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Getting Started > Working with Records > Merging Records
Merging Records
For certain record types, if you have duplicate records, you can merge up to five records of the same record type into one record at one time. For a list of the record types that support the merge functionality, see Support for the Merge Functionality.
NOTE: For information about what happens when you merge divisions, see About Merging Divisions and Deleting Divisions.
When you merge two or more records, you specify the field values from the records that you want to keep in the record that you retain, which is called the primary record. The records that are deleted are called the duplicate records.
The following considerations apply to the merging of records:
- If a field has the same value on the primary record and on all of the duplicate records, and if the field is required, then you cannot change the value in that field during the merge operation. However, if the field is not required, then you can select a blank value instead of the existing value in the field.
- In fields that are updated by the system, the value defaults to the value from the primary record during the merge operation, and you cannot change the value.
- In a multi-select picklist field, you can specify which set of values you want to keep. The following options are available for you to select during the merge operation:
- The set of values from the primary record.
- The set of values from each of the duplicate records.
- A set of values that includes the values from all of the records, up to a maximum of 10 values. Each value is included only once, even if that value appears in the set of values on two or more records.
- A blank value, if the field is not required.
- If your company uses shared addresses, then you cannot select the individual fields in the billing, shipping, and primary addresses that are to be retained when you merge two or more accounts, or dealers, or partners, or contacts. For more information about address fields on accounts, contacts, and partners, see Account Fields: Import Preparation, Contact Fields: Import Preparation, Dealer Fields: Import Preparation, and Partner Fields: Import Preparation. For more information about shared addresses, see Addresses.
When you merge the records, the following happens:
- Any custom books that are linked to the primary record are always retained, but any custom books that are linked to the duplicate records are not automatically linked to the primary record. However, your administrator can enable an option on the company profile to allow you to link the custom books to the primary record automatically when you merge the records. For more information, see About Retaining Linked Custom Books When Merging Records.
The links to the custom books are never removed from the duplicate records during a merge operation, even if you select the option to link those books to the primary record. If you later restore a deleted duplicate record, then the custom books are still linked to the record.
- For the record types that support teams, the team members on the duplicate records are automatically linked to the primary record, but they are not removed from the duplicate records. If you later restore a deleted duplicate record, then the team members are still linked to the record. In the Team related information section on the primary record, the record-type access for the users who were the owners of the duplicate records is set to Merged Owner. The Merged Owner access level gives the user owner access to the primary record.
NOTE: After the records are merged, you can change the access level for these users. However, after you change the access level, you cannot change it back to Merged Owner again.
- If your company uses shared addresses, then the following happens:
- When you merge two or more contacts, the primary address of the primary contact is retained, if it exists. The primary addresses of the duplicate contacts, as well as any other addresses that are linked to the duplicate contacts, are automatically linked to the primary contact and removed from the duplicate contacts. If the primary record does not have a primary address, then the duplicate records are checked to see if a primary address exists on any of those records. If a primary address is found on one of the duplicate records, then that address becomes the primary address on the primary contact. The duplicate records are checked in the order in which they were added to the merge operation. After a primary address is found on a duplicate record, the remaining duplicate records are not checked for a primary address.
If neither the primary contact nor any of the duplicate contacts has a primary address, then the first linked address that is found on a duplicate contact (if one is found) becomes the primary address on the primary contact.
If you later restore a deleted duplicate contact, then none of the addresses that were linked to the duplicate contact before the merge operation, including the primary address, are available.
- When you merge two or more accounts, or dealers, or partners, the billing and shipping addresses of the primary record are retained, if they exist. If the primary record does not have a billing address, then the duplicate records are checked to see if a billing address exists on any of those records. If a billing address is found, then that billing address is copied to the primary record. Similarly, if the primary record does not have a shipping address, then the duplicate records are checked to see if a shipping address exists on any of those records. If a shipping address is found, then that shipping address is copied to the primary record. The duplicate records are checked in the order in which they were added to the merge operation. After a billing or shipping address is found, the remaining duplicate records are not checked for an address of that type.
With the exception of the billing and shipping addresses on accounts, dealers, and partners, all other addresses that are linked to a duplicate record are automatically linked to the primary record and removed from the duplicate record.
If you later restore a deleted duplicate account, dealer, or partner, then the billing and shipping addresses are available on the record (if they existed before the merge operation), but the links to any other addresses are not restored.
- If your company does not use shared addresses, then the following happens:
- When you merge two or more contacts, all of the addresses that are linked to a duplicate contact are automatically linked to the primary contact and removed from the duplicate contact. If the primary record did not have a primary address before the merge operation, then the first address that is linked to the primary record during the merge operation becomes the primary address on the primary contact. If you later restore a deleted duplicate contact, then none of the addresses that were linked to the duplicate contact, including the primary address, are available.
- When you merge two or more accounts, or dealers, or partners, the billing and shipping addresses on the duplicate records are not copied or linked to the primary record and are not removed from the duplicate records.
With the exception of the billing and shipping addresses on accounts, dealers, and partners, all other addresses that are linked to a duplicate record are automatically linked to the primary record and removed from the duplicate record.
If you later restore a deleted duplicate account, dealer, or partner, then the billing and shipping addresses are available on the record (if they existed before the merge operation), but the links to any other addresses are not restored.
- With the exceptions described earlier for custom books, teams, and addresses, and the exceptions described in About Merging Divisions and Deleting Divisions, all of the records that are linked to a duplicate record are automatically linked to the primary record and removed from the duplicate record before it is deleted. If you later restore a deleted duplicate record, then the links from that record to other records are not restored and the related information sections of the restored record are empty. This is true even if the primary record and the duplicate record were both linked to the same record before the merge operation.
In most cases, Oracle CRM On Demand does not check for duplicate related records when the records that were linked to the duplicate record are linked to the primary record. To remove duplicate related records you must delete them. However, in the case of opportunities that are linked to accounts, Oracle CRM On Demand does not link an opportunity from a merged account to the primary account if the opportunity has the same Opportunity Name and Primary Contact ID as an opportunity that is already linked to the primary account.
- If there are more than 9999 records of any record type linked to any one of the records that you want to merge, then the merge operation will not complete successfully. Also, if there are large numbers of records of any type linked to any of the records that you want to merge, then the merge operation might time out, even if the number of linked records of any one record type does not exceed 9999. Other factors can also cause a merge operation to time out, such as the types of records that are involved in the merge operation, the speed of your network, and the load on the Oracle CRM On Demand database and the Oracle CRM On Demand server. You can work around these issues by doing the following:
- Unlink some of the linked records from the parent record as necessary before you merge the parent records.
- Perform merge operations during off-peak hours.
Before you begin:
- To perform this procedure, your user role must include the Merge Records privilege. To merge records of the Division record type, your user role must also include both the Manage Users privilege and the Manage Roles and Access privilege.
- At least one of the following conditions must be met:
- Your access level for the primary record and your access level for each of the duplicate records allows you to delete the record.
- Your user role includes the Merge Records Without Delete Access privilege.
If your access level for the primary record does not allow you to delete the record, and if your user role does not include the Merge Records Without Delete Access privilege, then the Merge button is not available on the record.
- Note the record names so that you can select them during the merge.
To merge records
- Select the record you want to retain as the primary record.
For instructions on selecting records, see Finding Records.
- On the record Detail page, click the Merge button.
- In Step 1, click the Lookup icon, and select the first duplicate record.
- (Optional) To select an additional duplicate record, click the plus icon (+) and then click the Lookup icon.
You can select a maximum of four duplicate records for the merge operation in addition to the primary record.
- In Step 2, review the values for each record, and select the values to save with the record.
The Value to Save column displays the values from the primary record by default.
- In Step 3, if you want the books that are linked to the duplicate records to also be linked to the primary record when the records are merged, then select the check box.
NOTE: Step 3 appears only if the Enable Merge of Duplicate Record’s Books check box is selected on the company profile. If Step 3 does not appear, or if you do not select the check box in Step 3, then any books that are linked to the duplicate records are not automatically linked to the primary record when the records are merged. For more information, see About Retaining Linked Custom Books When Merging Records.
- Click Finish.
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