# What is a Filtering Rule and how to use it

## How to Define Exclusion Rules for Duplicate Pairs in Delpha

After Delpha identifies potential duplicate pairs, you may want to **refine, exclude, or annotate** some of them using **exclusion rules**. These rules help automatically filter out certain matches based on field-level comparisons and predefined logic.

## What Are Exclusion Rules?

Exclusion rules let you define **custom logic to update the status of a duplicate pair** and optionally add a comment explaining why the pair should not be considered a valid match.

* ✅ If a rule is triggered → The pair's status is changed to **Auto No**, and a comment is added.
* ❌ If not triggered → No change in status, but a comment may still be added depending on your settings.

## How to Define an Exclusion Rule

{% hint style="success" %}
From version 3.56, we've replaced the old JSON-based interface with a [new visual rule builder to simplify and streamline duplicate rule configuration.](/delpha-for-salesforce/delpha-upgrade/whats-new/duplicate/build-3.56.md#visual-rule-builder-for-duplicate-management)
{% endhint %}

1. **Select the Field to Compare**\
   Choose a field from the object (Account, Contact, etc.). 

{% hint style="danger" %}
The field must be defined in the **Fields** section of the duplicate detection settings.
{% endhint %}

2. **Choose an Operator**\
   Operators (case-sensitive, lowercase) define how the field is evaluated:

* `same`: Both field values are equal
* `not same`: Field values are different
* `empty`: Field is empty for both records
* `not empty`: Field is filled in both records
* `equal`: Field value equals a specific value
* `not equal`: Field value does not equal a specific value
* `greater than`, `lower than`: Compare numerical or date values

3. **Enter Comparison Value** (if needed)\
   Only required for: `equal`, `not equal`, `greater than`, `lower than`\
   No input needed for: `same`, `not same`, `empty`, `not empty`
4. **Define the Action (Discard Field)**
   * `discard = true`: Pair is marked as **Auto No**, and the comment is added
   * `discard = false`: Only the comment is added; status remains unchanged
5. **Add a Comment (Optional)**\
   Define a custom message to populate the **Comment** field when the rule is applied. This helps document the logic behind each exclusion.

## Rule Logic & Conditions

* **Within a rule**: Conditions use **AND** logic
* **Across multiple rules**: Evaluation uses **OR** logic
* **Evaluation order**: Rules are applied from **top to bottom**

## Practical Examples (Accounts)Oner 

<table><thead><tr><th width="55">Rule</th><th width="394">Condition(s)</th><th>Action</th><th>Comment</th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td>1</td><td>Condition: <strong>One RecordType is 'Group'</strong><br>Not Same <code>RecordType</code> + Equal <code>RecordType = Group</code></td><td>Discard</td><td>"group"</td></tr><tr><td>2</td><td>Condition: <strong>One RecordType is a Partnership, the other is an Entity</strong><br>Not Same <code>RecordType</code> + Equal <code>RecordType = Partnership</code> + Equal <code>RecordType = Entity</code></td><td>Discard</td><td>"Partnership vs Entity"</td></tr><tr><td>3</td><td><p>Condition: <strong>The RecordType are different</strong> </p><p>Not Same <code>RecordType</code></p></td><td>Discard</td><td>"record type"</td></tr><tr><td>4</td><td><p>Condition: <strong>The records have different City fields</strong></p><p>Not Same <code>City</code></p></td><td>Discard</td><td><em>(Add comment)</em></td></tr><tr><td>5</td><td><p>Condition: <strong>The records have different Country fields</strong></p><p>Not Same <code>Country</code></p></td><td>Discard</td><td><em>(Add comment)</em></td></tr><tr><td>6</td><td><p>Condition: <strong>The records have different NetSuiteId fields</strong></p><p>Not Same <code>NetSuiteId</code> (custom)</p></td><td>Discard</td><td><em>(Add comment)</em></td></tr><tr><td>7</td><td><p>Condition: <strong>The records have different AccountSegment fields</strong></p><p>Not Same <code>Account Segment</code> (custom)</p></td><td>Discard</td><td><em>(Add comment)</em></td></tr><tr><td>8</td><td><p>Condition: <strong>The records have different AccountType fields</strong></p><p>Not Same <code>Account Type</code> (custom)</p></td><td>Discard</td><td><em>(Add comment)</em></td></tr></tbody></table>

***

{% hint style="warning" %}
[You can combine rules to detect cases where one value is fixed. ](/delpha-for-salesforce/how-to-faq/delpha-duplicate/filtering-rule-one-value-is-set.md)
{% endhint %}

### Examples in JSON

<pre class="language-json5"><code class="lang-json5">[  
# RULE 1
   {
    "name" :  "Rule 1",
    "comment" : "One record type is a Group",
<strong>    "discard" : true,
</strong>    "rules" : 
    [
     {
      "field":"RecordType",
      "operator":"not same"
     },
# AND
<strong>     {
</strong>      "field":"RecordType",
      "operator":"equal",
      "value”:"Group"
     }
    ]
   },                    
# OR
# RULE 2
   {
    "name": "Rule 2",
    "comment":"Partnership vs Entity",
    "discard":true,
    "rules" : 
    [
     {
      "field":"RecordType",
      "operator":"not same"
     },
# AND
     {
      "field":"RecordType",
      "operator":"equal",
      "value" : "Partnership"
     },
# AND 
     {
      "field":"RecordType",
      "operator":"equal",
<strong>      "value" : "Entity"
</strong>     } 
    ]
   },
# OR
# RULE 3
   {
    "name" :  "Rule 3",
    "comment" : "Different RecordType",
    "discard" : true,
    "rules" : 
    [
     {
      "field":"RecordType",
      "operator":"not same"
     }
    ]
  },

# OR
# RULE 4
   {
    "name" :  "Rule 4",
    "comment" : "Different City",
    "discard" : true,
    "rules" : 
    [
     {
      "field":"BillingCity",
      "operator":"not same"
     }
    ]
   },
# OR
# RULE 5
   {
    "name" :  "Rule 5",
    "comment" : "Different Country",
    "discard" : true,
    "rules" : 
    [
     {
      "field":"BillingCountry",
      "operator":"not same"
     }
    ]
   },
# OR
# RULE 6
   {
    "name" :  "Rule 6",
    "comment" : "Different NetSuite Id",
    "discard" : true,
    "rules" : 
    [
     {
      "field":"NetSuiteId__c",
      "operator":"not same"
     }
    ]
   },
# OR
# RULE 7
   {
    "name" :  "Rule 7",
    "comment" : "Different Segment",
    "discard" : true,
    "rules" : 
    [
     {
      "field":"AccountSegment__c",
      "operator":"not same"
     }
    ]
   },
# OR
# RULE 8
   {
    "name" :  "Rule 8",
    "comment" : "Different AccountType",
    "discard" : true,
    "rules" : 
    [
     {
      "field":"AccountType__c",
      "operator":"not same"
     }
    ]
   },
# OR
# RULE 9
   {
    "name" :  "Rule 9",
    "comment" : "French Duplicate",
    "discard" : false,
    "rules" : 
    [
     {
      "field":"BillingCountry",
      "operator":"same"
     },
#AND
     {
      "field":"BillingCountry",
      "operator":"equal",
      "value”:"France"
     }
    ]
   }
]
</code></pre>

{% hint style="info" %}

* \#AND and #OR are here for readability purpose only. They should be removed before applying the JSON.
* API names must be used in JSON for the field tag.
  {% endhint %}


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