You can merge two duplicate Contacts, Jobs, or Companies into a single record. Open the record you want to keep, select Merge With from the drop-down above the record name, choose the other record, select which fields to carry over, and select Merge. The record on the left is kept, and the record on the right is permanently deleted. The process is the same for all three record types, and some records cannot be merged.
What happens when you merge two records?
The record on the left is kept. It starts as the record you merged from. To keep the other record instead, select Swap in the merge window before you merge.
The record on the right is deleted. After the merge is complete, it cannot be recovered.
All history carries over. The full history of the record on the right is copied to the kept record, including notes, activities, and documents. You do not need to select it.
Fields you do not map are not kept. A field value on the record on the right that you do not choose to keep is deleted with that record.
Review both records carefully before you select Merge.
Who can merge records?
Who | Can merge when... |
Administrators | Always. |
Users who are not administrators | They have Full permission for that record type: Contacts, Companies, or Jobs. |
Merging deletes the record that is not kept, which is why it requires Full permission for the record type.
How to merge two records
This example merges two Contacts. The steps are the same for Jobs and Companies.
Open the record you want to keep. Start from this record, because it becomes the record on the left.
Select the drop-down above the record name, and then select Merge With.
On a contact, the drop-down is This Contact.
On a job, the drop-down is This Job. For other opportunity types, it shows the type, such as This Temp Hire, This Contract, or This Full-Time.
On a company, the drop-down is This Company.
In the window that opens, select the other record you want to merge with and then select OK.
In the merge window that opens, choose the fields you want to keep. For details, see “How do you choose which fields to keep?” below.
After you select the fields to keep, select Merge to complete the merge of the two records. The record on the right is deleted and cannot be recovered.
How do you choose which fields to keep?
The merge window shows both records side by side. The record on the left is kept, and the record on the right is removed. (Screenshot)
Review the details of both records. A value that exists on both records appears faded on the right. If a field is blank on one record, that record has no data in it.
To keep a value from the record on the right, select it. It is added to the kept record on the left and is marked Mapped. For some fields, such as email addresses and phone numbers, Crelate first asks which specific field should store the data. See the next section.
To switch which record is kept, select Swap.
After you select the fields to keep, select Merge to complete the merge of the two records.
To leave the window without merging, select Cancel.
💡 Pro Tip: Start the merge from the record you want to keep. If you notice that the records are reversed, select Swap before you select Merge. A completed merge cannot be undone.
What happens when you map an email address or phone number?
Some contact information has more than one field to choose from. Email addresses and phone numbers, for example, can be stored as different types, such as personal, work, or mobile. When you select one of these values from the record on the right, Crelate checks whether the kept record already has data in that same field. If it does, a conflict window opens and asks where to store the value.
The window defaults to overwriting the existing value in that field. For example, if both contacts have a personal email address, the Personal Email Conflict window says that the contact on the left already has a personal email, and that you can overwrite it or change it to a different type of email.
In the conflict window, open the drop-down.
Choose where to store the value. For an email address, the options are:
Choose where to store the value. The options depend on the type of data:
Email addresses. Options include Overwrite Personal, Change to Work, Change to Work (Other), Change to Personal (Other), Change to Other, Change to Other (Alternate), and Change to Potential.
Phone numbers. Options include Overwrite Mobile, Change to Mobile (Other), Change to Work (Direct), Overwrite Work (Main), Change to Work (Other), Change to Home, Change to Skype, and Change to Fax.
Confirm your choice. The value is then marked Mapped on the kept record.
Choosing an Overwrite option replaces the existing value on the kept record, and the replaced value is deleted. Choosing one of the Change to options stores the new value in a different field, so you keep both.
💡 Pro Tip: To keep both email addresses or phone numbers from two duplicate contacts, choose one of the Change to options in the conflict window. The default option, Overwrite, replaces the value on the kept record, and the replaced value is deleted.
How does the Merge dialog work?
The Merge dialog lets you choose which fields to carry over to the kept record. The kept record is on the left.
Review the details of both records in the dialog.
If there is data on the right that you want to keep, select it. It moves to the kept record on the left.
The new value appears on the left, marked Mapped.
Select Merge to complete the merge.
💡 Pro Tip: Start the merge from the record you want to keep. The record you start from always ends up on the left and is the one that is kept, so choosing it first saves you from having to reverse the merge, which is not possible. What can prevent a merge?
What can prevent a merge?
Some records cannot be merged. If a merge is blocked, check the reasons for that record type.
Record type | A merge is prevented when... |
Contacts | The contact is linked to a user. |
Contacts | The contact is linked as a Time Recorder or Time Approver. |
Jobs | You try to merge a job with its own parent or child. |
Jobs | The two jobs have different recruiting types. |
Jobs | A job has an expense or time type attached. |
Jobs | A job’s expense or time types are in use by assignments. |
Jobs | A Temp Hire job is used for timekeeping. |
Companies | The company has invoices attached. |
Companies | The company has billable items attached. |
Contacts and jobs that are connected to timekeeping cannot be merged. Companies are not restricted by timekeeping. You can still merge and delete a company even if its opportunities are linked to timekeeping, because companies do not have a direct link to timekeeping.
What can you do when a record cannot be merged?
If timekeeping prevents a merge, you can still take the duplicate out of your day-to-day work without merging.
💡 Pro Tip: When a contact cannot be merged because of timekeeping, create a new contact to replace it, and set the original to Do Not Use to hide it throughout the system. For steps, see Do Not Use.
💡 Pro Tip: When a job cannot be merged because of timekeeping, move the original job to a workflow stage that shows it is no longer active, and create a new job that is active.
Key takeaway
You can merge duplicate Contacts, Jobs, or Companies using Merge With. The record on the left is kept, and the record on the right is permanently deleted, although its full history is copied to the kept record. Fields you do not map are not kept, and for fields with several options, such as email addresses and phone numbers, you choose where the value is stored. Administrators can always merge, and other users need Full permission for the record type. Contacts and jobs connected to timekeeping cannot be merged, but companies are not affected.