What Is a SAME_AS Decision?
A SAME_AS decision is the recorded judgment that two product references denote one physical product, with evidence, confidence and timestamp attached. It is the atomic unit of entity resolution.
A SAME_AS decision is the recorded judgment that two product references denote one physical product, with the evidence, confidence and timestamp attached. It is the atomic unit of entity resolution, and keeping the decision, not just its result, is what lets a catalog learn.
Most matching ends with a merged record. The reasoning that produced it, which identifiers agreed, which datasheet was read, how sure the system was, is discarded. A SAME_AS decision keeps it.
Decision vs result
| Result only | Decision kept | |
|---|---|---|
| What is stored | The merged record | The merge plus evidence, confidence and time |
| Next supplier feed | Match again from scratch | Attach to the existing identity |
| New contradicting evidence | Nobody knows what to recheck | The affected decisions are re-evaluated |
| Audit question: why are these one product? | No answer | The stored evidence |
Why decisions are re-checked
A decision is a claim about the world, and the world changes. A supplier corrects an identifier; a datasheet revision shows that two references differ by rated current. Because the evidence is stored with the decision, the system can find every call that depended on it. The opposite judgment, that two similar references are different products, is stored as NOT_SAME_AS and protects against re-merging a pair such as the 10A and 16A breaker variants.
Connection to product memory and the identity graph
A collection of SAME_AS and NOT_SAME_AS decisions is the content of a product identity graph. The idea that a record should keep its history, sources and decisions is developed in From Product Record to Product Memory.
FAQ
What is a SAME_AS decision?
A SAME_AS decision is the recorded judgment that two product references denote one physical product, with the evidence, confidence and timestamp attached. It is the atomic unit of entity resolution.
What is the difference between a decision and a result?
The result is the merged record. The decision is the judgment behind it, including why it was made. Keeping only the result means the reasoning has to be rediscovered on the next supplier feed.
Why are SAME_AS decisions re-checked?
New evidence can change the call: a datasheet may show two references differ by a rated value, or a supplier may correct an identifier. A stored decision with its evidence can be re-evaluated when that evidence changes.
Claro
See how Claro handles this in production
This concept is one piece of keeping a catalog trusted. See how Claro resolves identity, enriches missing attributes, and validates every update before it reaches your PIM or ERP.
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