Configuring Survivorship in Informatica IDMC MDM SaaS

 This article provides a comprehensive guide to configuring survivorship rules within Informatica IDMC MDM SaaS, using the example of a person business entity. Survivorship is a critical process for establishing the "best version of truth" for data records by defining how conflicting information from various source systems should be resolved.

Understanding the Basics

The process begins by accessing the "person" business entity, which encompasses various components such as the data model, data flow, data quality rules, match survivorship, and event configurations. Before diving into the configuration, it's essential to identify several key prerequisites:

• Source Systems: Determine all the source systems that contribute data and will be part of the survivorship rules.

• Target Fields: Pinpoint the specific fields that require survivorship application. For instance, fields like first name, middle name, last name, and date of birth are typically subject to survivorship, while others like place of birth might not be.

• Survivorship Rules: Define the specific rules, including any maximum and minimum percentage scores, that will govern how data conflicts are resolved.

Navigating Survivorship Settings

The survivorship configuration options are conveniently located within the left-hand side panel of the business entity interface. Here, you'll find a clear display of fields like first name, middle name, and last name, along with their associated rules. It's important to note that some fields, such as "prefix" and "suffix," may inherit their rules from the parent level (in this case, the person business entity). Conversely, fields like "first name," "middle name," and "last name," often have specific ranks applied to them, indicating their priority in the survivorship process.

Step-by-Step Configuration

Configuring survivorship involves several key steps:

1. Source Ranking: Select a field (e.g., "prefix name") and configure its source ranking. All source systems previously set up in the Business 360 console will be available for selection and ranking.

2. Creating New Ranks: You have the flexibility to create new ranks by choosing specific source systems and adding them to the rank. For example, you might create "rank five" that includes "Informatica customer 360" and "default" source systems.

3. Applying Ranks: Once a new rank is created, it must be explicitly applied to the relevant field to take effect.

4. Rule Configuration (Decay Rules): A powerful feature is the ability to apply "Decay minimum and maximum trust score" rules. This involves selecting a rule type (Decay, minimum, or maximum), choosing a source system, and setting parameters such as the maximum trust score (e.g., 80%), minimum trust score (e.g., 40%), Decay unit (e.g., years), and Decay period (e.g., 10 years). After applying Decay rules, a visual graph is displayed, allowing you to further refine the Decay pattern (linear, rapid initial/slow later, or slow initial/rapid later).

5. Dependent Fields: Survivorship for one field can be made dependent on another. For instance, the "prefix name" might be evaluated based on the "full name" field.

6. Applying Rules to Multiple Fields: For efficiency, you can select multiple fields simultaneously (e.g., suffix name, title, description) and apply the same survivorship rules and source ranking to all of them in one go.

7. Saving Configuration: After making any changes to the survivorship configuration, it is crucial to save your work to ensure the new rules are applied.

By following these steps, users can effectively configure survivorship in Informatica IDMC MDM SaaS, leading to more accurate and reliable master data.

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