Unique Identifiers

Unique identifiers determine how the ERP Toolkit finds existing entities in epilot. When an event is processed, the system searches for entities matching the specified identifiers to decide whether to create a new entity or update an existing one.

Basic Usage

Specify one or more fields as unique identifiers:

{
  "entity_schema": "contact",
  "unique_ids": ["customer_number"],
  "fields": [
    { "attribute": "customer_number", "field": "customerId" },
    { "attribute": "first_name", "field": "firstName" }
  ]
}

The system extracts the value of customer_number from the mapped fields and searches for existing entities.

Lookup Behavior

Single Identifier

"unique_ids": ["customer_number"]

Searches for entities where customer_number matches the incoming value.

Multiple Identifiers (AND Logic)

"unique_ids": ["customer_number", "branch_code"]

Searches for entities where both fields match. Useful for composite keys.

Lookup Results

Result	Action
No match	Create new entity
Single match	Update existing entity
Multiple matches	Error - ambiguous identifier

Special Identifier Types

Direct Entity ID (_id)

If you know the epilot entity ID, bypass the search:

{
  "entity_schema": "contact",
  "unique_ids": ["_id"],
  "fields": [
    { "attribute": "_id", "field": "epilotEntityId" },
    { "attribute": "first_name", "field": "firstName" }
  ]
}

This directly fetches the entity without Elasticsearch search.

Email Lookup

Email fields require special handling since they're stored as arrays:

{
  "entity_schema": "contact",
  "unique_ids": ["email"],
  "fields": [
    { "attribute": "email", "field": "emailAddress", "_type": "email" }
  ]
}

The system automatically searches the repeatable email field structure.

Phone Lookup

Similar to email, phone fields are repeatable:

{
  "entity_schema": "contact",
  "unique_ids": ["phone"],
  "fields": [
    { "attribute": "phone", "field": "phoneNumber", "_type": "phone" }
  ]
}

Multi-Field Composite Keys

For entities with composite business keys:

{
  "entity_schema": "contract",
  "unique_ids": ["contract_number", "contract_type"],
  "fields": [
    { "attribute": "contract_number", "field": "contractId" },
    { "attribute": "contract_type", "field": "type" },
    { "attribute": "start_date", "field": "startDate" }
  ]
}

Both contract_number and contract_type must match for an entity to be found.

Fallback Strategies

Primary and Secondary Identifiers

Process entities with different identifier strategies:

{
  "entities": [
    {
      "entity_schema": "contact",
      "unique_ids": ["customer_number"],
      "enabled": "$exists(customerId)",
      "fields": [
        { "attribute": "customer_number", "field": "customerId" }
      ]
    },
    {
      "entity_schema": "contact",
      "unique_ids": ["email"],
      "enabled": "$not($exists(customerId)) and $exists(email)",
      "fields": [
        { "attribute": "email", "field": "email", "_type": "email" }
      ]
    }
  ]
}

This first tries to match by customer_number, falling back to email if not available.

Identifier Requirements

Field Must Be Mapped

The identifier field must be included in the fields array:

// Correct
{
  "unique_ids": ["customer_number"],
  "fields": [
    { "attribute": "customer_number", "field": "customerId" }  // Required
  ]
}

// Incorrect - will fail
{
  "unique_ids": ["customer_number"],
  "fields": [
    { "attribute": "first_name", "field": "firstName" }
    // customer_number not mapped!
  ]
}

Non-Empty Values

Identifier fields must have non-empty values. Empty or null values cause lookup failures:

// Add validation
{
  "attribute": "customer_number",
  "field": "customerId",
  "enabled": "$exists(customerId) and customerId != ''"
}

Best Practices

Choose Stable Identifiers

Use business keys that don't change over time:

Good	Avoid
Customer number	Email address
Contract ID	Phone number
Meter serial number	Name
External system ID	Address

Avoid Ambiguity

Ensure your identifiers uniquely identify entities:

// Too broad - may match multiple entities
"unique_ids": ["last_name"]

// Better - unique business identifier
"unique_ids": ["customer_number"]

// Best - composite key for guaranteed uniqueness
"unique_ids": ["customer_number", "branch_code"]

Handle Legacy Data

When migrating data, include both old and new identifiers:

{
  "entity_schema": "contact",
  "unique_ids": ["new_customer_id"],
  "fields": [
    { "attribute": "new_customer_id", "field": "newId" },
    { "attribute": "legacy_id", "field": "oldId" }
  ]
}

Error Handling

Multiple Matches

When multiple entities match the identifier:

{
  "status": "error",
  "message": "Multiple entities found for unique identifier",
  "error": {
    "code": "AMBIGUOUS_IDENTIFIER",
    "category": "validation"
  }
}

Resolution: Use more specific identifiers or clean up duplicate data in epilot.

No Identifier Value

When the identifier field is empty:

{
  "status": "error",
  "message": "Required unique identifier field is empty",
  "error": {
    "code": "MISSING_IDENTIFIER",
    "category": "validation"
  }
}

Resolution: Ensure source data includes the identifier value.

Next Steps

• Relations - Link entities together
• Meter Readings - Handle meter reading data
• Examples - Complete integration examples