Prevent Duplicate Records

You can use the Prevent Duplicate Records option to block the import of records that appear to be duplicates. That is, when you select the option, the import of a record identified as a duplicate fails with an error reading “Duplicate record was detected.” Other records in the same CSV file will still be processed.

For more details, see:

• Availability of the Prevent Duplicate Records Option

• Preventing Duplicate Imports vs. Manually Reviewing Duplicates

• Setting Criteria to Identify Duplicates

• Default Behavior of the Prevent Duplicate Records Option

• Cases In Which Duplicates Are Still Imported

Availability of the Prevent Duplicate Records Option

When the Prevent Duplicate Records option is available, it displays under Advanced Options on page 2 of the Import Assistant.

The option is available only when the following statements are true:

• The Duplicate Detection & Merge feature is enabled at Setup > Company > Enable Features.

• On the page labeled Set Up Duplicates Detection Feature (Setup > Company > Duplicate Detection), you have selected one or more of the options labeled Detect (RecordType) Duplicates. When you detect duplicates for any of the available record types, the Prevent Duplicate Records option is available for imports of that record type. Note that the feature is available for only four record types: Contact, Customer, Partner, and Vendor.

Preventing Duplicate Imports vs. Manually Reviewing Duplicates

When you select the Prevent Duplicate Records option and then try to import a record that appears to be a duplicate, the import of that record fails with an error reading “Duplicate record was detected.” If you do not select the Prevent Duplicate Records box, the duplicate record is created and marked as a duplicate. You can manage the new record, along with other duplicates, on the Lists > Mass Updates > Entity Duplicate Resolution page.

For this reason, if you prefer for potential duplicates to be reviewed on a case-by-case basis, you should not select the Prevent Duplicate Records option. If the Duplicate Detection & Merge feature is enabled, records identified as duplicates are marked as such and flagged for manual review.

Setting Criteria to Identify Duplicates

To identify duplicates, the Import Assistant uses the same criteria that you specify on the Setup > Company > Duplicate Detection page. For example, you might choose to specify that if two contact records have same phone number, one is probably a duplicate.

Default Behavior of the Prevent Duplicate Records Option

By default, the Prevent Duplicate Records box is not selected, and it is not possible to set a general preference for it. However, you can create a saved import that selects or de-selects this option as appropriate.

Cases In Which Duplicates Are Still Imported

Even when you select the Prevent Duplicate Records option for an import, it is possible for a duplicate record to be imported in the following situations:

• If two users are importing records at the same time, and both users are adding two similar records.

• If multi-threading is being used and two similar records are being processed in different queues at or around the same time.

General Notices