The Golden Record
The Golden Record, sometimes referred to as the single customer view, is defined as that single data point that captures all the necessary information that we need to know regarding a data element. It is the most accurate source of truth that the organization has. For example, a customer record for Acme Inc. (a hypothetical company) may exist in multiple databases, and having that one record that is the most accurate and complete is what is sought after and desired in MDM.
A matching methodology based on business rules determines which record to keep and which ones to discard. Usually, three types of determining methods are used:
- Most recent: In this method, the record with the most recent date stamp is considered the most accurate and considered the Golden Record.
- Most frequent: This method defines that if the same information exists in more than one record, then that can be considered eligible as the survivor record.
- Most complete: This method...