How to Merge Duplicate Accounts (Tutorial)

38 STEPS

1. Administrators will learn how to use the Duplicate User Report to identify, review, and merge duplicate user accounts within their institution system. This tutorial shows how to merge user records with and without the AI Merge User tool.

2. From the Reports tab in the Scheduling Control Center, locate the Duplicate User Report. Then, click View Report to open the Duplicate User Report dashboard.

3. The report opens with data populated, but the data can be refined. Click FILTER RESULTS to search for a specific name or ID number using the fields provided if there is a specific user that you suspect has a duplicate.

4. If not, by default, All Duplicates view, displays every duplicate record regardless of match type. These match types help discern a duplicate vs a unique user account. SIS ID match can serve as a ballpark count of duplicate accounts.

5. As a best practice, download the Duplicate User Report before making any changes to student records. To export a copy of the results for backup purposes, click Download CSV.

6. To focus on the most reliable matches, click SIS ID Match to view duplicates identified by matching SIS IDs. The identified records will display in the table to the right. This example shows Anna, Michael, and Mia match on both name and SIS ID.

7. For duplicate accounts that do not involve SIS ID, for example, to find and merge prospective student accounts, use the other Matching Fields filters (Name, Birthday, Phone, etc.) to refine results.

8. Here, Birthday is one of the selected Matching Fields.

9. Used in combination with Name as the other selected Matching Field. The SIS ID Match Type is highlighted in the Duplicate Type and works in conjunction with the filters.

10. Filtered results appear in the table. The accounts have duplicated Name, SIS ID and Birthday; a match on three data points. Many students could share a birthday, but the same Name, SIS ID and Birthday? Not likely! These ARE likely duplicate accounts.

11. Select a user and click Review & Merge to further investigate the data, and, if needed, merge the duplicate records.

12. If it is determined that two accounts need to be merged, scroll down and click Confirm Merge to combine the selected duplicate accounts into one primary record.

13. This example demonstrates using name match filter only, which would not be best practice. The table displays users with matching names. Hannah Brown is a name associated with 2 accounts. But the only match criteria is name.

14. The comparison screen displays, and we see that the only data point match is name, no shared DOB or SIS ID. Just two users with the same name. Since these should not be merged, we click the X button to Close the comparison screen.

15. This example demonstrates using Birthday Match filter only, which would not be best practice. The table displays users with matching Birthday. Since many users on a campus could share a birthday, further review is needed.

16. The user selected here, Victoria Young, displays only a birthday match on this screen. A click on Review & Merge will open the comparison screen.

17. The Data comparison display shows Victoria Young's birthday does match with Natalie Bailey's birthday. But, these are NOT duplicate accounts, just two user accounts with the same birthday. So, the records should NOT be merged. Click X to close.

18. If preferred, during duplicate records review, an administrator can perform a bulk merge. Click Select All to select all duplicate sets.

19. Deselect any duplicate sets that should not be merged. In this example, Victoria Young is deselected, since that record should not be included.

20. Click Merge All Selected to merge all selected duplicate sets.

21. The Confirm Merge Operation window reviews the selected user groups to be merged, displays merge options, and warns that the action cannot be undone. Review the settings, then click Confirm Merge to complete the merge.

22. When the Merge Operation Status window appears, refresh the page or press F5 to proceed.

23. Other filtering options include the Search by Name field, which helps quickly find a specific user.

24. A Created Via filters (Admin Panel, Data Feed, Intake Forms, etc.) to help identify the source of duplicates.

25. Please note: the report includes a row limit to improve performance and prevent timeouts when searching large datasets. Click the Report Limit dropdown menu (e.g., "100 rows") to control how many duplicate records are displayed.

26. Click the "Yes, Re-run Report" button to apply changes and update the report results.

27. Colleges with access to the AI Merge Assistant tool will see the AI Merge Assistant option on the Duplicate User Report, as shown here. Contact your Account Manager if you do not have access to AI Merge for more information.

28. Use the Duplicate Type filter to narrow down search results.

29. Click on the SIS ID Match to view duplicates found through matching SIS IDs.

30. Once the duplicates are identified, click Batch AI Suggest Merge to use the AI Assistant to identify which accounts are most likely to be merged.

31. After the Batch AI Suggest Merge Status finishes processing, click Close.

32. Before performing a batch merge of records, manually review a few random accounts to ensure accuracy. Click Review & Merge to review a duplicate set.

33. After reviewing the users' information, if it is determined that the two accounts should not be merged, click the X button to Close the comparison screen.

34. If the reviewed accounts appear accurate, click Merge All Selected.

35. Review the settings, then click Confirm Merge to complete the merge.

36. When the Merge Operation Status modal appears, refresh the page or press F5 to proceed.

37. To return to the Reports tab in the Scheduling Control Center, click the Admin Reports link at the top of the page.

38. Thank you for watching. To download this guide as a PDF, click the three-dots below the video or select the Download icon on the toolbar beneath the screen.