What reconciliation rule is defined by default when selecting profile attributes in the Unified Individual?

• A. Last updated
• B. Source sequence
• C. Most occurring
• D. Oldest record

Answer: (A)

When keeping a single profile from multiple data sources, you need a rule to decide which value to keep for each attribute when sources disagree. The default reconciliation rule uses the most recently updated value. This emphasizes data freshness, so the profile reflects the current state by taking the latest change, which is especially important for mutable fields like contact details or preferences. For example, if a phone number changes in one source today but another source still shows an old number, the latest update wins, keeping the Unified Individual aligned with recent data. This approach reduces manual reconciliation and works well with data pipelines designed to surface recent changes. Other rules exist—such as preferring a value from a preferred source order, selecting the most frequent value across sources, or choosing the oldest record—but they prioritize stability, consensus, or history over recency, which is why they are not the default.