To start merging your data, you must tell the system which base objects to evaluate.

• Navigate to Identity Resolution and click Create New Rule Set.

• Select the Individual Object as the primary Data Model Object (DMO) you want to unify.

• Define your Rule Set Name (e.g., People) and a unique Rule Set ID.

Once created, the system automatically prepares the target architecture. For every standard object (like contact point email or phone), Data Cloud creates a corresponding unified object, such as Unified Individual and Unified Individual Email.

Step 2: Configure Matching Rules

Next, you define the logic Salesforce uses to catch duplicate records. Because customers rarely provide identical information everywhere, leveraging built-in AI precision rules is essential:

• Fuzzy First Name: Accounts for variations or typos (e.g., matching "Harsh" with "Harshit"). You can adjust the AI precision level to low, medium, or high.

• Exact Last Name: While people play with their first names, surnames usually stay consistent. Setting this to "Exact" keeps your matching accurate.

• Exact Normalized Email: This looks at the core email address, ignoring minor formatting differences.

Data Quality Tip: For normalized matching to work effectively, ensure good data hygiene upfront. Validate customer emails using OTPs or double opt-ins before importing them into Data Cloud.

Step 3: Run and Wait for Reconciliation

After saving your rules, click Update Status. The backend AI will begin processing, running reconciliation rules to link matching IDs across your Salesforce CRM, Marketing Cloud subscriptions, and external data lakes.

Keep in mind that this reconciliation process typically takes 2 to 3 hours to complete. Once finished, you can view the clean, single-source-of-truth profiles in the Data Explorer, fully primed for advanced segmentation and targeted marketing campaigns.

A Subscriber is an individual who has actively opted in to receive communications from your company via a specific channel.

• EmailStudio: Opting into emails makes someone an Email Subscriber, adding them to the "All Subscribers" list.
• MobileStudio: Opting into SMS or push notifications makes them a Push/SMS Subscriber.

Subscribers are inherently siloed by the specific channel they use to interact with your brand.

What is a Contact?

Businesses need a single, holistic view of a customer's entire footprint. That’s where Contacts come in.

Inside ContactBuilder, the AllContacts section acts as your master database. Marketing Cloud treats an individual as a single contact, regardless of how many channels they use. Whether you receive an email, an SMS, or a push notification, SFMC ties all of these channel addresses and activities back to one unique Contact.

TheGoldenRule: A contact can exist without being an email subscriber. For instance, if someone only signs up for mobile push notifications, they will exist in All Contacts (with their App ID) but will be completely absent from Email Studio's All Subscribers list.

Key Differences at a Glance

How is Contact Data Created?

Contacts enter your "All Contacts" database through several primary methods:

• DirectImports: Loading data straight into Contact Builder.
• MarketingSends: Sending a communication to a new List or Data Extension automatically registers them.
• SalesforceDataSync: Syncing data seamlessly from Sales or Service Cloud.
• APIs: Creating contacts programmatically from external systems.

By understanding this distinction, you can better manage your cross-channel journeys and ensure your audience gets a unified experience, no matter the channel.