> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.skypoint.ai/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

#  

# Merge

Create golden records by intelligently combining matched records into a single, authoritative view. The Merge module applies survivorship rules to determine which values become the master record, producing the trusted data your organization needs.

## Why Merging Matters

After matching identifies related records, you need to combine them into a single, reliable golden record. But which values should survive?

* Should the most recent address win, or the most complete?
* What if one system has the SSN and another has the email?
* How do you handle conflicting values for the same field?

skyMDM's Merge module answers these questions with configurable survivorship rules that produce consistent, trustworthy master records.

## What You Can Do

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Define Survivorship Rules" icon="crown">
    Configure which source values survive the merge based on recency, completeness, source priority, or custom logic.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Preview Merge Results" icon="eye">
    See exactly how records will be merged before committing changes.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Handle Conflicts" icon="code-branch">
    Define how to resolve conflicting values—take most recent, most complete, or flag for review.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Maintain Lineage" icon="sitemap">
    Track which source records contributed to each golden record for full traceability.
  </Card>
</CardGroup>

## Survivorship Strategies

<CardGroup cols={3}>
  <Card title="Most Recent" icon="clock">
    Values from the most recently updated source record win
  </Card>

  <Card title="Most Complete" icon="list-check">
    Records with the most populated fields contribute values
  </Card>

  <Card title="Source Priority" icon="ranking-star">
    Define a hierarchy of trusted sources—EHR beats claims beats scheduling
  </Card>

  <Card title="Longest Value" icon="ruler">
    Useful for names and addresses where more detail is better
  </Card>

  <Card title="Most Frequent" icon="chart-bar">
    When multiple sources agree, that value wins
  </Card>

  <Card title="Custom Rules" icon="wand-magic-sparkles">
    Define field-specific logic for unique business requirements
  </Card>
</CardGroup>

## Key Capabilities

### Field-Level Survivorship

Configure different survivorship strategies for different fields. Use recency for addresses, source priority for clinical data, and completeness for demographics.

### Golden Record Creation

Produce a single master record for each matched entity with the best available values from all contributing sources.

### Link Preservation

Maintain bidirectional links between golden records and their source records. Always know where data came from.

### Real-Time 360° Views

Access the complete, merged view of any entity instantly through the platform or via API.

### Delta Processing

Only re-merge records affected by new or changed source data, keeping golden records current without full reprocessing.

## Business Impact

<CardGroup cols={3}>
  <Card title="Single Source of Truth" icon="database">
    One authoritative record for each patient, provider, or member.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Data-Driven Decisions" icon="lightbulb">
    Trustworthy data enables confident business and clinical decisions.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Operational Efficiency" icon="gears">
    Eliminate time spent reconciling conflicting data across systems.
  </Card>
</CardGroup>

## Who Benefits

* **Clinical Teams**: Access complete, accurate patient records for care delivery
* **Executive Leadership**: Trust the data behind dashboards and reports
* **IT Teams**: Provide a single API endpoint for master data across the organization
* **Compliance Teams**: Demonstrate data accuracy and lineage for audits
* **Analytics Teams**: Build reliable models and reports on trusted golden records

## The MDM Journey Complete

Merge represents the culmination of the skyMDM pipeline:

1. **Connect** - Bring data together from disparate sources
2. **Clean** - Standardize and correct data quality issues
3. **Validate** - Ensure data meets quality thresholds
4. **Enrich** - Add context and additional attributes
5. **Map** - Apply semantic labels for consistency
6. **Match** - Identify related records across sources
7. **Merge** - Create authoritative golden records

The result is a unified, trustworthy view of your healthcare data—ready to power better decisions, better care, and better outcomes.