Introduction
Duplicate records in Salesforce can cause significant challenges, including inaccurate reporting, wasted time, and inefficient workflows. To combat this, Salesforce provides robust tools for managing duplicates using Duplicate Rules and Matching Rules. These features allow organizations to identify and prevent duplicate records, ensuring cleaner data and smoother processes. This blog will guide you through the creation and management of these rules, along with best practices to keep your Salesforce environment duplicate-free.
What are Duplicate Rules?
Duplicate Rules in Salesforce determine what happens when a user attempts to create a duplicate record. Salesforce provides out-of-the-box rules for standard objects like Accounts, Contacts, and Leads. Additionally, you can create custom Duplicate Rules tailored to your business requirements. These rules help you define actions when Salesforce detects a duplicate record, such as blocking the creation, alerting the user, or allowing the record to be saved.
Key Features of Duplicate Rules:
Prevent or allow the saving of duplicate records.
Define actions when duplicates are found, such as showing error messages.
Specify the conditions under which the rules apply.
What are Matching Rules?
Matching Rules define the criteria for identifying duplicate records. They specify which fields Salesforce should compare when determining if a record is a potential duplicate. Salesforce offers standard Matching Rules for objects like Accounts and Contacts, but custom rules can also be created to meet unique business needs.
Key Features of Matching Rules:
Define how duplicate records are identified.
Support standard and custom fields.
Work in conjunction with Duplicate Rules to maintain data accuracy.
How to Create Custom Matching Rules in Salesforce
Go to Setup and search for Matching Rules in the Quick Find box.
Click on New Rule and select the object (e.g., Account) for which you want to create the rule.
Define the rule criteria, specifying the fields and conditions to match on.
Save and activate the rule.
How to Create Custom Duplicate Rules in Salesforce
After creating a matching rule, go to Setup and search for Duplicate Rules.
Click New Rule and select the object (e.g., Account) to apply the rule to.
Define the action when duplicates are found: block or allow with a warning.
Specify the matching rule(s) to use and set additional conditions if needed.
Save and activate the rule.
Testing Duplicate Rules
Once your duplicate and matching rules are active, test them by creating a new record with details that match an existing record. Salesforce will flag potential duplicates and take the action you specified (e.g., showing an error message or allowing the duplicate with a warning).
Merging Duplicate Records
If duplicates exist, Salesforce makes it easy to merge them:
Click on the View Duplicates link in the record's related list.
Select the records you want to merge and click Next.
Choose the Master Record and merge field values as needed.
Confirm the merge.
Best Practices and Considerations
Limitations: You can have up to 5 active Duplicate Rules per object.
Order of Operations: If a record matches one rule, subsequent rules will not run.
Conditions When Rules Don’t Run: For example, Duplicate Rules won’t trigger if records are restored from the recycle bin, created via APIs, or merged manually.
Data Import Considerations: Duplicate rules can be overridden when using data import tools, so always review your import processes.
Conclusion
By leveraging Duplicate Rules and Matching Rules, Salesforce admins can effectively manage duplicate records, ensuring higher data quality and more efficient workflows. Customizing these rules allows organizations to tailor their duplicate management strategies to specific business needs, minimizing the risk of duplicate data and enhancing overall CRM effectiveness.
FAQs
Q1: What are Duplicate Rules in Salesforce?
Duplicate Rules define the action Salesforce should take when detecting a duplicate record, such as blocking the save or allowing the record with a warning.
Q2: What are Matching Rules in Salesforce?
Q3: Can I create custom Duplicate and Matching Rules?
Q4: What happens when a duplicate is detected?
Q5: Can Duplicate Rules be applied to custom objects?
Q6: How many active Duplicate Rules can I have per object?
Q7: Will Duplicate Rules run during data imports?
Q8: How do I merge duplicate records?
Q9: What are the limitations of Duplicate Rules?
Q10: How can I test Duplicate Rules?