Finding duplicates and merging records

The same customer entered twice, a contact created by two sales representatives: duplicates distort the figures and scatter the history. The CRM detects them, shows them to you in pairs and lets you merge two records into one, or dismiss a pair that is not a duplicate. This article is intended for sales representatives, their managers and CRM administrators.

Before you start #

• The CRM module must be enabled for your workspace and open to you (see Enabling and administering the CRM module).
• The CRM › Duplicates entry appears if you have “CRM accounts — View” or “CRM contacts — View”. The Accounts tab follows the first permission, the Contacts tab the second.
• Dismissing a pair requires the permission to edit both records (“CRM accounts — Edit” or “CRM contacts — Edit”).
• Merging requires the permission to delete both records (“CRM accounts — Delete” or “CRM contacts — Delete”), within your scope for each of them (see CRM settings).

How the CRM detects duplicates #

Two records are matched as soon as one criterion links them. Each criterion has a weight; a pair’s score is that of its best criterion, plus 5 for each additional criterion, up to 100.

The same criteria apply when you enter data: when you create an account or a contact, you are warned if a similar record already exists (see Managing accounts and Managing contacts).

The probable duplicates screen #

Open CRM › Duplicates. The Probable duplicates page is computed on the spot, among the records you can read: a pair only appears if you can read both of its records. A merge, a correction or a dismissed pair therefore disappears from the screen straight away.

Choose the Accounts or Contacts tab. Each pair shows:

• its Score and the reasons for the match;
• both records side by side, with a link to each, their main details, their owner and their creation date; an archived account is flagged;
• the buttons your permissions allow: Merge and These are not duplicates.

The most likely pairs come first. The list is split into pages.

Dismissing a pair #

If the two records really are two different organisations or two different people, click These are not duplicates. The message “Pair dismissed: it will no longer be suggested.” confirms it. The pair does not come back on the screen, and the action is recorded in the timeline as “Dismissed from probable duplicates”.

Merging two records #

A merge brings two records together into one. The Kept record remains; the Absorbed record disappears, and everything that pointed to it moves to the kept record.

1. On the duplicates screen, click Merge on the pair. From an account or contact record, click Merge with…, then search for the other record (at least two characters): the record you start from is the kept record.
2. Check which record is kept. To switch them round, click Swap: the preview is recalculated.
3. Under Value kept, field by field, choose for each field that differs the Kept or Absorbed value. For notes, a third option, Both, one after the other, puts the kept record’s text first, then the absorbed one’s. Identical fields are hidden: Show identical fields expands them.
4. Read the Will move to the kept record section: it counts what will follow the absorbed record.
5. Click Merge, then confirm in the “Confirm the merge?” window. A merge cannot be undone.

The kept record then opens. The owners of both records are notified by the bell, except the person who carried out the merge.

Default choices #

For each field, the preview preselects the kept record’s value, the absorbed record’s value when the kept one is empty, and both texts when the notes differ. A merge accepted without changing anything therefore loses no information.

What moves to the kept record #

• For two accounts: account types, legal identifiers, addresses, subsidiaries, tags, attachments, attached contacts, custom field values, and the absorbed account’s activities, opportunities, quotes and projects; depending on the features in use, also its links to other organisations, its club memberships, its accounting parties, the time and expenses recorded against it, its place in projects, the emails logged on it, its suggested Outlook meetings and the calendar charging rules that point to it. An email the kept record already has appears on it only once. The absorbed account’s organisation is deleted if nothing else uses it.
• For two contacts: emails, phone numbers, tags, account attachments, custom field values, and the activities, opportunities, quotes and projects the absorbed contact appeared in; also their club memberships, their event registrations and invitations, and the emails logged with them. An activity or opportunity that named both contacts keeps only one.
• A contact’s legal basis carries its consent date and proof with it: they always come from the same record.

Contact refusals are always kept #

When two contacts are merged, the refused channels (Do not call, Do not email, No mail) are never a matter of choice: the kept contact refuses every channel that either of the two refused. The preview says so with “These refusals are kept, whatever the choice:”. If the preferred channel kept is one of the refused channels, it is dropped. Likewise, if either contact had objected, the kept contact has objected too (see Protecting contact data (GDPR)).

Finding a merge again #

The kept record’s timeline records the merge (“Merge: account absorbed” or “Merge: contact absorbed”), with the values taken from the absorbed record, what moved over and, for a contact, the refusals kept. It also takes over the absorbed record’s history. Filter the timeline on the Merges type to find them.

Good to know #

• If one of the two records has just been merged or deleted by someone else, nothing is merged: the screen says so and refreshes.
• If you cannot delete one of the two records, the preview says so: “Merging requires the right to delete both records, and you do not have it on one of them.”
• An absorbed record can no longer be found in the lists: open the kept record.

FAQ #

I can see a pair on my screen, but my colleague cannot. #

A pair only appears if you can read both of its records. Your colleague may not have the same scope as you on accounts or contacts.

The Merge button does not appear on a pair. #

You need the permission to delete both records, within your scope. With the Mine scope, you can only merge two records you own; ask their owner or your manager.