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As you identify duplicate records, you will want to merge them into one record. Completing a merge gives you as the administrator a chance to review the data and keep what is good and immediately remove incorrect information. ChMS provides an efficient Merge Individuals tool to do just that.
Definition: Merging is the process of bringing two separate records together; removing one record and keeping the best definitive record. The goal of a merge is to bring any potential new information into the person's primary record to update it while discarding old data.
First, identify the person record that is the duplicate by reviewing all the instances of the record in question. The most reliable clue is to determine which record has a family associated with it, keeping in mind that the “good” record is often marked as Primary if there are no other family members.
Pro-Tip: Duplicate records are most commonly created by new online donors who have given via an email or name not already in your records. For help finding duplicate records, use the Duplicate Finder.
In some cases, this may require reaching out to the individual to make sure you have their 'preferred' information, such as email address or phone. After this is confirmed, move forward with the merge process.
Merge Process
- Find the merge tool through the left-hand navigation under Individuals > Manage Duplicates > Merge Individuals.
Note: You can also begin a merge from a person's Profile Screen by clicking the Intersecting Arrow icon.
- Individual 1 is the record you want to eliminate. It will be removed from the database when the merge is complete. Individual 2, or The Destination record, is the record that will remain when the merge is completed.
- Enter the name of the record you wish to remove in the Individual 1 field and the name of the record you wish to keep in the Individual 2 field.
- Carefully review each line of data that appears in the Merge Screen, selecting the radio buttons (circled selectors) and checkboxes to identify which data to keep. Radio buttons identify “either/or” data, while checkboxes allow the selection of both data points. If you have your record selections backward, just click the browser back button and re-select Individual 1 and Individual 2. The following 3 images show all the options available as soon as both members are selected.
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Once the data has been reviewed and is ready to be merged, click MERGE. The software will let you know the task was completed and provides a link to see the new profile.
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