Configuration Guide

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Match Rules

A match rule defines the criteria by which

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determines whether two records in the base object might be duplicates. Match rules can be based on match columns or primary keys.

The following table describes the types of match rules that you can create:

Rule Type	Description
Exact match	Values must match exactly, or the special case must match exactly, such as null matches null. The processing for an exact-match rule uses SQL statements on the database.
Fuzzy match	Values are not an exact match, but the values are similar to the value being matched against. Matches are determined by the match tokens that are shared by some values and this depends on the population. For example, Robert, Rob, and Bob in English speaking populations, for the match purpose of Name, may have the same match token value. A fuzzy match uses the fuzzy match key, which is an index with ranges for all match tokens.
Filtered match	Identifies match candidates by using the fuzzy match key, and then runs an exact match on the candidates. If you are constrained by performance issues related to the database server, consider using filtered match rules instead of exact match rules.

The following table describes match rules that are based on match columns and primary keys:

Match Rule Basis	Description
Match columns	Used to match base object records based on the values in the columns that you defined as match columns, such as last name, first name, address1, and address2. Match columns are the most commonly used method for identifying matches.
Primary keys	Used to match records from two systems that use the same primary keys for records. Primary key matches are quick and very accurate. However, it is uncommon for two source systems to use identical primary keys.