QUESTION:
I just merged some accounts and the master record has a link to a parent account but that account was deleted in the merge. When I click the link it says the record is deleted? Why is the link still there? I do not have this problem when I merge the same accounts in the Salesforce User Interface, only when merging in DemandTools or DupeBlocker.
ANSWER:
*****Install our FREE native app ParentFixer to avoid this issue along with broken hierarchies when merging. More information on ParentFixer can be found here*****
This is a bug in the Salesforce API merge call which is what DemandTools and DupeBlocker use when executing account merges. The problem occurs when you keep the child account as the master (with the parent account ID populated) and the actual parent account is the non-master. For some reason Salesforce is not clearing the ParentID field on the master when the non-master is deleted as a result of the merge.
You will have the same problem when you perform the same merge in Developer Console using the Execute Anonymous option to execute the API merge. Sample Code (the first ID is the master):
merge new Account( Id = '0014000000asq4NAAQ' ) '0014000000sRdFJAA0';
The same issue used to happen when merging Accounts in the Salesforce User Interface as well, but it appears that issue was fixed at some point (the Parent Account field is not even shown in the User Interface merge anymore). Salesforce needs to fix this in their API merge call as well.
Users who encounter this problem should open a case directly with Salesforce Support providing the execute anonymous code noted above (with the customer's account ID's) to prove this is a generic problem with their API merge code.
NOTE: It is always best practice to KEEP the parent record as the master when merging accounts with hierarchies. More information on merging considerations with hierarchies can be found in the following solution:
What should I consider when merging Accounts with hierarchies?
