Previewing Merge Results

Before committing a merge execution, the Master Record Preview panel lets you inspect how your current rules would play out across real groups from your data. It gives you confidence that the golden records will look as intended — without modifying any data.

Master Record Preview accordion at the bottom of the Merge and Survivorship page showing three collapsed group cards

Where to Find It

The Master Record Preview accordion is located at the bottom of the Merge and Survivorship page, below the rule configuration sections. It is visible on both the Master Rules and Overwrite Rules tabs. Click the accordion header to expand or collapse the panel.

What the Preview Shows

The preview displays three sample duplicate groups drawn from your match results. For each group you can:

  • See all records in the group as a table, one row per record
  • See a dedicated Golden Record row at the bottom of the group showing the merged output
  • Identify which field values were sourced from which record (highlighted cells indicate the winning value for each field)

Expanded group preview showing three source records and a Golden Record row with field values highlighted to indicate their source

The Master Reassigned Badge

If your current Master Record Rules would designate a different master than the one previously executed, a Master Reassigned badge appears on the group card. This is a signal that your rule changes would change the outcome — useful when iterating on rule configurations.

Tip

Use the Master Reassigned badge to quickly spot groups where your latest rule changes have a meaningful impact. If you see unexpected reassignments, revisit the rule evaluation order or adjust which data sources are included in the affected rule.

How to Use Preview Effectively

  1. Configure or modify your Master Record Rules and/or Overwrite Rules.
  2. Scroll down to the Master Record Preview and expand it.
  3. Review the three sample groups. Check that the Golden Record row contains the expected field values.
  4. If a value looks wrong, click the pencil icon on the relevant rule card to adjust the operation or condition.
  5. The preview updates automatically as you save rule changes — no need to re-run the full merge job.
  6. Once the preview looks correct, proceed to run the full merge.

Preview Limitations

  • Sample only: The preview shows three groups, not your full dataset. It is a representative check, not an exhaustive validation.
  • Groups are fixed samples: The same three groups are shown each session; they are not randomly re-selected on each preview refresh. To see different groups, check the full results after execution.
  • Overwrite Rules are reflected: If both Master Rules and Overwrite Rules are configured, the preview applies both in sequence and shows the final golden record after all rules have run.

Important

The preview does not write any data. It is a read-only simulation. Your actual golden records are only created or updated when you click Save and Execute on the respective rule section.