Although we want to be very careful with merging contacts, occasionally a situation will arise in which two contacts are incorrectly merged and need to be separated. In these instances, you can follow the steps below to recreate a second contact and clean up the data.
Step 1: Open the Merged Contact Record
Locate the contact record that currently contains the combined data.
Step 2: Identify the Incorrect Data
This is generally an application or inquiry form, and it is identifiable by having the wrong name on a form as opposed to the name of the contact to which it is attached. You can find the form under the contact's (or related student’s) Form & Document Submission History at the bottom of their Summary tab.
Learn more about the Form & Document Submission History by visiting the "Contact Record: Summary Tab" article.
Step 3: Open the Form as a Reference
Click on the form to open it in a new tab or window in your browser, or download it to your computer. Keep this form open as you will use the data (Birth Date, etc.) to manually populate the new record in Step 7.
Step 4: Create the New Contact Record
If recreating a student, follow these steps to ensure they are linked to the correct family:
- Open the record of one of the missing student's parents/guardians.
- In the Related Contacts section on the Summary tab, click the plus + icon.
- Type the missing student's name and press Enter/Return.
- Select the student's Relationship and Household (optional).
- Click the checkmark button to save.
If recreating a parent/guardian:
- Open the record of one of the missing parents/guardian’s children.
- In the Related Contacts section on the Summary tab, click the plus + icon.
- Type the missing parent/guardian’s name and press Enter/Return.
- Select their Relationship and Household (optional).
- Click the checkmark button to save.
Learn more about adding related contacts in the article "Contact Record: Related Contacts."
Step 5: Add the Student to the Workflow (Students Only)
Skip this step if you are recreating a parent/guardian record.
- Open the newly created student's record.
- Click Edit > Add to Workflow.
- Select the appropriate Term, Grade, and Status based on the form you opened in Step 3.
Step 6: Request a Form Relink from Support (Students Only)
Skip this step if you are recreating a parent/guardian record.
Finalsite Enrollment's support team can assist with relinking the core forms (Inquiry, Application, and Contract forms) to the correct student.
- Action: Submit a request to the Support team.
- Details to Include: The URL/ID of the incorrectly merged record, the URL/ID of the new record, and the names of the forms to be moved.
Step 7: Manual Data Cleanup
- Field Data: Use your reference form (from Step 3) to fill in any missing profile fields on the new record.
- Scrub the Old Record: Remove any lingering data from the merged record that belonged to the other student.
- AdHoc Forms & Uploads (Students Only): All AdHoc forms and uploaded documents must be moved manually by downloading them from the merged record and re-uploading to the newly created contact's checklist.
Step 8: Audit & Repair Related Contacts
When two records are merged incorrectly, their respective Related Contacts are also merged. You must ensure that each contact is only linked to their actual family members and related contacts.
Review the Merged Record
Go back to the original (now cleaned) record. In the Related Contacts section, remove any relatives who only belong to the other contact by clicking View Details > Remove Relationship.
Review the New Record
Ensure the new contact is correctly linked to all their relevant family members. If you need to add a related contact, click the plus + icon next to Related Contacts to search for existing relatives in the system.
Check Relationship Types
Double-check that the relationship labels (e.g., Mother, Father, Consultant) are accurate. To make an adjustment, navigate to the Related Contacts section or Households tab, click on the relationship next to the name, and use the drop-down menu to make a new selection.
Check Household Membership
Incorrect merges can result in contacts being assigned to the wrong household. Review each contact's Households tab to verify household assignments are accurate. From there, you can update addresses directly on the Households tab, and use the Household Membership tab to remove any contacts who don't belong.
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