Learning about EDM Object Profiles

The information about an object in a master index application is stored in an object profile. The profile includes information from all of the system records for that object and also includes a record that contains the best information about the object according to a master index application. See the following topics for information about object profiles.

• EDM Object Profile Components

• Object Profile Indicators on the EDM

• System Record and SBR Components in a Master Index (Repository)

• Identification Numbers for each Entity in the Master Index (Repository)

EDM Object Profile Components

An object profile, also known as an enterprise record, is a set of information that describes characteristics of an individual object in the master index application. Figure 1 illustrates an EUID tree for an object profile, which shows all components of a profile.

Figure 1 Object Profile Components

A profile contains two types of records:

• System Records – A system record is a set of information from an external system that shares data with a master index application. A profile might contain several system records.

• Single Best Record – The single best record (SBR) is a set of information derived from the best information from each system record in an object profile (as determined by the survivor calculator). Each object profile has only one SBR.

System Records

System records are different from the SBR in that each system record contains a system and local ID pair and only contains data from a specific system. The information in the system records of an object profile is used to determine the best value for the SBR in that profile. If an object profile only contains one system record, the SBR will be identical to that system record. However, if an object profile contains multiple system records, the SBR might be identical to one system record but will more likely include a combination of information from all system records. Certain actions against a system record will cause the SBR to be changed, such as updating, deactivating, or merging a system record. Each active object profile must have at least one active system record. If all system records in a profile are deactivated, then the entire profile will also be deactivated.

Single Best Record

The single best record (SBR) for an object profile is made up of a combination of information from all active system records associated with that object profile. The SBR represents the information that is determined by the master index application to be the most reliable and current of all system records in an object profile. The SBR is dynamic and is recalculated each time an update is made to an associated system record, a merge or unmerge affects the object profile, or a system record in the profile is deactivated or reactivated. You can use the overwrite capability of the EDM to update the SBR directly or you can update a system record and allow the survivor calculator to determine how to update the SBR (for more information, see Survivor Calculator).

If you use the overwrite capability to update a field, that field remains locked and cannot be updated by changes to system records until the field is unlocked. For more information about the overwrite function and locked fields, see Updating the SBR versus System Records.

Survivor Calculator

The survivor calculator determines which information from each system record in an object profile is stored in the SBR for that profile. The calculator uses information defined by the system administrator to calculate the SBR. By default, the survivor calculator uses a weighted strategy for most fields, using the relative reliability assigned to each system in combination with the reliability given to the most recently updated value.

For some fields, such as alias and auxiliary IDs, a union strategy is typically used. This means that all unique alias names and auxiliary IDs from all systems are included in the SBR. For detailed information about the survivor calculator and configuring the survival strategy, see Understanding Oracle Java CAPS Master Index Configuration Options (Repository) and Configuring Oracle Java CAPS Master Indexes (Repository).

Object Profile Indicators on the EDM

In a master index application, an object profile or system record can have three different statuses: active, inactive, or merged. The EDM uses special characters in the EUID tree to indicate profiles or system records that have a status other than active. The EDM also uses indicators in the EUID tree to denote the type of profile you are viewing when a side-by-side comparison of the same EUID is displayed. For example, when a transaction history is displayed, the previous image of the profile appears in parentheses. Table 1 lists and describes each indicator.

Table 1 Object Profile Indicators

System Record and SBR Components in a Master Index (Repository)

In a master index application, each system record and SBR in an object profile contains a set of sub-objects that store different types of information about the object. Generally, a record contains a parent object and several child objects. A record can have only one parent object, but can have multiple child objects and multiple instances of each child object with each instance being identified by a unique field. For example, in a master person index a record can only contain one person name and social security number (contained in the parent object), but could have multiple addresses and telephone numbers (contained in child objects). Each address must be of a different type, such as a home address, billing address, or mailing address.

Identification Numbers for each Entity in the Master Index (Repository)

Each object profile in a master index application is assigned a unique identification number in addition to the local IDs assigned by individual systems. Each object has one unique identification number throughout your organization, and a unique identification number within each system with which they are registered.

EUID

Every object profile in the master index system is assigned an enterprise-wide unique identification number. This number is the same for that object regardless of the system from which the object information originates. This number is called the enterprise-wide unique identifier (EUID) and is used to cross-reference object profiles in order to accurately identify the objects throughout your organization.

Local ID

A local ID is a unique local identification number that is assigned to an object in each system at which it is registered. These numbers are assigned using a numbering system unique to each local system, and are used internally by the systems to identify each object. A master index application uses an object’s EUID to cross-reference its local IDs in different systems. Note that the name of the Local ID field is configurable and might be different for your implementation.