Introduction and references
Introduction
The ultimate aim of working with linked data should not be to produce a single, integrated dataset containing all the information from each table. 'Linkage' should not be confused with 'merging':
For records that can be linked, data merging refers to the process of combining individual records (or information in those records) into an integrated dataset. (National Statistical Service, 2015)
Linkage of separate datasets by a common identifier or key facilitates this merging of subsets of multiple datasets.
References
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(Join diagrams reproduced here under Creative Commons licence - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0/us/)
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