Entity resolution
In short
Entity resolution is the process of identifying and merging records that describe the same real-world entity, such as one company that appears as "Acme Inc.", "ACME Incorporated", and "acme.com" in different systems. It is also called record linkage or identity resolution.
For GTM teams it is the foundation under reporting, routing, and AI. If one account is split into three records, scores are wrong, reps collide, and agents reason over fragments.
How entity resolution works
1. Standardize
Clean names, domains, addresses, and country codes into consistent formats.
2. Block
Narrow the comparisons to plausible candidates, such as records sharing a domain or similar name, so you do not compare every pair.
3. Match
Score pairs using rules (same domain) or models that weigh name, location, and other fields.
4. Merge or link
Create one golden record, or keep records and link them under a shared ID. Linking is safer when you may need to undo a decision.
Hard cases in B2B
- Parents and subsidiaries: Decide whether a subsidiary is its own account or part of a parent.
- Shared names: Many unrelated companies have similar names; domains and locations disambiguate.
- Rebrands and acquisitions: The same company can change name and domain.
- Personal vs. work emails: People appear under several addresses.
Example
Say your CRM has 1,200 accounts, and enrichment shows 150 of them are duplicates of others. After resolution, open opportunities, contacts, and activity roll up under one account, and a rep no longer emails the same company twice in one week.
Common mistakes
- Matching on name alone: This creates false merges that are painful to unpick.
- Merging irreversibly: Keep source IDs and a merge log.
- Doing it once: New records arrive daily; run matching continuously.
- Ignoring hierarchy: Without parent links, territory and ABM reporting break.
Entity resolution FAQs
What is entity resolution in data?
Entity resolution is deciding which records across databases refer to the same real-world entity, such as one company or person, and linking or merging them under one identity. It removes duplicates and connects fragmented data.
Why does entity resolution matter for CRM data?
Duplicate and fragmented records split activity, distort scoring and reporting, and cause reps to contact the same account twice. Resolving them gives each account one history, which improves routing, analytics, and any AI using the data.
What is the difference between entity resolution and deduplication?
Deduplication removes repeated records within one dataset. Entity resolution is broader: it also matches records across different systems and formats, links related entities, and often keeps a persistent shared identifier rather than just deleting rows.
How do you match company records without a shared ID?
Standardize names, domains, and locations, then compare candidates using rules or a trained model. Domain is usually the strongest key. Use several fields together, set a confidence threshold, and send uncertain pairs to human review.
