You find duplicate records affecting key metrics. How do you handle this scenario?

< 1 min read

First, I would validate the issue by profiling the dataset and confirming where duplicate records are occurring and how they impact the KPI.
I would identify the cause by checking the data pipeline, source tables, or joins that might be creating duplicates.
For example, in one reporting dataset I noticed duplicates caused by a one-to-many join between orders and transactions.
Next, I would quantify the impact on the affected metrics to understand how much the KPI is inflated.
Then I would apply a fix such as deduplication logic, using unique keys, aggregation, or window functions depending on the scenario.
I would also update the data model or transformation layer to prevent the duplicates from reappearing in future refreshes.
After the fix, I would validate the corrected numbers against the source system to ensure accuracy.
Finally, I would document the issue and inform stakeholders about the correction and the updated metric values.

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