Northern Trail Outfitters Data Model for Marketing Cloud: Preventing Duplicate Records

Preventing Duplicate Records in Marketing Cloud for Northern Trail Outfitters

Question

Northern Trail Outfitters wants a data model in Marketing Cloud which will prevent them from duplicating, or even triplicating, records.

How should the unique identifier of the data model be set up if the MobilePush and Email channels are used within the same account?

Answers

Explanations

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A. B. C.

A

When designing a data model in Marketing Cloud, it's important to consider how duplicate records can be prevented or managed. Northern Trail Outfitters wants to prevent duplicating or triplicating records in the MobilePush and Email channels, which are both used within the same account.

One way to achieve this is by setting up a unique identifier for the data model. The unique identifier should be consistent across both channels, so that duplicate records can be identified and managed appropriately.

Option A, strategically controlling the Contact Key values and tying records together across channels using this key, is a valid approach. The Contact Key is a unique identifier for a subscriber that can be used across different channels in Marketing Cloud. By using a consistent Contact Key value across both MobilePush and Email channels, Northern Trail Outfitters can ensure that duplicate records are identified and managed appropriately. For example, if a subscriber's Contact Key is "1234" in the Email channel, and "5678" in the MobilePush channel, then duplicate records may be created. By ensuring that the Contact Key is consistent across both channels, duplicate records can be prevented.

Option B, using a third-party system to identify and delete duplicate Contact Keys, is not recommended. While third-party systems may be able to identify duplicate records, they may not be able to integrate with Marketing Cloud in a seamless way, and may result in data integrity issues.

Option C, using the auto-generated keys supplied by Marketing Cloud at the time of record creation for each channel used, is also not recommended. While Marketing Cloud does provide auto-generated keys for each channel, these keys may not be consistent across channels, which can result in duplicate records. Additionally, auto-generated keys may not be easy to manage or update if needed.

Overall, option A is the best approach for Northern Trail Outfitters to prevent duplicate records in the MobilePush and Email channels. By strategically controlling the Contact Key values and tying records together across channels using this key, Northern Trail Outfitters can ensure that duplicate records are managed appropriately and that data integrity is maintained.