---
schema_version: "1"
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title: Identity Resolution Match Rule Terminology
collection: admin
version: current
locale: en-us
portal_url: https://docs.salesforce.com/admin/current/en-us/data/264-0-0/c360_a_identity_resolution_match_rule_terms.md
canonical_url: https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=data.c360_a_identity_resolution_match_rule_terms.htm&release=264.0.0&type=5
source_site: help.salesforce.com
content_type: documentation
content_hash: 3b93469aaf26f0427dc564cf5517710d9d23059af139a30e16a85be32f142ef9
description: Understand the roles that match rules, match criteria, and match methods play in identity resolution rulesets. Adding, adjusting, and removing match rules, match criteria, and match methods can change the consolidation rate of the overall ruleset.
products:
  - Data 360
release: "264"
---
# Identity Resolution Match Rule Terminology

Understand the roles that match rules, match criteria, and match methods play in identity resolution rulesets. Adding, adjusting, and removing match rules, match criteria, and match methods can change the consolidation rate of the overall ruleset.

Match Rules

Each match rule is an opportunity for records to be matched. Records must match the criteria of only one match rule to get matched by the ruleset. The more match rules you create, the more opportunities you give your records to be matched. Adding more rules to a ruleset raises the ruleset’s consolidation rate.![Identity resolution match rule diagram](https://sf-zdocs-cdn-prod.zoominsoftware.com/tdta-data-data_cloud-264-0-0-production-enus/f3569962-3c9b-4f83-9d0c-b6a574e785da/data_cloud/images/identity_resolution_match_rule.png)

Match Criteria

Within each match rule, the criteria determine how precise a particular match rule is. Any two records must match all criteria within a match rule to be matched. The more criteria you include, the harder it is for any two records to match. Adding more criteria to a match rule lowers the ruleset’s consolidation rate.![Digram of identity resolution match rules with multiple criteria](https://sf-zdocs-cdn-prod.zoominsoftware.com/tdta-data-data_cloud-264-0-0-production-enus/f3569962-3c9b-4f83-9d0c-b6a574e785da/data_cloud/images/identity_resolution_match_rule_criteria.png)

Match Methods

Match methods are different ways identity resolution can transform data before trying to match it. You can select from up to five match methods, but not all methods are available for all objects and fields. Match methods that make criteria more stringent, such as Exact or Exact Normalized, can lower consolidation rates, while match methods that are more permissive, such as Fuzzy Match - Low Precision, can raise consolidation rates.![Diagram of how match methods relate to profile consolidation rates](https://sf-zdocs-cdn-prod.zoominsoftware.com/tdta-data-data_cloud-264-0-0-production-enus/f3569962-3c9b-4f83-9d0c-b6a574e785da/data_cloud/images/identity_resolution_match_criteria_method.png)

When a ruleset is being run for real-time matching, all match criteria except phone numbers and email addresses are run using the Exact match method regardless of what scheduled match method you selected when you set up your ruleset. In real-time matching, phone numbers and email addresses are run using Exact Normalized matching unless you speciyfied Exact matching as the scheduled match method.

#### See Also

- [_Salesforce Help_: Identity Resolution Terminology](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=data.c360_a_identity_resolution_terms.htm&release=264.0.0&type=5 "Understand what terms like rulesets and unified objects mean when used in the context of identity resolution.")