This topic describes the features on the Merge Records page. This page provides features that help diocesan staff merge known duplicate family records into a single record.
Main Features of the Merge Families Process
Understanding the Search Results for Duplicate Family Records
Main Features of the Member Merge Process
Understanding the Search Results for Duplicate Member Records
Over time as you accumulate records in your database, duplicate entries can occur. Duplicate records can slow down the performance of applications in ParishSOFT Family Suite, congest the grids, and make it more difficult for you to find the records you want to work with. One way to effectively maintain the accuracy and integrity of your database is to regularly remove duplicate records. The Merge utility is a diocesan-level feature that enables diocesan staff users (with the appropriate permissions) to quickly and easily handle this important cleanup task.
The Merge button gives you access to the Merge utility, which includes access to the Merge Records page. If the Merge button is not visible, you do not have Merge Family Access permissions tied to your login credentials. Contact your diocesan administrator for assistance if you need access to the utility but do not see this button.
If you are a diocesan administrator or a parish administrator, you can give members of your staff permission to access the Merge utility. For instructions on granting access, go to How to Give a Diocesan Staff Member Permission to Merge Duplicate Family Records or How to Give a Parish Staff Member Permission to Merge Duplicate Records.
To prevent errors and protect data, the following restrictions apply to merges:
The
following restrictions do not apply to users with Diocesan Admin access
rights with Grant Login Privileges enabled on an active assignment. These
users are permitted to merge any record in their diocese database. Likewise,
users belonging to an organization whose diocese does not use ParishSOFT
Family Suite are not bound by the following restrictions. Such users can
merge any family record in their organization’s data.
● Parishes can merge only family and member records that are:
Associated with their organization
AND
Owned by their organization
Such records are visible to the parish throughout ParishSOFT Family Suite (for example, in family and member lists).
● A merge does not remove the record from other organizations that the family or member is affiliated with. After a merge, the duplicate family's or member's associations to other organizations are maintained and transferred to the permanent family or member record.
● In most circumstances, organization-specific data in the duplicate family record that is stored by any affiliated organizations in the following fields is retained (not overwritten) and transferred to the permanent family record during a merge:
Family Group
Envelope #
Informal Name
Informal Salutation
Send Mail
Send Contrib. Env
Member Status
Member Notes
An exception to this rule applies whenever both families or members in a merge are associated with an organization that does not own their records. In this rare circumstance, the merge process gives higher priority to the permanent family's or permanent member's data. In other words, the organization-specific data in the permanent record's fields is retained while that in the duplicate record is not.
● The merge process sends notification about the merge to all organizations the duplicate family or member is affiliated with. These notifications are listed on the Notifications page.
The Merge Records page is the starting point for merging duplicate family or member records:
The Merge Type setting has two options: Families and Members. Select the option for the type of merge you want to perform.
The family merge process requires you to identify the duplicate family records you want to merge. After the system locates the records, you can either add the duplicates as new members or merge the duplicates into the permanent family's record.
The
Search and Cancel
buttons are initially disabled (unavailable). After you enter values into
the Permanent and Duplicate DUID fields, the buttons are activated so
you can perform the actions associated with them.
Identify the families you want to merge by entering the Family DUIDs into the following fields:
● Permanent Family DUID field: the Family DUID of the preferred family record (the record you want to keep).
● Duplicate Family DUID field: the Family DUID of the duplicate family record (the record you want to merge).
: searches for the families matching the values entered
into the Permanent DUID and Duplicate
DUID search fields.
: clears the values entered into one or both of
the DUID search fields.
Additional Duplicate Family
DUID field: if you have more duplicates to resolve, enter the Family
DUID in this field. Then, click 
.
If the system finds a matching record for the Family DUID entered into the Permanent Family DUID field, results are displayed in the Permanent Family Members section. For example:
Likewise, if the system finds a matching record for the FamilyDUID entered into the Duplicate Family DUID field, results are displayed in the Duplicate Family Members section.
The system provides identifying information (for example, birth dates) that you can use to verify that you have the right families.
Options in the What to Do Dropdown list enable you to tell the system what action to take to resolve the duplicate record:
Select one:
● Add as New: adds the duplicate as a new member to the permanent family record. A new Member Details tab is added to the family record for the newly added member.
● Merge with: removes the duplicate record by merging it into the permanent family record.
: click
to send the job to the merge
queue where it will await overnight processing. When processing the
job, the system performs the action selected in the What
to Do dropdown list.
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:
click to cancel the process.
The member merge process requires you to identify the duplicate member records you want to merge. After the system locates the records, you can either add the duplicate as a new member or merge the duplicate into the permanent family's record.
The
Search and Cancel
buttons are initially disabled (unavailable). After you enter values into
the Permanent and Duplicate DUID fields, the buttons are activated so
you can perform the actions associated with them.
Identify the members you want to merge by entering the Member DUIDs into the following fields:
● Permanent Member DUID field: the Member DUID of the preferred member record (the record you want to keep).
● Duplicate Member DUID field: the Member DUID of the duplicate member record (the record you want to merge).
: searches for the members matching the values entered
into the Permanent Member DUID and Duplicate Member DUID search fields.
: clears the values entered into one or both of
the DUID search fields.
Additional Duplicate Member
DUID field: if you have more duplicates to resolve, enter the Member
DUID in this field. Then, click .
If the system finds a matching record for the Member DUID entered into the Permanent Member DUID field, results are displayed in the Permanent Member section. For example:
Likewise, if the system finds a matching record for the Member DUID entered into the Duplicate Member DUID field, results are displayed in the Duplicate Member section.
The system provides identifying information (for example, birth dates) that you can use to verify that you have the right members.
: click
to send the job to the merge
queue where it will await overnight processing.
:
click to cancel the merge.
How to Give a Diocesan Staff Member Permission to Merge Duplicate Records
How to Give a Parish Staff Member Permission to Merge Duplicate Records
How to Merge Duplicate Records