Record linkage
Identifying and connecting records that refer to the same real-world entity across different systems. Example: "J. Smith" in HubSpot, "Jane Smith" in Xero, and "Jane A. Smith" in Slack are the same person record linkage merges them into one unified profile.
Expert insight
Record linkage (identifying that two records from different systems represent the same real-world entity when they don't share a common ID) is inherently probabilistic, matching on name and email similarity will produce both false matches and missed matches, worth deciding an acceptable error tolerance rather than assuming linkage will be perfect.
In a real workflow
Customer records from the shop and the CRM are linked by email and name to form one customer view.
Common mistakes
- Linking on weak matches only.
- No way to undo wrong links.
Complexity level
Requires some familiarity with automation concepts.
Related terms
See it in action
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