What kind of data references are being bolted-on to enhance record matching inside the customer database?

Organizations are turning to compiled reference data to compliment the match/merge/optimize routines inside their customer data hub.  A score/rank is also being pre-assigned (appended) to each customer record to make this process easier when it comes to building match-logic for use during the file build process.

A good example of this is aggregating surname into various geographic levels – block group, census tract, zip code, county, and so on.  The resulting surname statistics by geography are used as part of the overall algorithm applied during the integration/update process to improve the decision making process which brings two or more customer records together, referred to as a household.

Note: Surname is only one data element – others exist and vendors in the informations services industry have packaged this concept into licensed modules for use in organizations master data management landscape.