Key generation

The SDQ Matching Server uses multiple keys for each record to detect duplicate records. Keys are generated for each customer record based on a set of deduplication input fields on the customer record for prospects and contacts, or account name for accounts (typically a combination of personal name, company name, address, and identifier information). Later in the search functionality, the matching server detects possible matches by comparing these stored keys against the key for the active record at run time.

Keys are generated based on a person's name (first name, middle name, last name) for prospects and contacts, or the account name for accounts. If no keys are generated for a certain record, that record is ignored as a potential candidate when search and match takes place.

CAUTION:  Typically, you run batch-mode key generation before you run real-time data matching. The SDQ Matching Server requires generated keys in the key tables first before you can run real-time data matching. The Siebel Data Quality (SDQ) Universal Connector also has a similar requirement, but the key generation is done within the deduplication task.

Key refresh

Key refresh is a server component operation type (Key Refresh) specified by the administrator and is a useful administrative tool because it is much faster than key generation. Because key data can become out of sync with the base tables, you need to refresh periodically. A key refresh updates keys only for records that are new or have been modified since your last key generation.

Search and Match

The internal search functionality specifies what ranges of possible keys should be considered for a given record when performing a match. A match score is then computed for each candidate record found within that range of keys. The match score is a number that depicts the similarity of a record with a matched one. It is calculated taking into account a large number of rules along with a number of other factors and weightings.