Output Selector: Latest Value

1.3.3.10.6 Output Selector: Latest Value

The Latest Value output selector evaluates a date stamp on each record to select a value to use for another attribute.

Use the Latest Value output selector where records have date stamps, and the best value for a column is likely to come from the record with the latest stamp.

For example, when deduplicating contacts, if contact information was added to the system just two weeks ago, and a duplicate record for the same contact exists with different contact information that was last modified two years ago, the recently added information is more likely to be correct.

The date stamp column must be selected as a Date input to the output selector, in addition to the attribute for which you want to select a value.

The following table describes the configuration options:

Configuration Description

Configuration	Description
Inputs	For the actual output value, any input attributes of any type from any input data sets may be configured. A Date attribute must be configured in order to establish which record should be considered the 'Latest'.
Options	Specify the following options: `Use first non-empty value if tied?`: this option provides a way of selecting a value arbitrarily if more than one record exists with the same, latest, Date/time stamp. The first alphabetically sorted value will be selected for String values, the lowest value for Numbers, and the earliest value for Dates. Type: Yes/No. Default value: Yes.

Inputs

For the actual output value, any input attributes of any type from any input data sets may be configured.

A Date attribute must be configured in order to establish which record should be considered the 'Latest'.

Options

Specify the following options:

Use first non-empty value if tied?: this option provides a way of selecting a value arbitrarily if more than one record exists with the same, latest, Date/time stamp.

The first alphabetically sorted value will be selected for String values, the lowest value for Numbers, and the earliest value for Dates.

Type: Yes/No. Default value: Yes.

Example

In this example, the Latest Value output selector is used to select the email address on the record within a match group that was modified most recently.

Example configuration

Use first non-empty value if tied? = Yes

Example output

The following table shows example output:

Table 1-105 Example Output Using Latest Value Selector

Record A (Email, Last_modified_dat)	Record B (Email, Last_modified_dat)	Output value (Latest Value)
mike.lewis@hotmail.com, 10/01/1998	mike.lewis@aol.com, 14/05/2002	mike.lewis@aol.com
steve_smith@yahoo.co.uk, 12/04/2006	smith_sst@capitagroup.co.uk, 01/08/2003	steve_smith@yahoo.co.uk
dan.stewart@email.net, 10/01/1998	dan.stewart@email.net, 24/03/2000	dan.stewart@email.net
dcole2000@hotmail.com, 24/03/2003	dcole@gmail.com, 24/03/2003	dcole2000@hotmail.com
mikem@gmail.com, null	mike.mills@gmail.com, 17/01/2009	mike.mills@gmail.com