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Combine Duplicates


The Combine Duplicates utility allows you to search for and combine duplicate records into one new record based on a variety of criteria.  A new record is created in the program when you combine two or more records. Depending on the Delete Merged setting under the Organization utility the combined records are deleted or kept and marked as duplicates (More Information).  The utility automatically searches for organization/last name matches along with other specified criteria.

First Name Characters: This filter searches for four matching characters in the first name by default. You can adjust this however you like (from 0-99). There are also options for Compare Title and Compare Suffix.

Address Characters: This filter searches for matching characters in the address lines on individual records. You can leave this at zero or put in up to a two digit number. Options are also available for Compare City and Compare State.

Postal Code Characters: This filter searches for matching characters in the address postal code on individual records. You can leave this at zero or put in up to a two digit number.

Compare Phone Number: This filter compares the phone number in addition to any other filters in use.

All of these are 'AND' filters so the more options you select the narrower your search parameters.

Click the Search button to show results, the Clear Filters link to clear the filters, or the Manually Combine Names button to manually select which names to combine (More Information).

Possible duplicates display along with an explanation of why they matched. For each record the following information displays:

Identifier

Name

Address

Phone Number

Applications

If you do not want to combine a group of records, leave the drop-down list set to Don't Combine for each. If you do want to combine a group of records, select Primary for the record that you want to keep and Combine for any you wish to combine into that individual. You can then click the Combine Selected People in this grid link.

The record selected as Primary is used for default values for fields with differing information. All financial history is retained under the new combined record.

 

The Primary record is the name from which employee and vendor information (e.g., compensations, deductions, terms) are retained when there is a conflict. Conflicting information on other selected records is discarded. All financial history is retained from all selected records.

 

Fields with conflicts such as Title, Salutation, First Name, Middle Name, Marital Status, Gender, Federal Identification, and any conflicting phone fields then display. Select the desired value for all of these fields via drop-down list and then click the Combine button to combine the records. The newly combined record is then opened automatically. 

 

The Family, Anniversary Date, and Graduation Date fields are related to Arena and can be ignored during the combine process.

 

Combine Duplicates Manual

 

The Manually Combine Names utility allows you to combine multiple duplicate records into one new record. A new record is created in the program when you combine two or more records. Depending on the Delete Merged setting under the Organization utility the combined records are deleted or kept and marked as duplicates (More Information).

The first record chosen is used for default values for fields with differing information. All financial history is retained under the new combined record.

 

The first record selected is the name from which employee and vendor information (e.g., compensations, deductions, terms) are retained when there is a conflict. Conflicting information on other selected records is discarded. All financial history is retained from all selected records.

 

Select the first record by clicking the (not set) link or the Search  icon. This displays the Person Search screen. By default the search text for the Name field searches for last names and organizations. To search for first and last names enter your search in the "lastname, firstname" format. You can also search by City and State. Select the first record and click Select. Alternately, click the Cancel link to return to the previous screen without selecting a record.


NOTE: Search for just a first name by starting your search with a comma (e.g., ", James"). Display a complete list of individuals by searching for just a comma.


Select the second record by clicking the second (not set) link. You can select as many duplicate records as necessary. Click the Compare button to move forward in the combining process.

Fields with conflicts such as Title, Salutation, First Name, Middle Name, Marital Status, Gender, Federal Identification, and any conflicting phone fields then display. Select the desired value for all of these fields via drop-down list and then click the Combine button to combine the records. The newly combined record is then opened automatically. 

 

The Family, Anniversary Date, and Graduation Date fields are related to Arena and can be ignored during the combine process.