Introduction

Match IQ finds records that represent the same person, household, or company across your data, then consolidates each group into a single best record.

Overview

Duplicate records are one of the most common - and most expensive - data-quality problems. The same customer shows up two, three, or more times, spelled slightly differently each way, spread across systems and lists. That drives up mailing costs, distorts reporting, and undermines trust in the data.

Match IQ compares name, address, and other customer data to decide whether two records represent the same person, household, or company - according to rules you control - and then does something productive with the matches it finds: eliminate redundant records, merge them into a single best record, or migrate the best data from each into a master.

What it does

  • Match - identify duplicate records within and across files using tunable rules for what counts as a match.
  • Consolidate - combine a group of matched records into one best record, salvaging the best data from each.
  • Deduplicate - keep unique and master records for a clean mailing or master list, and route duplicates wherever you need them.
  • Suppress - screen records against suppression lists such as bad-account or do-not-mail lists.
  • Prioritize & select - rank matched records to choose the best one, and select your highest-value records for output.
  • Report - quantify duplicates and data quality with a full suite of reports.

Where it fits

Match IQ is a batch engine, typically run after your data has been cleaned and structured. Matching is far more accurate when the underlying data is consistent, so Match IQ works best alongside the rest of the data-quality toolkit:

  • Standardize and parse names and other free-form data first with DataRight IQ.
  • Validate, correct, and standardize addresses with Address IQ so that comparable records line up.
  • Then run Match IQ to find and consolidate the duplicates that remain.
Tip: Match IQ can also parse name data on its own when input isn't pre-standardized, though standardizing upstream gives the fastest, most accurate results.

Platform

Match IQ runs on 64-bit Windows and Linux servers and reads from files or databases. Your Firstlogic team can advise on sizing for your record volumes and matching complexity.

Next steps

Next How It Works