.. done
Finding Duplicates
==================
It is important to manage duplicates
as they will not only cause problems managing your database,
but duplicate records also hinder effective ministry.
TouchPoint has several processes for finding duplicate
records in your database.
Duplicates can get created during Check-In, during an Online Registration,
or when adding a new guest from a card they fill out in the worship service.
Good policies and procedures can help prevent duplicate records from getting created.
Here are a few reminders that will help reduce the possibility of duplicates:
- Always perform a thorough search before adding a new record.
- Always ask for date of birth, marital status, and gender
when gathering information for a new person.
- Try to get a middle name and a goes by name as well as a suffix (Jr. III etc.).
- Use good instructions and prompts on your online registrations to make things clear.
For example, make sure a parent knows they are registering their child, not themselves for childcare.
- Train your volunteers who work at the check-in stations on proper procedures for adding a new guest.
- Use a New People Manager to help enforce these policies and be the second set of eyes for every new record.
Batch Process for Finding Duplicates
------------------------------------
This process must be run by users with the `Admin`, `Manager`, or `Manager2` roles.
Step 1
Go to `Administration > Batch Actions > Find Duplicates`.
.. note::
Under the new navigation, this is accessed under `Admin > Tools > Duplicates > Finder`.
Step 2
Select both a `Created on or After date` as well as a `Created on or Before date` and click `Run` to begin the process.
The system will look at every record
created during the time frame specified,
and compare it to every other record in the database.
You will see a running progress counter.
When the process is complete,
the `Total Records` will match the number `Processed`.
You will also see how many possible duplicates were found.
The results will be stored in a table in your database.
.. figure:: https://i.tpsdb.com/2015-09-14_10-44-47-1.png
:target: #
Step 4
To view the results, go to `Administration > Reports > Duplicates Find Result`.
.. note::
You can visit this page again without having to re-run the Find Duplicates process.
This report is a list of names and people ids of the duplicate pairs.
Each name is a link to the Merge Controller page,
where you will resolve the conflicts and merge the two records. Under the new navigation, this is accessed under `Admin > Tools > Duplicates > Results`.
Step 5
Click each link and use the `Merge Duplicates` process to merge the records.
.. seealso::
:doc:`Merge_Index`
.. figure:: https://i.tpsdb.com/2015-09-14_10-47-55.png
:target: #
Watch the short video below as we demonstrate the Duplicate Find
process that an Admin can run,
and how the Admin can send those results to the Merge Manager.
.. raw:: html
This next video demonstrates what happens when the Merge
Manager receives the email with the links for the records
needing to be merged.
.. raw:: html
This last video show the final merge/delete,
using links sent in an email from the Merge Manager
that performed the first part of the merge,
to the person with Manage2 role.
.. raw:: html
.. admonition:: Suggestion
We advise having 2 different users manage the duplicates.
One person, such as the New People Manager,
can have Manager role,
and perform the inital merge.
Then they can send the URL for the Merge Controller page
to the Manager2 user, who performs the Manager2 function.
That function is to run the final merge
and delete the duplicate record.
Checking For Duplicates on the Person Page
------------------------------------------
On a person's record, the `System > Duplicates` tab
will display any records that appear to be duplicates.
Many of those are likely to be false positives,
but it is a very useful tool
If you find records that truly are duplicates,
use the merge process.
.. seealso::
:doc:`Merge_Index`
.. figure:: https://i.tpsdb.com/2015-09-14_11-16-48.png
:target: #
More Details About the Batch Find Duplicate Process
---------------------------------------------------
Each line on the results report is a pair of people records
that the system thinks are duplicates.
The name is listed only once for each pair
as that is what is common between the two.
The two numbers in parentheses are the two PeopleIds.
The algorithm used to find duplicates is for each record is to find another record which:
#. Matches FirstName and LastName
#. And matches one or more of the following:
* Birthdate
* Email
* Phone number
This algorithm is the same one we use during
online registrations when the person is
registering anonymously, in other words,
not logging in.
So every one shown on this list
would have failed to produce a unique match for an online registration.
Of course, there may be other duplicates besides these.
They may not fit the algorithm mentioned above,
but are duplicates nonetheless.
When you find those, you still do the merge process,
even though you did not find them using the batch process.
This report is a way to find duplicates blindly and
feel confident that they are indeed duplicates.
.. important::
Of course there is always the possibility of a father and son
both having the same name (senior and junior)
and no birthday,
but a common email address.
This would produce a false positive.
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| **Latest Update** | **01/15/2024** |
+--------------------+------------------+
Added extra roles for permissions