Data Validation: Duplicate Records Can Be Costly

Data and information have never been as important as they are today. They are the basis of all advertising activities and are vital to many companies. However, databases can only play their trump card if they are very well maintained. If they contain too many duplicate entries, this can have a very negative effect on the company.

Duplicates: When records are entered twice

Modern database systems always offer the possibility to automatically detect and remove duplicate entries (duplicates) (data validation). But unfortunately you cannot rely on this function alone. It is based solely on identical values. As soon as a word is spelled differently, the data validation no longer recognizes the duplicate. For example, a customer database can contain two records for the same person, with one listed as “Meier” and the other as “Meir”.

How duplicates arise in databases

These redundant records are created in various ways, for example:

• A person or company already recorded in the database changes their name or address.
• Several coexisting data sets are merged (e.g. a current and an older    address database), where some of the recorded addresses are identical.
• The same company is recorded once correctly and once with a different spelling based on different sources of information.
• An electronic price list is imported into a product database. Due to inconsistent naming, a new product is created for items that are not found.

It is estimated that in poorly maintained databases up to one in three records may be duplicated. Ideally, however, the figure should be no more than 4 to 6 percent.

Why duplicates must be avoided

Duplicates can have far-reaching consequences in practice. In the case of customer data, mailings are sometimes sent multiple times to the same person, which gives them the unpleasant impression of mass advertising. This can damage your image. It can also lead to financial losses. The costs for mailings increase enormously due to poor data validation.

CRM

Duplicates also have consequences for Customer Relationship Management (CRM): if there are multiple master records for a customer, actions are not always assigned to the same record. As a result, staff members sometimes do not have the complete history available when they speak with the customer.

Have your database checked: Support with data validation from a VPA

When automated technology can no longer help, only the trained human eye can. Rely on your Virtual Personal Assistant (VPA). Your VPA will search your database for duplicate entries and, depending on your wishes, either flag them or remove them directly from the database. This way you can gradually bring your data up to date and have duplicates removed.

Contact

Contact us now and let’s clarify your project together. There’s likely already a suitable VPA available to validate your database.