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Example of a Survivorship Rule

This topic describes the default Survivorship rules included in the Universal Customer Master (UCM), and provides an example of a default rule with modifications. You may use this feature differently, depending on your business model.

The Universal Customer Master (UCM) includes two default rules named Contact Default and Account Default. There are no explicitly defined attribute groups for either of these rules in the attribute group list in the lower view, see Figure 11. This status implies that the default attribute groups—those visible in the Attribute Groups list after selecting the Attribute Group Fields tab—are evaluated by the default criteria field in the default survivorship rule.

Figure 11. Default Contact and Account Survivorship Rules

The Status field for both rules is Active and the Start Date field for both rules is June 11, 2004, which indicates that this rule is ready to evaluate updates to the UCM for the default attribute groups and their associated fields.

The default criteria field for the Contacts Default rule is recent. This default criteria indicates that the Contacts Default rule evaluates the date of the incoming external system update against the date of the existing data saved in the default attribute groups. The most recent date of the two data records survives in the UCM record.

The default criteria field for the Accounts Default rule is history. This default criteria indicates that the Accounts Default rule evaluates the same incoming updates by date; however, the older data survives in the UCM record.

The following example describes creating a modification to the Contacts Default rule to enhance the survivorship rule by comparing updates to a Contact's income data. Start by creating a new attribute group:

To create a new attribute group for the Contacts Default rule

1. From the application-level menu, choose Navigate > Site Map > Administration - Universal Customer Master screen.
2. From the link bar, select Survivorship Rules, and select the Attribute Group Fields tab.
3. In the Attribute Group list, click the New button.
4. Define the new attribute group as follows:

   Attribute Group Name:	Income Attribute Group
   Object:	Contact
   Description:	Defines rule for income field in UCM

5. In the Attribute Group Field list, click the New button:
6. Add the field name Income to the new attribute group from the drop-down menu.

The new attribute group is now defined and references the Income field. Next, attach the new attribute group to the Contacts Default rule and define the comparison method as by source:

To attach the new attribute group to the Contacts Default rule

1. From the link bar, select Survivorship Rules.
2. Set the Status field to inactive while defining the modification to the default rule.
3. In the Survivorship Rules list, select the Contact Default rule.
4. In the Attribute Group list, add a new attribute group by clicking New.
5. From the Attribute Group picklist, query for and select the attribute group created previously, Income Attribute Group.
6. Define the Comparison Rule for this attribute group as By Source.
7. Step off or save the attribute group record for the Contacts Default rule.
8. Because the comparison method is By Source, define the confidence level of the source external systems for the new attribute group:
   1. Select the Source Confidence tab.
   2. In the System ID list, click New.
   3. In the new record, define the source system. As an example, let Source A be the name of one external system and set this system's confidence level to 75.
   4. Add another source record. As an example, let Source B be the name of a second external system and set this system's confidence level to 95.

This survivorship rule evaluates all updates to the Income field based on the confidence level of the source. For example, if Source B updates the field originally, and then Source A updates at a later date, Source B's data survives because the confidence level is greater than Source A's. Alternatively, if the comparison method was Recent, Source A's data for the Income field would update the UCM record and replace Source B's data.

The final task in the process is to review and activate the enhanced rule:

To review and activate the enhanced Default Contact rule:

1. From the link bar, select Survivorship Rules
2. Select the Contact Default survivorship rule.
3. Select the Summary tab, and review the details of the modified Contact Default rule.
4. Navigate back to the survivorship rule list, and select the Contact Default rule.
5. Set the Status field to Active, and make sure the Start and End date fields do not invalidate this rule.

The modified Contact Default rule is now active and evaluates updates to the Income field.