Working with Merge/Purge Sold-to Names (MMCS)

Purpose: Merging and purging customer sold-to names allows you to streamline your customer database by consolidating order and sales information from customers that have duplicate match codes (source customers) into a target customer record. Several source customer numbers can point to the same target customer number if they all share a match code. The system selects the oldest customer record as the target customer. This is the customer number that remains on the system when you run the merge/purge.

When you process the merge/purge, the system consolidates information from each source customer with the target customer. In each case, the system attempts to preserve the most current and complete information. The logic that the system uses in performing the merge/purge is discussed later in this chapter.

You can also use the Merge/Purge Customer Sold-to function when you use a tape from Direct Tech to update your customer list. See Working with Direct Tech Tape Upload for information on how to load the tape and edit the resulting file. Once you submit the tape to the Merge/Purge Customer Sold-to function, the system handles these records in the same way as those you generate through the CWDirect merge/purge process.

Note: It is recommended that you process the merge/purge for your bill-to customers before your sold-to customers to avoid unnecessary duplicate bill-to errors.

Where do duplicates come from? Duplicate codes can result when two customers have demographic information close enough to produce identical match codes. For example, Gerald Smith and Geraldine Smith live at the same address, and use the same nickname, Jerry. A duplicate can also occur during Order Entry if a customer uses a variation of his first name on different orders. For example, Jonathan Jones places orders on two occasions and gives Jon as his first name on one order, Jonathan as his first name on another order.

Omitting customers from merge/purge: You can use the delete option at the Work with Source Customers Screen to omit a customer from the merge. Using this option flags the customer’s Status as M, which indicates to omit the customer from future merge/purge lists. To reset all customers flagged with the M status and make them eligible for merge/purge selection again, use the Clearing Customer Sold To Status (MCST) menu option.

Adding records to the merge/purge: This function also allows you to create target and source customers in order to merge customer records that the system would not ordinarily select because the match codes are entirely different.

For example, if customer, Ann Delaney, resumes using her maiden name, Williams, and places an order under that name, you would want to merge Ann Delaney's customer and order history with her new customer record, Ann Williams. In order to do this, you would want to create Ann Williams as the target customer and Ann Delaney as the source customer.

If you have not generated a list of duplicate records to work with, this should be the first option that you perform. Then you can review and change customer sold-to records, if necessary, in preparation for the merge/purge.

E-Commerce: The system populates the EC Customer Sold To Merge Staging file if the Generate E-Commerce Customer Merge Staging Files (H86) system control value is set to Y. Also, if the customer sold to is associated with individuals, the system populates the EC Customer Individual Merge Staging File. The E-Commerce File Download Trigger Process (TRIGGER_DL) in the Working with Integration Layer Processes (IJCT) menu option sends a Customer Merge XML Message (CWFileTransfer) through CWIntegrate to the web storefront indicating customers have been merged in CWDirect and the customer information on the web may now be inaccurate. It is the web storefronts responsibility to retrieve the records in the e-commerce customer merge staging files.

DMT Interface: The system creates triggers in the Marketing Download Trigger file when you perform a customer sold to merge/purge if the Include All Customer Merge/Purge Triggers in DMT (L17) system control value is set to Y and the Populate Marketing/PO Interface Trigger File (G33) system control value is set to CUSTOMER, ORD/CUST, or ALL. The type of trigger record created depends on whether the source sold to customer is retained as a ghost customer:

• A CM (Customer Merge) trigger record is created to indicate the source customer is merged into the target customer and retained as a ghost customer.

• A CP (Customer Purge) trigger record is created to indicate the source customer is merged into the target customer and removed from the system.

When you run the DMT Marketing Download Trigger Command to populate the DMT files, the system creates a record in the DMT Customer Merge/Purge File for each CM and CP trigger record.

In this topic:

• Merge/Purge Customer Sold To Screen

• Submit Generation Window (Generating a List)

• Ghost Customers

• Maximum Number of Source Customers

• Confirm Delete Window (Deleting a List)

• Work with Source Customers Screen

• Create Target Customer Screen

• Creating a Source Customer

• Performing a Merge

• Display Customer Screen

• Merge/Purge Logic

• How are the Customer Files Updated?

• Clearing Customer Sold To Status (MCST)

• Confirm Clear of Customer Status Window

Merge/Purge Customer Sold To Screen

How to display this screen: Enter MMCS in the Fast Path field at the top of any menu or select the Merge/Purge Customer Sold To option from a menu.

CSR0355 DISPLAY Merge/Purge Customer Sold To 2/15/99 16:27:57 KAL Co. Opt Customer# Name Sts Type options, press Enter. 4=Delete 5=W/W duplicates 6=Change cust sold to 7=Display cust sold to 45 LETENDRE, LISA O Open Duplicate: 12542 SLOSBERG, MICHELLE O Open Duplicate: 000000008 000000058 000012559 F3=Exit F6=Create F7=Generate list F8=Delete list F9=Perform merge F12=Cancel F21=Print List F22=User defined option F24=Select company

About this screen: This screen will contain no data if you have not generated a listing of customers with duplicate match codes by pressing F7 or if you have submitted a list from Direct Tech to the merge/purge function. See Submit Generation Window (Generating a List).

If you have already generated a listing, this screen will show the names of target customer records, along with the customer numbers that have duplicate match codes. The duplicate match code customer numbers appear in bold below the target customer name, as shown in the sample screen.

Field	Description
Customer #	A unique number to identify a customer who places an order. This is the number assigned to the target customer; the system appends relevant information from the source customer onto the target customer record. Numeric, 9 positions; optional.
Name	The name or company name of the customer. Customer names display last name first. Company name: alphanumeric, 30 positions; display-only. Customer name: alphanumeric, 25 positions (last name) and 15 positions (first name); display-only.)
Duplicate	The customer number of the duplicate (source) customer record. If there is more than one source customer, the additional customer numbers will display. Numeric, 9 positions; display-only.
Sts (Status)	The status of a customer record. Valid values are: B = Bill to Duplicate O = Open Enter a valid status code to display records of that status. Alphanumeric, 1 position; optional.

Screen Option	Procedure
Create target customer	Press F6 to advance to the Create Target Customer Screen.
Delete a customer sold-to merge/purge record	Enter 4 next to a customer to delete a customer sold-to record from the merge.
Work with existing duplicates (source customers) or add duplicates	Enter 5 next to a customer to advance to the Work with Source Customers Screen in Change mode. See Creating a Source Customer for information on working with this screen in Add mode.
Change customer sold-to	Enter 6 next to a customer to advance to the Display Customer Screen.
Display customer sold-to	Enter 7 next to a customer to advance to the Display Customer Screen.
Generate a list of duplicate customer names	Press F7 to submit this job for processing. See Submit Generation Window (Generating a List).
Delete list of target and source customers	Press F8 to delete the list. See Confirm Delete Window (Deleting a List).
Merge and purge customers	Press F9 to submit the merge/purge job for processing. See Performing a Merge.

Submit Generation Window (Generating a List)

Purpose: To generate a list of duplicate names eligible for merge/purge, press F7 at the Merge/Purge Customer Sold To Screen.

Submit Generation Press ENTER to submit generation. Save source as ghost N (Y,N) Max. Customers to Merge (Blank = No Limit) F12=Cancel

Ghost Customers

Use the Save source as ghost field on this window to indicate whether you want to delete or save source customer records with duplicate match codes once the order and customer history is merged with the target record. The Ghost? field defaults to N, but you can change it to Y. If you enter Y in this field, the system will retain the source customer record in the Customer Sold To file, but the record will be flagged as a Ghost customer, and will have no order, billing, mail or entity history, since all history records will be merged into the target customer’s history. When you enter a Ghost customer number in order entry, or when entering a catalog request or customer membership, a pop-up window will inform you that the customer number you entered belongs to a Ghost customer, and will indicate the target customer you can enter instead. See Ghost Customer Number Warning Window.

Ghost customers do not display on any scan screens in order entry, order maintenance, order inquiry, catalog requests, customer maintenance, working with return authorizations, or working with customer memberships. If you enter a ghost customer number in any maintenance function, the system does not display any history, such as orders or catalog requests, because all history has been merged to the target customer.

Additionally, you cannot include a ghost customer as a target customer or source customer in a future merge/purge.

Maximum Number of Source Customers

You can also define the maximum number of source customers you wish to process for a target customer. If you enter a maximum number, the system will complete the merge/purge process once the maximum number has been reached and the update for the target customer the system is currently working on has completed.

When you complete this screen and press Enter, the system submits the batch job M_PGENERAT to the job queue, and returns you to the Merge/Purge Customer Sold To screen; press F5 to view the generated list.

Confirm Delete Window (Deleting a List)

Purpose: To delete the existing list of target and source customers and clear the Customer Merge/Purge files, press F8 at the Merge/Purge Customer Sold To Screen.

Confirm Delete WARNING: The entire file will be cleared of Target and Source Customers. Press ENTER to confirm or F12 to Cancel. F12=Cancel

Work with Source Customers Screen

Purpose: Once you have generated the list of target and source customers, you can work with the duplicate, or source customers; optionally, you can retain the records of the source customers by flagging them as Ghost?. Use this screen in Add mode to select a source customer for a target customer you added to the merge/purge list using the Create option at the Merge/Purge Customer Sold To Screen; see Creating a Source Customer.

When you delete a customer at this screen, it sets the customer’s Status to M, which indicates not to select the customer for subsequent merge/purge lists. To clear a status of M from any flagged record in the Customer Sold To file, use the Clearing Customer Sold To Status (MCST) menu option. Once you use this menu option to clear all M statuses, the customers are eligible for selection the next time you generate a merge/purge list.

How to display this screen: Enter 5 next to a target customer at the Merge/Purge Customer Sold To Screen.

CSR0360 CHANGE Work with Source Customers 2/17/99 14:25:52 KAL Co. Target Customer : 12542 SLOSBERG, MICHELLE Opt Customer# Name Ghost? Type options, press Enter. 4=Delete 6=Change cust sold to 7=Display cust sold to 8 SLOSBERG, MICHELLE R N 58 SLOSBERG, MICHELLE R N 12559 SLOSBERG, MICHELLE R N F3=Exit F6=Create F12=Cancel

About this screen: This screen includes each source customer for the target customer, including both matches found by the system and source customers you selected.

Field	Description
Customer #	A unique number to identify a customer who places an order. This is the number assigned to the source customer; the system appends relevant information from the source customer onto the target customer record. Numeric, 9 positions; optional.
Name	The name or company name of the customer. Customer names display last name first. Company name: alphanumeric, 30 positions; display-only. Customer name: alphanumeric, 25 positions (last name) and 15 positions (first name); display-only.)
Ghost?	A ghost customer is a source customer whose records have been merged into a target customer’s records. Enter Y in this field to retain the customer records in the Customer Sold To file for the source customer after you have completed the Merge/Purge. If you retain ghost customer records, the system will flag the records as Ghost customers. When you enter a Ghost customer number in order entry, or when entering a catalog request or customer membership, a pop-up window will inform you that the customer number you entered belongs to a Ghost customer, and will indicate the target customer you can enter instead. See Ghost Customer Number Warning Window. Alphanumeric, 1 position; required.

Screen Option	Procedure
Add a source customer to the merge/purge	Press F6 to advance to Add mode. See Creating a Source Customer.
Delete a source customer from the merge/purge	Enter 4 next to a customer to delete the customer record from the merge/purge and subsequent merge/purges. See Clearing Customer Sold To Status (MCST) for more information.
Change customer sold-to	Enter 6 next to a customer to advance to the First Create Sold To Customer Screen.
Display customer sold-to	Enter 7 next to a customer to advance to the Display Customer Screen.

Create Target Customer Screen

Purpose: You can create a target customer in order to merge customer records that the system would not normally select because the match codes are entirely different.

How to display this screen: Press F6 on the Merge/Purge Customer Sold To Screen.

CSR0358 ENTER Create Target Customer 2/15/99 16:04:55 KAL Co. Target Customer . F3=Exit F12=Cancel F22=User defined option

Field	Description
Target customer	The customer number for the sold-to customer that you wish to add to the merge/purge as a target customer. If you select any source records for this customer (see Creating a Source Customer), the system will consolidate the customer records when you perform the merge/purge. Numeric, 9 positions; required.

Instructions:

1. Complete the Target customer field.

2. You receive a system message informing you that a Customer Merge/Purge Target (Comp #/Cust #) has been created. When you return to the Merge/Purge Customer Sold To Screen, the target customer you just created now appears.

3. To select a source customer and link it to the target customer so the records will be consolidated when you process the merge/purge, see Creating a Source Customer.

Creating a Source Customer

Purpose: Use this option to select a source customer to merge with a target customer that you created manually (through the Create option at the Merge/Purge Customer Sold To Screen). You can also use this option to change source customers for merge/purge records created by the system; see Work with Source Customers Screen.

How to display this screen: Enter 5 next to a target customer record on the Merge/Purge Customer Sold To Screen, then press F6 at the Work with Source Customers Screen to advance to Add mode.

CSR0360 ADD Work with Source Customers 2/17/99 14:30:15 KAL Co. Target Customer : 12542 SLOSBERG, MICHELLE Opt Customer# Name Ghost? Type options, press Enter. 4=Delete 6=Change cust sold to 7=Display cust sold to + F3=Exit F6=Change F12=Cancel

About this screen: Each field on this screen is described under Work with Source Customers Screen.

Instructions:

1. Enter the Customer # for each customer record you would like to add as a source customer.

2. Enter Y or N in the Ghost? field for each customer to add.

3. When you return to the Merge/Purge Customer Sold To Screen, the customer number you created as a source customer appears in the Duplicate field below the target customer.

Performing a Merge

Purpose: Use this option to merge the customer and order history of a target customer with a source customer(s) and purge source customer records from the system.

To perform a merge/purge: To merge the order and customer history of the source with the target customer, press F9 at the Merge/Purge Customer Sold To Screen. A message displays announcing that MERGE_PURG job has been submitted to the job queue. This job is submitted in a held status, so you can perform merge/purge tasks during business hours and then release these jobs when orders are not being entered or while file updating is not occurring.

See Merge/Purge Logic for a discussion of which files are affected by the merge/purge, and how the system determines which information to keep from the target or source customers.

Display Customer Screen

To display: Enter 7 next to a target customer at the Merge/Purge Customer Sold To Screen to advance to the first Display Customer screen. See Merge/Purge Logic for a sample screen. You cannot change anything on this screen.

Merge/Purge Logic

When you process a merge/purge through Working with Merge/Purge Sold-to Names (MMCS), the system attempts to keep the best, most recent and most complete information for the target and source customers consolidated into one customer record.

See Customer Service Understanding Customer Types.

Affected File	Comments
Alternate Customer # Cross Reference	Adds source records to target.
Catalog Requests	Adds source requests to target.
Correspondence History	Adds source emails to target.
Coupon Redemption	Adds source records to target.
Customer Action	Adds the source information to the target.
Customer Address Change	Adds source address changes to target. See How are the Customer Files Updated?
Customer Contract Pricing	Adds the source information to the target.
Customer Fraud	Adds the source information to the target.
Customer Individual	Merges matching individuals using standard individual customer matching logic; adds additional source individuals to target.
Customer Individual Mail History	Merges matching individuals using standard individual customer matching logic; adds additional source mail history to target.
Customer Individual Order History	Merges matching individuals using standard individual customer matching logic; adds additional source order history to target.
Customer Note	Adds the source notes to the target.
Customer Ownership	Adds the source information to the target.
Customer Pay Type Exclusion	Adds the source information to the target.
Customer Profile	For any of these fields, if the source has information and the target does not, uses the source information.
Customer Ship To	Merges matching ship-to customers based on match code; adds additional source ship-to customers to target.
Customer Ship To Extended	See How are the Customer Files Updated?
Customer Ship To Mail History	Adds the source information to the target.
Customer Ship To Order History	Adds the source history to the target history.
Customer Ship-To Phone Number	Uses most recent phone numbers based on change date. See How are the Customer Files Updated?
Customer Sold To	See How are the Customer Files Updated?
Customer Sold To BML	If the target customer has a BML account number, retain the target customer’s information; otherwise, overwrite the target customer’s information with the source customer’s information. See Bill Me Later Processing for more information and an overview.
Customer Sold To Email	Adds source records to target; target’s primary email address does not change.
Customer Sold To Extended	See How are the Customer Files Updated?
Customer Sold To Item Class	Adds the source information to the target.
Customer Sold To Mail History	Adds the source information to the target.
Customer Sold To Order History	Adds the source history to the target history. See How are the Customer Files Updated? for more information.
Customer Sold To Phone Number	Uses most recent phone numbers based on change date.
Customer Sold To User Fields	If any user field is blank for the target customer but not the source customer, uses the source information.
Customer Subscription	Adds the source information to the target.
Customer Tax	Adds the source information to the target.
Customer Warranty	Adds the source records to the target customer.
EC Customer Individual Merge Staging	CWDirect populates this file if the Generate E-Commerce Customer Merge Staging Files (H86) system control value is set to Y and the customer sold to is associated with individuals.
EC Customer Sold To Merge Staging	CWDirect populates this file if the Generate E-Commerce Customer Merge Staging Files (H86) system control value is set to Y.
General Ledger Detail	Updates the CST Customer # field from the source customer to the target customer.
One Time Use Audit	Adds the source records to the target.
Order Billing History (both sold-to and ship-to customers)	Adds all target and source dollar and quantity figures together; see below for additional information.
Order Header	Adds the source records to the target.
Order Ship To	Adds the source records to the target.
Pick Control Header	Adds the source records to the target.
Pick Gen Select Customer	Adds the source records to the target.
Pick Gen Select PO	Adds the source records to the target.
PO Header	Adds the source records to the target.
President’s Club Membership	CWDirect uses the following logic: • if the source has a membership and the target does not, use the source membership. • if the target has a membership and the source does not, use the target membership. • if both the source and target have a membership, look at the Last change date field in the President’s Club Membership File (OEPCMB) for both the source and target. Use the membership record (source or target) that has the more recent last change date. Note: If you save the source customer as a ghost, the system does not save the President’s Club membership record associated with the ghost; the membership is either merged into the target customer or deleted.
Store Pickup Header	Adds the source records to the target. See Merchandise Locator and Store Fulfillment API through .NET for more information.
Tickler	Adds the source records to the target.
Tickler History	Adds the source records to the target.
Customer Sold To CC App	Adds the source records to the target.

How are the Customer Files Updated?

Field	How Updated?
Address information:
Prefix First name Middle initial Last Name Suffix Company name Street Address Apartment Address line 2 Address line 3 Address line 4 City State Zip Delivery code PO Box? Phone numbers Match code	The system decides which information to keep based on the Last change date and the Last order date: • If the Last change date for the source customer is more recent than the Last change date for the target customer, the system uses the source address information and creates a customer address change record for the target. • If there is no Last change date for either the target or the source, the system compares the target and source Last order date. If the Last order date for the source customer is more recent than the target customer, the system uses the source address information and creates a customer address change record for the target, as above. Note: The system does not validate the target prefix against the Prefix file, regardless of the setting of the Validate Prefix (I27) system control value. See Working with Prefix Codes (WPFX) for an overview.
Primary email address	Uses the target’s primary email address; however, the source’s email addresses are added to the target’s list.
Additional fields:
Entry date	Compares target and source entry dates and uses earlier date.
Original mail type	If the target's original mail type is not B (buyer), uses the source's original mail type.
Current mail type	If the target has no order history (the Last order date field is blank), uses the source's current mail type.
Original source code Customer class	If the target is newer than the source based on the Active since date, uses the source information. (The Active since date is filled when the customer first places an order; if the customer has never placed an order, the Active since date is set to 99/99/99).
Mail Rent Seed	If any of these flags are set to Y for either the target or the source, sets the flag to Y.
Hold/bypass/fraud Customer type Discount percent Price column Pop-up windows Alternate customer number Salesman number Country Mail code Call code Parent company Pop-up windows	For any of these fields, if the source has information in the field and the target does not, uses the source information; otherwise, use the target information.
Tax exempt status Exemption certificate number	If the source has a certificate number and the target does not, uses the certificate number and tax exempt status.
Track item history Item history tracking level	If the Track item history field is set to 2 or 3for the source but not the target, uses the Item history tracking setting from the source.
Current source code	Uses the last source code used by either the source or the target from the Customer Sold To Order History file.
External sales amount	Always uses the source customer’s External sales amount, even if the source customer’s amount is zero and the target customer has an external sales amount.
External sales update date	Updates the target customer’s date with the source customer’s date unless: • the target customer’s date is more recent than the source customer’s date, or • the source customer’s date is blank Note: Because merge/purge of the external sales amount and date use different logic, it is possible to have an amount of zero with an update date, or a date that does not reflect the actual date when the amount was updated.
Inactive flag Commercial flag Bypass reservation flag Auto cancel backorder flag Associate flag Bill-to customer number	Uses the target information.
Life to date warranty dollars	If the source customer has a dollar amount defined and the target customer does not, the system uses the dollar amount defined for the source customer. If a value has been defined in the Life to date warranty dollars field in the Customer Sold To Order History file for both the source customer and the target customer, the system adds the two values together.

Clearing Customer Sold To Status (MCST)

Purpose: When you delete a customer from a merge/purge at the Work with Source Customers Screen, the system flags the customer with a Status of M. Once flagged with this status, a customer is not included the next time you generate a merge/purge list. Use the Clear Customer Sold To Status menu option to clear a Status of M for all records in the Customer file, so they will be eligible for subsequent merge/purge list generation.

Note:

• The Status field is not displayed on a screen.

• This menu option does not clear other values in the Status field.

Confirm Clear of Customer Status Window

How to display this window: Enter MCST in the Fast path field at the top of any menu, or select Clear Customer Sold To Status from a menu.

Confirm clear of Customer Status EZK Mail Order Are you sure you want to clear Customer Sold To status field Press enter to clear Customer Sold To status field F12=Cancel

Completing this window: Press Enter to clear each setting of M in the Status field of the Customer Sold To file for your company. The system resets the Status field from M to blank, and the customer is eligible to be selected the next time you generate a merge/purge list as described under Submit Generation Window (Generating a List).