Comprehensive and Detailed Explanation From Exact Extract:
In Oracle Utilities Customer to Meter, preventing the addition of duplicatepersonrecords is a critical function to maintain data integrity and avoid redundancy in customer information. The Oracle Utilities Customer to Meter Configuration Guide explicitly states that the system can be configured to prevent duplicate persons through thePerson Identifier Type. The Person Identifier Type defines the types of identifiers (e.g., Social Security Number, Tax ID, Driver’s License) that can be associated with a person record and includes settings to enforce uniqueness for specific identifiers.
By configuring a Person Identifier Type to require uniqueness, the system checks whether an identifier (e.g., a specific SSN) already exists before allowing a new person record to be created. If a duplicate identifier is detected, the system prevents the creation of the new record and prompts the user to review the existing record. This functionality is essential for ensuring that each individual or business is represented by a single person record, reducing errors in billing, communication, and account management.
The Oracle Utilities Customer to Meter Implementation Guide further elaborates that the uniqueness check is implemented through validation rules defined in the Person Identifier Type, which can be customized to align with business requirements. For example, a utility might configure the SSN identifier type to be unique, ensuring that no two person records can share the same SSN.
The other options are incorrect for the following reasons:
Option A: Personrefers to the individual record itself, not a configuration point for preventing duplicates.
Option B: Person Contact Typedefines how contact information (e.g., phone, email) is stored but does not control duplicate prevention.
Option D: Installation Optionsmanage global system settings, such as default parameters, but do not specifically handle duplicate person checks.
Option E: Person Typecategorizes persons (e.g., residential, commercial) but does not include settings for duplicate prevention.
Practical Example:A utility configures the Person Identifier Type for “Social Security Number” to enforce uniqueness. When a customer service representative attempts to create a new person record with an SSN that already exists in the system, the system displays an error message, preventing the duplicate record and directing the representative to the existing person record. This ensures accurate customer data and avoids confusion in billing or service delivery.
The Oracle Utilities Customer to Meter User Guide highlights that configuring duplicate prevention via Person Identifier Type is a best practice for data quality, particularly in large utilities with millions of customers, where manual checks are impractical.
[Reference:, Oracle Utilities Customer to Meter Configuration Guide, Section: Person Identifier Type Configuration, Oracle Utilities Customer to Meter Implementation Guide, Chapter: Customer Information Management, Oracle Utilities Customer to Meter User Guide, Section: Managing Person Records, ]
