Data Deduplication

10 articles

May 21, 2026
What Is Data Deduplication and Why It Matters
Data deduplication is the process of identifying and removing duplicate records from a dataset — and it's one of the highest-impact data quality operations for most businesses.
6 min read
May 21, 2026
How to Find Exact Duplicate Records in a Database or Spreadsheet
Exact duplicates — records where every field matches — are the easiest duplicates to find. Here's exactly how to do it in SQL, Excel, Google Sheets, and with a data quality tool.
6 min read
May 21, 2026
Fuzzy Matching: How to Find Near-Duplicate Records
Exact duplicates are easy. Near-duplicates — 'John Smith' and 'Jon Smith,' or 'IBM Corp' and 'IBM Corporation' — are the harder problem. Here's how fuzzy matching catches them.
6 min read
May 21, 2026
How to Prevent Duplicate Data Entry at the Source
The cheapest way to handle duplicate records is to prevent them from being created. Here's how to add deduplication checks at the point of entry — before duplicates enter your database.
6 min read
May 21, 2026
The Hidden Cost of Duplicate Records in Your CRM
Duplicate CRM records don't just create administrative overhead — they actively drain revenue through wasted sales effort, inflated forecasts, and customer experience failures. Here's the real cost.
6 min read
May 21, 2026
How to Deduplicate an Email List Before a Campaign
Sending a campaign with duplicates in your email list means some contacts receive it twice, your metrics are inflated, and your sender reputation takes a hit. Here's how to clean it before you send.
6 min read
May 21, 2026
How to Build a Deduplication Strategy for Your Business
Running deduplication once and hoping for the best doesn't work. A deduplication strategy defines how duplicates are prevented, detected, and resolved on an ongoing basis. Here's how to build one.
7 min read
May 21, 2026
How to Deduplicate Contact Records Across Multiple Systems
Your CRM has 12,000 contacts. Your marketing automation has 15,000. Your billing system has 8,000. The same person might be in all three — with different fields updated in each. Here's how to reconcile them.
6 min read
May 21, 2026
What Is Record Linkage and When Do You Need It?
Record linkage identifies the same real-world entity across different datasets — without a shared unique identifier. It's the most powerful and most complex form of deduplication. Here's when you need it.
6 min read
May 21, 2026
How to Merge Duplicate Customer Records Without Losing Data
Merging duplicate customer records isn't just about deleting one of them — it's about combining the best data from both into a single complete, accurate master record without losing anything important.
6 min read