Single Table Dedupe - Merge Controls

Before executing the merge there are a series of options that should be reviewed thoroughly which will affect how the data will be merged.

1.  Update Fields Where Master is Empty

Note:  Only applies when NOT using a Field Rule.  

• If a field is populated on a non master and blank on the master, then the data from the non-master will be selected
• If there is more than one non-master record, the data chosen will be depend on whether or not a master rule was applied to pick the master records:
  • Master Rule Applied: Data will be chosen from the next highest scoring non-master record
  • No Master Rule Applied:  The chosen data will be arbitrary, the ONLY WAY to ensure that the desired value is kept is to manually update the field on the master to the desired value
  • All fields are checked by default, but fields can be unchecked if needed (if unchecked the master field will remain blank)

Notes when custom merging:

• The default is to keep a non-blank value instead of a blank value
• The user can choose to keep a blank by double-clicking the blank value to highlight

Boolean fields (true/false) fields ARE NOT considered blank when unchecked as Salesforce stores the value of false in that field.  To always keep true vs. false the boolean field will need to be selected in the next section, "Combine Field Values".

2.  Combine Field Values

Note: Only applies when NOT using a Field Rule.

• Used to select the fields to concatenate in the master and subordinate records
• Available for:
  • Multi-select pick lists  - will keep the values from all records in the merged group
  • Text area fields - will keep the values from all records in the merged group
  • Boolean Fields (true/false) - true always wins
• Select All Fields of Type checkboxes
  • Checking one of the options will check all fields for that Field Type
  • When saving a scenario with these boxes checked, any NEW fields added to the organization since the scenario was created will be AUTO checked for the next run
• Long Text Area Field separator:
  • Default:  Carriage Return/Line Feed
  • Customize by selecting Custom and entering the custom text to be used as a separator

Notes when custom merging:

• The default for text area and multi-select picklist fields is to "combine" the data from all the records in the group
  • The user can change these selections by double-clicking the values they do not want retained on the master record
  • Only the highlighted fields will be kept
• The default for Boolean (true/false) is to keep a true value over a false - true always wins
  • The user is responsible to selecting a false value if that is preferred

3.  Use Salesforce Merge & Merge Batch Size

• Use Salesforce Merge:  When this box is checked, DemandTools calls in Salesforce's merge call to perform the merge
  • This option is ONLY available when merging Accounts, Contacts and Leads and is the default for all pre-built scenarios and any new scenarios built from scratch
  • It is highly recommended that this box NOT be unchecked
• Merge Batch Size:  Merges can be batched to improve speed of merging and reduce the number of API calls
  • Default batch size is 5 but can be adjusted between 1 and 200
  • Higher batch sizes may result in Apex Code Errors
  • Determining the ideal batch size per object will be trial and error
  • Instances with little to no custom Apex code can likely increase the batch size and those with lots of Apex code or code that has not been coded to handled batch processing may need smaller batch sizes

Note: If Use Salesforce Merge is unchecked for any reason, or it is not available (e.g. merging objects other than Accounts, Contacts, or Leads, e.g. Opportunities, custom objects etc.), merging caveats will apply.  Click HERE for more details.

Note:  Merges can ONLY be batched when Use Salesforce Merge is checked, e.g. only available when merging Accounts, Contacts and Leads.

4.  Reassign to Master Owner

• Selected sub-objects on the non-master records will be reassigned to master record owner as they are being re-parented during the merge

Sub-Objects will always be re-parented to the master record during the merge.  ONLY use this option when wanting to update the owner to the master owner when moving the object.

5.  Options: Non-Master Objects

• Specifies what should be done with the non-master records (those marked with a red pin)
  • Delete - Send the non-master record(s) to the Salesforce Recycle bin. Can be undeleted within a 15 day period (if the recycle bin does not reach the record size limit).
  • Prefix - Select which field to prefix and enter the value you would like added (the record will be removed from the recycle bin and the field will be Prefixed in the LIVE environment)

6.  Options:  Extra Field Logging

• The DemandTools logfile will track the id's for the records that are merged
• Check this box and select a field from the drop down list to be tracked in the logfile also
  • Only text fields will be displayed
  • Only ONE extra field can be added to the logfile

7.  Task Creation

Note:  These options are ONLY available when using Salesforce's merge code (Use Salesforce Merge checked) for Accounts, Contacts and Leads.

Users can write a Task report in Salesforce to summarize how many records have been merged by DemandTools and ONLY DemandTools (vs. history tracking which tracks merges but NOT what application completed the merge)

• Summary Task:
  • Task Status : Not Started
  • Task Subject: Single Table Dedupe Results
  • Task Comments: Hardcoded with the completion message and location of the resulting logfile

• Summary Email:
  • Will be sent to the person that ran the merge when it completes
  • NOT dependent on creating a Summary Task
  • Email Subject:  Single Table Dedupe Results
  • Email Body:  Hardcoded with the completion message and location of the resulting logfile
• Merge Tasks:
  • Tasks will be saved on the master record
  • Assigned To:  Options for current user or master record owner
  • Task Subject:  "Records Merged" but can be customized
  • Task Status: Completed
  • Task Comments:  Hardcoded to include the ID's of all Non-Master records along with their owners and any field selected via the Extra Field Logging Option