2.3.1 DETERMINISTIC LINKING
Deterministic data linkage, also known as rule-based linkage, involves assigning record pairs across two datasets that match exactly or closely on common variables. This type of linkage is most applicable where the records from different sources consistently report sufficient information to efficiently identify links. It is less applicable in instances where there are problems with data quality, or where there are limited characteristics.
Initially, a deterministic linkage method was used to identify matches that contained high quality linking information. This involved combining selected personal and demographic characteristics into a single field (e.g. Sex, age, Mesh Block), which was then used to merge the two files together, identifying each record pair.
Print Page
Print All