Record Validation for Duplicates: Merging of Duplicate Records

When you have performed duplicate validation for a group of records or an individual record, and at least one duplicate record of the same type has been found, the duplicates are listed in the Records for Merging table on the Duplicates tab of the Leads (CR301000), Contacts (CR302000), or Business Accounts (CR303000) form.

Merging of Records on the Duplicates Tab

You can merge duplicate records relative to the lead, contact, or business account selected on the data entry form in the Records for Merging table on the Duplicates tab of the respective form as follows:

  • On this tab of the Leads (CR301000) form, you can merge the lead that you want to keep as a result of the merge with the duplicate lead.
  • On this tab of the Contacts (CR302000) form, you can merge the contact that you want to keep as a result of the merge with the duplicate contact.
  • On this tab of the Business Accounts (CR303000) form, you can merge the business account that you want to keep as a result of the merge with the duplicate business account.

You can select only one record at a time to be merged with the record currently being viewed on the form. The duplicate values of UI elements are highlighted.

You start merging duplicate records by selecting a record in the Records for Merging table and clicking Merge on the table toolbar of the Duplicates tab. In the Merge Conflicts dialog box, which opens, you can merge into one record the record that is currently selected on the form (the current record) and the record that you have selected in the Records for Merging table (the duplicate record). In the Target Record box, you select Current Record or Duplicate Record to indicate to the system which record to keep as a result of the merge. In the table of the dialog box, for any conflicting field values (that is, different values for the same user interface elements) in the records to be merged, you can select the values to be kept after the merge.

Important:

The system does not allow the following records to be merged:

  • Leads that are associated with different contacts
  • Contacts that are associated with different business accounts
  • Business accounts of the Customer type

If you select any of these records in the Records for Merging table, you cannot click the Merge button, and the system shows an error message.

Also, you cannot merge an account of the Business Account type with an account of the Customer type if the account of the Business Account type is the record selected in the Target Record box of the Merge Conflicts dialog box.

When you have resolved conflicts between the matching fields and merged the target record with the duplicate record, the duplicate record is no longer displayed in the Records for Merging table on the Duplicates tab.

For the duplicate record, the system inserts the Duplicated value in the Duplicate box of the Leads, Contacts, or Business Accounts form and closes this record as duplicate. Also, most of the settings in the Summary area of the form and the settings on the tabs of the form become unavailable for editing.

For the target record, after you have saved the changes on the form, the system updates the record's settings, the Duplicates tab is no longer displayed, and the system inserts the Validated value in the Duplicate box of the Leads, Contacts, or Business Accounts form.

If the duplicate record has any associated activities or attached files, those objects are transferred by the system to the target record after the merge.

For details about merging duplicate records, see Record Validation for Duplicates: To Validate a Lead for Duplicates.

Copying of Relations from a Duplicate Record to a Target Record

When a target record is merged with the duplicate record, the system copies the relations with associated records from a duplicate record and adds to a target record as follows:

  • On the Leads (CR301000) form, from a duplicate lead to the lead that is kept after the merge, activities on the Activities tab, marketing campaigns on the Campaigns tab, marketing lists on the Marketing Lists tab, and any associated records on the Relations tab.
  • On the Contacts (CR302000) form, from a duplicate contact to the contact that is kept after the merge, activities on the Activities tab, marketing campaigns on the Campaigns tab, marketing lists on the Marketing Lists tab, leads on the Leads tab, and any associated records on the Relations tab.
  • On the Business Accounts (CR303000) form, from a duplicate business account to the account that is kept after the merge, activities on the Activities tab, marketing campaigns on the Campaigns tab, marketing lists on the Marketing Lists tab, leads on the Leads tab, opportunities on the Opportunities tab, and any associated records on the Relations tab. If a case has been associated with the duplicate account of the Business Account type, the case is also copied from the duplicate account to the target account on the Cases tab.