Duplicate Detector agent

A day with Duplicate Detector

Take a distributor with about 1,800 customers after merging the customer lists of three older accounting files, and a data-entry operator who is asked to clean them up.

1. A new customer is typed in. When she saves, Kinnow compares the tax ID exactly, the name closely, and the phone number with the name. The same tax ID is refused and points to the record that already has it. A close name is saved with a warning that similar parties exist.
2. Overnight, Kinnow sweeps all parties. A nightly check at 2 am, and a check after each bulk import, look at names, GSTIN and PAN, phone numbers, addresses and aliases. Pairs that look like the same party are put forward for review.
3. The operator opens the Data quality screen. Under "Possible duplicates" she sees each pair with the reason and when it was found. Where no confidence was worked out, the screen says the confidence is unknown.
4. She decides each pair. She chooses "Confirm duplicate" or "Not a duplicate". Either choice records her decision only. Neither party is changed, and the pair is not suggested again.
5. Only then does anyone merge. A person merges one party into another. The merged record keeps the other's aliases, addresses and contacts and the old record is retired. Your company's own rules can add conditions to a merge.

What it reads and what it hands back

Everything is compared inside your own company records, never across companies.

What a person decides

• Every pair. A person decides whether two records are the same party. Neither choice changes a record.
• Every merge. Merging is a separate, deliberate step by a person. It is not reversible in the product today, so decide pairs carefully.
• Your rules. Your company can write rules that hold a merge, for example when both parties already have transactions.
• What it never does. It never merges on its own, by design. Nothing is filed, paid or posted without a person.

Ask Kinnow about duplicates

Ask Kinnow answers from records you may see. Questions a finance head might type:

• "Which customers share a GSTIN?" Lists the groups, so you can check them first.
• "Are there two records for Sharma Traders?" Shows the close matches by name, tax ID and phone.
• "How many possible duplicate pairs are waiting for review?" Gives the count for your company.

Works with

Duplicate Detector belongs to Masters and pairs with Data-quality. The capability Clean customer and supplier records, never auto-merged describes both.

Questions