Merging Duplicates FAQs

You can merge duplicate records using the "Merge Duplicates" module, which helps you identify and merge duplicate contacts, companies, deals, and other object types in flexible and powerful ways.

First, you tell Insycle how to identify duplicates by setting match rules. 

Then, you set rules for determining the master record—the record into which all other duplicate records are merged.

And set rules for data retention.

Learn more:

• Module Overview: Merge Duplicates
• Bulk Merge Duplicate People, Companies
• Manually Merge Duplicates

There are two ways to ensure the records you are merging are indeed duplicates.

First, always run your deduplication templates in Preview Mode before running them in Update Mode. This produces a CSV file showing how your records would have been merged. Then you can ensure that your Merge Duplicates template is working as expected and not merging non-duplicate records together.

Additionally, to ensure a smooth merge, consider narrowing the matching settings in Step 1. Try the Exact Match Comparison Rule instead of Similar Match. Then make sure that you are using actual, uniquely identifying fields—first name, last name, email, and phone number are popular choices. The more tightly defined your filter is, the less likely you are to merge non-duplicate records.

By default, merged records retain the value from the master record. If you want to keep a specific value from a read-only field that's not in the master, you have two options:

1. Copy to a writable custom property: In your CRM, create a custom field to copy the read-only field value into. Then run a Copy operation in the Transform Data module before performing the merge. Finally, set up Merge Duplicates rules on the Fields tab of Step 3 to retain the value of that custom property that meets your criteria.

2. Use master selection rules: Set the master selection rules on the Master tab of Step 3 to retain the record with the read-only value you want to keep. This guarantees the correct record becomes the master without trying to change the read-only property itself.

If the Message column of the CSV report displays this error:

Change rules in Step 3 'Master Selection'. Failed to pick master record because multiple records (X) meet the selection criteria. In 'Master Selection', change, add, or reorder the rules such that only one record matches (if cannot determine master based on field values, use 'Record ID is lowest' as the last rule).

None of the records meet more of the rules than the others do.

There are a couple of things you can try to resolve this:

1. On the Master tab in Step 3, experiment with reordering or adding additional fields that are likely to have unique values.
2. At the bottom of the Master tab in Step 3, ensure By Priority is selected, not Absolute.
   With By Priority, your master record only has to match one rule. Using Absolute, your master record would have to meet all of the rule criteria. In most cases, it is best to select By Priority.
   If By Priority was used, then none of the records in the duplicate group meet any of the criteria on the list more than the others. In this case, you'll need to experiment, reordering or adding additional rules for fields likely to have unique values.
3. As a last resort, you can add a rule on the Master tab in Step 3 that says Record ID is lowest, or Create Date is earliest.

There is no need to create rules for every field in your CRM - Insycle automatically handles fields without specific rules using a "fill in the blanks" approach. If you don't specify any rule, the master values will be preserved. When a value is empty in the master, it picks a non-empty value from the most recently updated duplicate. 

For example, if the master record's Industry field is empty but another record in the duplicate group has an Industry value, that value will automatically be copied to the master record. This means you only need to create custom retention rules for the handful of fields that require special handling, rather than for all your fields.

HubSpot and Salesforce users can override this by disabling the Blank Fields autofill setting on the Method tab of Step 3.

Yes, Insycle allows you to select which field data to retain in the master record using the Fields tab in Step 3. See the Merge Duplicates module field data retention rules reference for more details.

No, matching fields do not need to match exactly. The Similar Match Comparison Rule in Step 1 acts as a fuzzy match, looking for values that may be close but differ by only one character (e.g., a typo), and broadens the search.

This search behaves like when Google shows results for a slightly different term or says, “Did you mean...” For example, if an Email of “huey@coahulldu.co” is found, it could include records with the values “hueyy@coahulldu.co" or "hue.y@coahulldu.co” as a match.

You should be careful when using Similar Match as the looser criteria can incorrectly identify non-duplicates as duplicates. 

Review the Understanding Similar Matching best practices for more details.

You can merge up to 100 duplicate records into a single master record.

By default, Insycle skips any duplicate group containing more than 5 records. If you have duplicate groups with more than 5 records, you may want to adjust the Exclusions setting at the bottom of the Master tab in Step 3. The Skip duplicate groups with more than X records per group setting can be increased up to 100 records per group to ensure all duplicates in large groups are processed.

This default limit is a precaution to prevent duplicate matching criteria that are too broad in Step 1 from accidentally merging many non-duplicate records. If you plan to set this number higher, it is a good idea to run Preview Mode first to ensure your deduplication template is operating as you intend.

Yes. You can use an existing list of duplicates with Insycle to deduplicate it in bulk, following these steps:

1. Prepare a CSV file with columns for the record IDs and a "Merge Master" column. In the "Merge Master" column, mark which record should be kept after merging.
2. Create a custom field called "Merge Master" in your CRM.
3. Use the Magical Import module to import your CSV file into the CRM, updating the "Merge Master" field for the relevant records.
4. Go to the Merge Duplicates module and set up a filter to select records based on the "Merge Master" field.

Learn more about deduplicate records using a CSV.

To help you analyze and determine which records to merge, you can change the fields that appear in the preview under Step 2 by clicking the gear button to adjust the layout.

Yes. You can select individual records within a duplicate group for manual merging. Under Step 2, select the duplicate group. Then, select the records that you would like to merge.

When you initiate a merge operation in Insycle, you will see the estimated time to complete. If you notice that the operation is taking longer than expected, there are several factors to consider:

• If you are using a synthetic merge, this will take longer to run than a native merge.
• Complex processes, like merges and associations, can take a while. This is because each backend task—from updating associations to changing properties—contributes to the total processing time. For instance, when merging three deals into one, 20-40 operations may be required to update and reparent all related activities from the duplicates into the master.
• Throughput is measured across all operations; when multiple operations run in parallel, they increase processing load and slow each other down. To optimize processing time, run only one operation at a time.

There are two main ways to monitor the progress of a long-running operation:

Option One: Periodically check the Activity Tracker

The operation will appear in the Activity Tracker once it is complete.

Option Two: Periodically refresh the template for the operation

Open the template for the operation. Under Step 1, click the Find button.  As the merge continues, you should see the number of duplicate records gradually decrease in the Record Viewer, which indicates the process is actively working through them.

Look at the number of results in the Record Viewer.

Wait a few minutes and refresh the page. You should see the number of results decrease as Insycle processes the operation.

Yes, there are several ways to share details and get approval before merging duplicates.

You can manually approve master records and mark them in a CSV file, then use Insycle to bulk deduplicate into those master records. See the Customize Bulk Deduplication Using Exclusions and Pre-Defined Masters article to learn more.

Or, you can run the Merge Duplicates module in Preview Mode and then deliver the preview CSV that Insycle generates. The CSV report includes your entire merge operation down to individual duplicate groups, but does not update your live data. Then your team can approve the merge based on this report, before running Merge Duplicates in Update Mode.

Additionally, team members can review duplicates and manually select the master for each record under Step 3 by selecting Manual mode. Review the Manually Merge Duplicates article for more details.

In cases where two different phone numbers and empty values from the duplicates are present, they will match as different duplicate groups. Insycle decides how to match the blank field automatically.

In this example (viewed in the Grid Edit module), Record 1 has the phone number 888-555-1200, Record 2 has no phone, and Records 3 and 4 have the phone number 888-555-1212.

When Insycle matches the duplicates, it will either create two duplicate groups:

• The first duplicate group could be made up of Records 1 and 2
• The second duplicate group could be made up of Records 3 and 4

Or it will match Records 2, 3, and 4 into a single duplicate group, while Record 1 remains on its own.

Insycle displays 50 records on the module screen as a preview; this is not the full list. Insycle can process thousands of duplicate groups in a single operation. You could potentially deduplicate your entire database in a single step. 

When using the Preview in Step 4, select the "All" option under When > Run Now to view all records in the Preview CSV report. When you run the operation in Update mode, all records will automatically be included.

All plans include unlimited usage, unlimited users, and unlimited operations. During the free trial, there is a cap of 500 records updated, cleansed, or merged. See the pricing page for more details.

Currently, neither HubSpot nor Salesforce provides an automated way to prioritize active owners during the merge process. You'd need to verify owner status manually for each merge operation.

However, Insycle's Merge Duplicates module includes an option to prioritize an active owner. 

First, you could add a Master rule under Step 3 to tell Insycle to select the record from each group with an active owner as the master record.

Add a rule with the following parameters:

• Field: Record owner
• Condition: active user

Second, you could create a Field rule to retain the owner who is an active user.

Add a rule with the following parameters:

• Field: Owner
• Criteria: From record where value
• Condition: active user

Yes, Insycle resolves numerous deduplication issues when Salesforce and HubSpot sync. See the Deduplicate Salesforce and HubSpot While Keeping the Sync Active article to learn more.

Yes. Insycle can merge duplicate contacts even if one record is enrolled in a sequence, even though HubSpot's native merge tool does not support this scenario.

In HubSpot, the merge option is disabled if one of the duplicate contacts is enrolled in a sequence.

Insycle bypasses this restriction and successfully merges the records. After the merge is complete, the master record remains enrolled in the sequence and continues through any active processes without interruption. This ensures your sequence engagement is preserved while maintaining clean, deduplicated data.

When merging HubSpot contact records using the “From master record (even empty)” data retention rule, the property history in HubSpot shows that Insycle set the value to “empty.” This is a nuance of how HubSpot manages the history of empty values. You can verify that the master record value before the merge was indeed empty by reviewing the Activity Tracker report in Insycle.

By default, when two contacts are merged in HubSpot, Workflows will not enroll merged contacts. However, merged contacts can enroll in the future if re-enrollment is enabled and they meet the enrollment triggers. 

In contact-based workflows, you can manage the enrollment of merged contacts, remove contacts that no longer meet enrollment criteria, and prevent enrollment of contacts in specific lists. To learn more, see HubSpot's workflow documentation.

The Merge API options are unique features for HubSpot and Salesforce accounts. The Native merge uses your CRM's built-in merge functionality, while the Synthetic merge provides Insycle's unique merging capabilities. Learn more about the Merge API for HubSpot or the Merge API for Salesforce.

Yes, if your HubSpot objects have attachments, the attachment will be merged into the master record. Note that there may be a short delay before the attachment appears in the merged record.

The discrepancy in duplicate numbers between HubSpot and Insycle is due to their fundamentally different approaches to identifying duplicates.

HubSpot's approach:

• Uses AI models for duplicate detection
• May consider a broader range of factors and patterns
• Results can be less predictable and may change over time as the AI model evolves

Insycle's approach:

• Uses a defined, deterministic method
• Based on specific rules and criteria set by the user
• Using templates, results are consistent and reproducible

Because of these different methodologies, the numbers will never be exactly the same between the two systems. However, you can make this difference work for you by using both systems together to create a more comprehensive duplicate detection strategy.

To better understand and leverage these differences:

• Explore the properties of the duplicates found by each system
• Look for patterns in the discrepancies
• Experiment with your Insycle template settings to see how they affect the results

Learn more about Why Duplicate Counts Differ Between HubSpot and Insycle and the best scenarios to use the unique features of each or use both systems together.

The Merge API options are unique features for HubSpot and Salesforce accounts. The Native merge uses your CRM's built-in merge functionality, while the Synthetic merge provides Insycle's unique merging capabilities. Learn more about the Merge API for HubSpot or the Merge API for Salesforce.

Yes, Insycle solves numerous deduplication-related issues when Salesforce and HubSpot are syncing. See the Deduplicate Salesforce and HubSpot While Keeping the Sync Active article to learn more.

Yes, Insycle can analyze leads and contacts together and deduplicate across those object types. See the Deduplicate Across Salesforce Leads and Contacts article to learn more.

Currently, neither HubSpot nor Salesforce provides an automated way to prioritize active owners during the merge process. You'd need to verify owner status manually for each merge operation.

However, Insycle's Merge Duplicates module includes an option to prioritize an active owner. 

First, you could add a Master rule under Step 3 to tell Insycle to select the record from each group with an active owner as the master record.

Add a rule with the following parameters:

• Field: Record owner
• Condition: active user

Second, you could create a Field rule to retain the owner who is an active user.

Add a rule with the following parameters:

• Field: Owner
• Criteria: From record where value
• Condition: active user

Yes, Insycle can deduplicate across leads and users simultaneously. Please check out this article to learn more: Deduplicate Across Intercom Users and Leads.

Yes, Insycle offers an Intercom Inbox app. To learn more, check out this article: Deduplicate in Intercom Inbox with the Insycle App.

When merging Intercom leads with leads or users with users:

• Open conversations: Duplicate contacts will be detached from open conversations, and the master contact will be attached to those conversations.
• Closed conversations: Closed conversations cannot be transferred directly in Intercom. Instead, they are preserved as notes in the master contact record — one note per closed conversation. The original conversations are not moved or re-created as conversations in the master record. (Notes are searchable in Intercom.)

When merging leads with users, Insycle uses the underlying Intercom merge API, so conversations will be merged according to those rules.