Golden records with duplicate rules and merge
How to make one trusted customer record in a single org: name the system of record per entity, stop new duplicates with matching and duplicate rules, find old ones with duplicate jobs, and merge them knowing what the principal record, related records, Chatter, files and contact points do.
Given a customer scenario, recommend and use techniques for establishing a "golden record" or "system of truth" for the customer domain in a single org.
~6 min read · 8 practice questions ·
What the exam expects
- Name the system of record for each customer entity and fields before building a golden record in one org.
- Combine matching rules and duplicate rules (alert, block, report) to stop new duplicates, and know their limits.
- Clean existing duplicates with duplicate jobs and merges, choosing the principal record deliberately.
- Predict what a merge does to hidden fields, related records, Chatter, files and contact points, in the UI and in Apex.
Key terms: golden record (one best value per attribute, which MDM writes back); system of record (the system that owns an entity's data); matching rule (how potential duplicates are identified); duplicate rule (what happens when one is found); principal record (the merge survivor whose hidden and read-only values are kept).
Key facts
- Detail
- Alert, block or report; defaults alert and report
- Detail
- 5 active duplicate rules per object; 3 matching rules per duplicate rule
- Detail
- Duplicate rules don't run
- Detail
- Performance and Unlimited; Customize Application and View All Data
- Detail
- Up to three records at a time
- Detail
- Kept from the principal record
- Detail
- Feeds from the principal only; files kept
- Detail
- Relationships to person accounts lost on merge
- Detail
- Deletes duplicates and reparents related records
Sources for this section (6)
- Customize Duplicate Ruleshelp.salesforce.com (opens in a new tab)
- Duplicate Ruleshelp.salesforce.com (opens in a new tab)
- Duplicate Jobshelp.salesforce.com (opens in a new tab)
- Merge in Lightninghelp.salesforce.com (opens in a new tab)
- Merge Considerationshelp.salesforce.com (opens in a new tab)
- Merging Recordsdeveloper.salesforce.com (opens in a new tab)
- Why should the record an integration maintains usually be the principal?
- When does a duplicate rule not run even though it is active?
- What happens to a duplicate account's contacts when Apex merges it into a main account?
- Which two permissions does a user need to run duplicate jobs?
The questions are free to read. Answers with their sources and self-grading are included with the pack.
Keep reading with the Platform Data Architect pack
- Core concepts
- Exam traps
- Worked scenario
The pack includes:
- All 21 lessons of the Platform Data Architect guide, with reading progress
- Interactive decision walks and step-by-step sequence steppers
- Inline practice questions and one-click topic practice (8 questions for this lesson)
- An official source cited for every claim
- An AI tutor that answers from the guide
- Unlimited timed practice exams