Avoiding Duplicate Records

To maintain data quality, you need to ensure that duplicate records are not entered.

To determine whether a record is a potential duplicate, Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online uses duplicate-detection rules Rules that specify criteria for identifying a record as a duplicate.. When a duplicate-detection rule is published, a matchcode A code that is created for every record that a duplicate-detection rule might apply to, used as part of the process of detecting duplicates. is created for each existing record. Every five minutes, a matchcode is created for any new records that have been added or updated. Then, when a record is in the process of being created or updated, it can automatically be checked against the matchcodes of existing records. By default, Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online has simple duplicate-detection rules set up for accounts, contacts, and leads, based upon records with the same e-mail address. More information: Work with Duplicate-detection Rules

The system administrator or system customizer decides when duplicate detection is available, and defines and publishes duplicate-detection rules that make sense for your organization. More information: Enable and Disable Duplicate Detection

By default, duplicate detection is available:

• When a record is created or updated. This includes when a record created with the Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online for Outlook is tracked Having created a link between a record in Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online and Microsoft Office Outlook. Records that are marked for tracking are updated in both applications, including creating new activities. in Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online.

  Users will be prompted automatically before saving or importing potential duplicate records.

  Note: Duplicates cannot be detected when a user merges two records, converts a lead, or saves an activity as completed.

• When the Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online for Outlook goes from offline to online.

  All Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online for Outlook users must set how they want duplicate-detection rules to be applied when they synchronize their data. By default, duplicates are not detected during synchronization. More information: Synchronize Data

• During data import.

  Each time users define an import, the choice of whether to check for duplicates is available. More information: Work with Imports

Because it still is possible for users to create duplicate records, you also can schedule duplicate-detection jobs to run in the background. For example, you might want to schedule a duplicate-detection job to run at midnight every day.

When a duplicate-detection job completes, you can receive an e-mail notification so that you can review the results.