You can enable the option to allow missing child records at the match path component level. The match path component level might consist of many child base object levels in the match path of the main parent base object.

When you enable the option to allow missing child records on a match path component, matching occurs between the parent base object records and their associated child base object records. Matching occurs even if the parent base object records do not have child records in the child base object for which the option is enabled. By default, the option to allow missing child records is enabled for all child base objects in the match path of the parent base object. When the option is enabled, it is inclusive and therefore implements a database outer join between a parent and a child base table that has the option enabled. The Informatica Data Director basic search returns results for records that do not have a child record.

When you disable the option to allow missing child records for all match path components, parent base object records that have records in all child base objects undergo matching. If a parent record does not have a child record in a child base object for which the option is disabled, the parent record does not undergo matching. When the option is disabled, it is exclusive and therefore similar to a regular database equi-join where, if the parent record does not have child records, no parent or child records are returned. When you disable the option, you avoid the performance impact associated with an outer join. The Informatica Data Director basic search does not return results for records that do not have a child record.

If you need to perform a fuzzy match on a base object, tokenization of a parent base object record must occur. Tokenization of a parent base object record occurs if all child base objects that have the option to allow missing child records disabled have a related child base object record. If a parent base object record has a child base object, where the option to allow missing child records is disabled yet contains no record, the parent record is not tokenized.

If the data is complete, matching between parent records occurs as expected and the

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includes all parent records for matching according to the match criteria. Your data is complete if parent records have child records in each child base object in the match path of the parent, and you include the child column in the match rule on the parent. However, if your data is incomplete, enable the check for missing children option on the path component for child base objects that do not have records for the parent records to be eligible for matching. The data is incomplete if your data contains parent records with records missing from one child base object and other parent records with records missing from a different child base object. Also, if you do not include the child column in the parent match rule, the data is incomplete. This ensures that parent records and their associated child base object records on whose columns the match path columns are based, are not excluded from a match when the parent has no record in that child base object.