Article summary
Deduplicate WhatsApp Registration execution for a small multi-source Malta +356 list without merging customer, language or permission conflicts.
Duplicates stand out in a small Malta +356 list, but a duplicate phone does not mean customer identities may be merged. A household, company or shared contact point can support several business records. Execution deduplication and identity resolution are separate.
Four duplicate patterns need different handling
| Pattern | Execution | CRM |
|---|---|---|
| Exact duplicate row | Check once | Retain provenance |
| Same phone, different customers | Check once | Keep conflict |
| Same customer, different phones | Check separately | Review relationship |
| Different permission states | Technical dedupe | Apply stricter control |
phone_key is not person_key
A normalized phone is useful for task deduplication but cannot replace the customer primary key. Identity merging requires independent business evidence.
Preserve the original during +356 processing
Keep phone_raw and transformation rule. Correct country code does not prove residence, citizenship or language.
Do not resolve language by majority
A Malta operation may serve different language preferences, which come from user choice. Records sharing a phone retain their own preferences.
How Registration returns
TXT contains one unique phone per line while the crosswalk keeps every source row. Excel appends the same observation to related records without merging identities.
Count unknown at phone level
Keep format exception, task unknown and not observed separate. Do not count one unknown repeatedly because several customer rows share the phone.
Protect permission conflicts
If one associated record is opted out, another “allowed” row must not overwrite it. Review phone control and applicable scope.
Use counts for a small list
Show source rows, unique phones, shared phones and conflicts alongside registration outcomes. A rate alone hides relationship complexity.
The Malta boundary
Phones may be deduplicated for execution; people, language and permission must not be simplified as a side effect.
