Data Analysis Overview

A thorough analysis of the data to be shared with the master index application is a must before beginning any implementation. This analysis not only defines the types of data to include in the object structure, but indicates the relative reliability of each system’s data, helps determine which fields to use for matching, and indicates the relative reliability of each match field.

To begin the analysis, the legacy data that will be converted into the master index database is extracted and analyzed. Once the initial analysis is complete, you can perform an iterative process to fine-tune the matching and duplicate thresholds and to determine the level of potential duplication in the existing data. If you plan to use the Data Profiler and Bulk Matcher tools generated by Sun Match Engine to analyze data, review the information in Analyzing and Cleansing Data for Sun Master Index before you extract the legacy data.

These tools are only available from service-enabled master index applications. The document referenced above describes what you need to do to generate the tools if you are using Sun Match Engine (Repository).