, such as daily, weekly, or monthly. Each run can compare addresses entered since the previous run against addresses in the database. Running the utility against all addresses can cause timeouts or other errors when the database contains a large number of records. Use filters to limit the scope.

To run the utility on a regular basis:

Leave the From Address ID and To Address ID fields empty.
Set the desired options for address type and de-duplication methods.
Set filters using a time frame and relative date range. Do not use specific dates.
Save the utility as a favorite, then schedule the favorite to run after hours in the background.

The schedule frequency should match the filter range you select.

Utility options

The following options are available for this utility:

Field

Description

Clean Mode

Clean Mode determines whether the utility updates data.

DeDup: Finds and merges duplicate records in the database.
Search Only: Generates a log of changes but does not update data.
DeDup Inactive: Merges details into the retained record, then marks the duplicate record as inactive.

Treat Null Values as Unique

When you enable Treat Null Values as Unique, the utility treats records as unique if either record has an empty value in a comparison field.

Any blank value, including a field that contains only spaces, is considered null.
The utility does not match records on a selected method if one of the comparison values is null.
If both records have null values in the same field, the utility still treats them as unique.

Address selection

Use these fields to limit which address records the utility processes.

Field

Description

From Address, To Address

Enter a starting and ending address ID to limit processing to a range. If you leave these fields blank, the utility processes all applicable addresses.

Address Type

Enter an address type to process only that type. If you leave this field blank, the utility processes all address types.

In most cases, select only address types related to consumer addresses.

All Addresses Must Match Type

If you enable All Addresses Must Match Type, two addresses are treated as duplicates only when their address types match. If the address types differ, the utility treats the addresses as different even when other criteria match.

Address source

Use these fields to include or exclude addresses based on how the address was first created.

Field	Description
Case Entry	Includes addresses entered on a case.
Address Maintenance	Includes addresses entered manually through the address entry screen.
Import Utility (not including conversion)	Includes addresses created through an import utility, or through a conversion depending on how the conversion was performed.
Unknown Source	Includes addresses with a blank source, or a source that does not match the other options.

De-Duplication Options

Select the matching methods the utility uses to identify potential duplicates. The utility evaluates each method individually.

Options:

Phone 1, First and Last Name
Phone 2, First and Last Name
First, Last, Postal and Address1
First, Last, Postal and Company
Address Type Code, Address Code
Email Address, First and Last Name
Account Number, First and Last Name
Company Name: Matches duplicate address records when the Company Name fields match, subject to Treat Null Values as Unique.
Account Number: Matches duplicate address records when the Account Number fields match, subject to Treat Null Values as Unique.

Other Options

Results Language: Select the results language for the utility.For more information, see the Results Language section on page Utilities Overview.

Filters

Filters let you select a date range for addresses that were added since, or used since, the specified dates.

Options Time Frame: Limits the addresses that the utility uses to search for duplicates.
Comparison Time Frame: Limits the addresses that are considered as potential duplicates when the utility applies the matching methods.

For each address returned by Options Time Frame, the utility checks for duplicates within Comparison Time Frame based on the options you selected.

When you set filters, select:

Usage type: Originated Date (address.originated_date) or Addresses Used (address.last_contact)
Time frame
Date range in From Date and Thru

If you leave the Usage fields blank, filters are disabled and results are not filtered.

If you schedule the utility in Event Requestor, align Options Time Frame with the schedule frequency. For example, if the utility runs weekly, set Options Time Frame to the last week. Set Comparison Time Frame to the range you want to compare against. When you use one or both filters, verify the database has indexes on the columns used by the filters and matching options. Emplifi Support and Services teams can help initiate this review.

Results

If you open Results without an Options Time Frame or Address Selection filter, the utility displays a warning. You can choose to run without filters or cancel the operation.

Deleting address records in Standard

If you use Standard, you can delete address records directly from Address De-Duplication Utility results.

To delete an address record from results:

Run the utility to generate results.
In the results grid, locate the address record you want to delete.
Select the record, then click Delete, or use the delete option in the row menu.
Confirm the deletion when prompted.

Deleting an address record is permanent. Before you delete a record, verify it is not needed for active cases or associated data. Review the Best practices section before you make changes in a production environment.