March 11, 2025
Filters vs. Rules: What’s the difference?
In today's data-driven world, maintaining a clean and accurate database isn't just important—it’s essential. Accurate data fuels everything from AI insights and personalized marketing to informed business decisions.
That's where Cloudingo comes in. As a powerful data quality tool for Salesforce and Marketo, Cloudingo simplifies the process with two key components: filters and merge rules.
While both are crucial, they serve distinct roles. Mastering how filters and merge rules work together is the key to streamlining data management and ensuring your records stay clean, organized, and reliable.
Filters: Identifying Potential Duplicates
Think of filters as the detectives of your data.
They sift through your records to uncover potential duplicates based on specific criteria you define. By setting up filters, you can pinpoint duplicates based on various fields and customization including email addresses, phone numbers, or company names.
Want to learn more about Filters? Check out our help website here.
Merge Rules: Defining the Blueprint for Merging
Once potential duplicates are identified with filters, merge rules come into play. These rules act as the architects of the merging process determining which record should be retained as the master and how field values from duplicate records should be consolidated.
By customizing merge rules, you ensure that the resulting records are accurate, complete, and aligned with your organization's data governance standards.
Crafting Effective Merge Rules
To create merge rules that align with your business needs, consider the following aspects:
- Master Record Selection: Decide on the criteria that determine the master record, such as creation date, last modified date, status, or specific field values.
- Field Value Retention: Define how field values should be selected or combined during the merge. For instance, you might prioritize values from a specific field or concatenate multiple values to preserve all relevant information.
Want to learn more about merge rules? Check out our help website here.
The Symbiotic Relationship Between Filters and Merge Rules
Filters and merge rules work in tandem to enhance data quality:
- Detection: Filters scan your database to identify records that meet your defined criteria for duplication.
- Resolution: Merge rules then dictate how these identified duplicates are consolidated into a single, accurate record.
This collaborative process ensures that your data remains both clean and reliable, facilitating better decision-making and operational efficiency.
Conclusion
Mastering the use of filters and merge rules in Cloudingo is essential for effective data management. By clearly distinguishing between the roles of filters and merge rules, and by customizing them to fit your organization's unique needs, you can maintain a pristine database that supports your business objectives.
For a visual walkthrough of merge rule basics, you might find the following video helpful:
