Data Integrity

Keep your NetSuite data clean and accurate.

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Why Data Integrity Matters

BAD DATA CAUSES PROBLEMS
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Duplicate Customers     →  Confused orders, split history
Wrong Addresses         →  Failed deliveries
Missing Classifications →  Inaccurate reports
Orphan Records          →  Wasted storage, confusion

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Core Practices

Practice	How Often	Impact
Prevent duplicates at entry	Always	High
Validate required fields	Always	High
Review/merge duplicates	Monthly	Medium
Clean obsolete data	Quarterly	Medium
Audit data quality	Quarterly	Medium

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Preventing Duplicates

At Entry Time

DUPLICATE PREVENTION SETTINGS
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For Customers/Vendors:
Setup > Company > General Preferences

Settings:
├── Warn on Duplicate Name: ✓
├── Warn on Duplicate Email: ✓
└── Warn on Duplicate Phone: ✓

Result: Users see warning when creating similar records

Using Custom Validation

DUPLICATE CHECK SCRIPT (Concept)
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When saving Customer:
1. Search for existing customers with same:
   ├── Email address
   ├── Phone number
   └── Tax ID
2. If found:
   ├── Show warning message
   └── Allow or block save

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Finding Duplicates

Manual Search

FINDING DUPLICATE CUSTOMERS
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Step 1: Create a Saved Search
Reports > Saved Searches > New

Step 2: Configure
├── Type: Customer
├── Results: Show duplicates
├── Formula: Group by Company Name or Email

Step 3: Review results
├── Compare records
├── Decide which to keep
└── Merge or inactivate others

Duplicate Detection Search Example

DUPLICATE DETECTION SEARCH
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Criteria: None (find all)

Results Columns:
├── Name
├── Email
├── Phone
├── Created Date

Summary:
├── Group by: Email
├── Count: Number of records
├── Filter: Count > 1 (shows duplicates)

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Merging Duplicates

HOW TO MERGE DUPLICATE RECORDS
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Step 1: Identify the master record
Pick the one with:
├── Most transactions
├── Most complete data
└── Proper naming

Step 2: Merge
Navigation varies by record type:
├── Customers: Lists > Relationships > Customers > Merge
├── Vendors: Lists > Relationships > Vendors > Merge
└── Items: Lists > Accounting > Items > Merge

Step 3: Verify
├── Check transactions moved correctly
├── Verify history preserved
└── Confirm duplicate inactivated/deleted

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Required Field Validation

On Forms

MAKING FIELDS REQUIRED
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Option 1: Form Level
├── Customize the form
├── Set field as "Mandatory"
└── Only applies to that form

Option 2: Field Level
├── Edit the custom field
├── Check "Mandatory"
└── Applies everywhere

Option 3: Scripted Validation
├── User Event script
├── Validate before save
└── Custom error messages

Standard Required Fields

Always require these:

Record Type	Recommended Required Fields
Customer	Name, Email or Phone
Vendor	Name, Terms
Sales Order	Customer, Ship Date
Item	Name, Type, Price

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Data Cleanup

Inactivating Obsolete Records

CLEANUP STALE DATA
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Find Inactive Records:
├── Customers with no orders in 2+ years
├── Items never sold
├── Vendors never used
└── Employees terminated

Process:
Step 1: Create saved search to find them
Step 2: Review list (don't auto-delete!)
Step 3: Export for backup
Step 4: Inactivate (don't delete)
Step 5: Document what was inactivated

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Data Quality Reports

Create a Data Quality Dashboard

DATA QUALITY DASHBOARD PORTLETS
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Portlet 1: Missing Data
├── Customers without email: [count]
├── Items without cost: [count]
└── Vendors without terms: [count]

Portlet 2: Potential Duplicates
├── Same email addresses: [count]
├── Same phone numbers: [count]
└── Similar names: [count]

Portlet 3: Stale Data
├── Customers inactive 1+ year: [count]
├── Items not sold in 1 year: [count]
└── Open orders 90+ days old: [count]

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Audit Trail

System Notes

Every record tracks changes:

WHERE TO SEE CHANGES
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On any record:
├── Go to System Notes subtab
├── See: Date, User, Field, Old Value, New Value
└── Search system notes via saved search

Setup for Custom Fields:
├── Field Definition > Store Value History: ✓
└── Changes will be logged

Login and Role Audits

Audit	Location	See
Login Audit	Setup > Users/Roles > View Login Audit	Who logged in when
Role Audit	Setup > Users/Roles > Role Audit Trail	Role permission changes

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Quick Reference

I want to...	Go to
Enable duplicate warnings	Setup > Company > General Preferences
Merge customers	Lists > Relationships > Customers > Merge
See record changes	Record > System Notes subtab
Find duplicates	Create saved search with grouping
Mass inactivate	Lists > Mass Update > Employee/Customer/etc.

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Data Quality Checklist

Monthly:

□ Review duplicate warning reports
□ Merge confirmed duplicates
□ Check for missing required data
□ Review failed imports

Quarterly:

□ Inactivate stale customers/vendors
□ Review unused items
□ Run data quality dashboard
□ Clean up test records
□ Archive or export old data

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Key Takeaways

1. Prevent duplicates - enable warnings at entry
2. Require important fields - validation saves cleanup later
3. Find and merge duplicates - regularly review
4. Inactivate, don't delete - preserve history
5. Monitor with dashboards - track data quality metrics

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Related Topics

• Data Migration - Importing clean data
• Auditing - Change tracking
• Security Considerations - Data protection