What should an Architect recommend to avoid data duplication after importing a new contact dataset?

Recommending the utilization of an off-platform deduplication tool prior to loading the new contact dataset is a strategic approach to prevent data duplication. This method allows for the cleansing of data before it enters the Salesforce ecosystem, ensuring that any duplicate records are identified and resolved outside of the platform.

By preprocessing the data with a specialized deduplication tool, the Architect can significantly enhance the quality of the incoming dataset. This proactive measure minimizes the risk of having duplicates created in Salesforce, which can complicate data management efforts and lead to inconsistency in reporting and user experience.

Furthermore, performing deduplication before data import can also reduce the workload on Salesforce, leading to more efficient import processes and system performance. This is particularly important when dealing with large datasets where the impact of duplicates can be significant.

Loading data with Salesforce duplicate rules or creating a deduplication trigger might help manage duplicates after the fact, but they do not prevent the initial creation of duplicate records during the import process. Similarly, using batch apex for post-loading data cleanup introduces complexity and potential delays, as it requires additional processing after the data is already in the system. Therefore, the most effective and clean approach is to handle deduplication before data import.