You need a PLAN to deal with duplicates
Here's the thing about duplicate records: No matter what you do, you'll never get rid of them completely, because humans are human. Whether it's a staff member creating a duplicate record because they forgot to check if the record exists, or it's a customer who doesn't want to take the time to reset his password and just creates another record with a different email address, duplicates are going to happen.
And because duplicates are inevitable, you have to have a plan for dealing with them. Here are some suggestions:
- Create data integrity reports that will help you identify potential duplicate records, and run those reports consistently. ("Consistently" means at least once a month, if not more often.) And make sure someone (or several someones) on staff has responsibility for cleaning up this data.
- Make it everyone's job on staff to identify potential duplicates whenever they are using the database and make sure you have a clear process for how those duplicate records are reported. And make sure someone (or several someones) on staff has responsibility for cleaning up this data.
- And did I mention to make sure someone (or several someones) on staff has responsibility for cleaning up this data?
Managing duplicate records is a journey, not a destination. No matter how good your technology is, like weeds in a garden, duplicate records are going to appear. So you have to have a plan for dealing with them, not just now, but always.
![]()
Wes's Wednesday Wisdom Archives
“Working with you is like going to therapy.”
“Working with you is like going to therapy.” I was working with a client last […]
The best ideas are stolen
The best ideas are stolen I don’t remember where I first heard it, but someone said […]
It’s all about expectations
It’s all about expectations One of the most critical contributors to the success of a […]
Either you test, or your members will
Either you test, or your members will If I was forced to choose the single […]
But are you really willing to change?
But are you really willing to change? When any organization is making a change in data management […]
Two tips for data conversion
Two Tips for Data Conversion I’ve written a lot about data conversion over the years […]
Who should “own” the database?
Who should “own” the database? One of the most common questions I get from my […]
What makes you weird?
What makes you weird? When I work with clients on selecting a new association management system, one […]
Why “AMS Consortiums” Don’t Work
Why “AMS Consortiums” Don’t Work About once a year I will get a call from […]
Your vendor will disappoint you
Your vendor will disappoint you I follow politics as a hobby. A past publisher from […]
