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Tools

Combine Contacts Tool

Learn more about the Combine Contacts tool, including instructions to combine contacts, and how to handle several different combined contacts scenarios.

With the Combine Contacts tool, you can combine separate contact records into a single record. You can also add a similar-to relationship to contact records.

  • The tool is available on the Contacts page and any filtered version of the Contacts page. You can launch it from an open record or the grid layout, with or without a selection of records.
  • SPoCs should regularly use the Combine Contacts tool to keep data clean.
  • The drop-down list displays potential duplicate contacts that you can choose from.
    • If you launch it for an open record, that record displays at the top of the list. Additional potential duplicates display after the open record.
    • If you launch it from a selection of at least two records, the selected records display at the top of the list. Additional potential duplicates are listed after the selected records.
    • If you launch the tool from the grid without making a selection, you can make a selection from the list of potential duplicates. These are only potential duplicates, so don't be surprised if the list is long. Be sure to check the Duplicates view on the Contacts Relationships page to see actual duplicate contact records.
  • Each column displays data fields from the contact record, as well as from any associated household, participant, donor, and user records. Each field is listed as its own row, but only fields that are populated on at least one of the loaded records will display. This means the tool may show different lists of fields depending on the records you compare and how much data they contain.
  • The donor, household, and user records you select in the grid are kept and associated with the newly-merged contact record. Those that are not selected are merged or eliminated.
    • If you select a different address and/or congregation in the merge process, these changes reflect in the household selected in the tool.
    • If any unselected household become empty as a result of the elimination of a contact record through the merge process, the newly-empty household is eliminated.
  • The audit log records any changes made to the record you kept.
  • Need to find more duplicates? Check the Duplicates view on the Contacts Relationships page to see actual duplicate contact records.
  • The tool combines contact, participant, donor, and user records. It does not combine household or sacrament records. Need to combine households? Check out the Combine Households tool for more information. If the contacts have conflicting sacrament records, a warning displays to let you know which sacrament record(s) to clean up later.

Combine Contacts tool example showing two potential duplicates and which data to keep

Note: To use this tool, you must have access through your security role. SPoCs can grant user access to this tool.

Combine Contacts

Double check the following before you run the tool:
  • One of the email addresses is valid and/or does not have a comma in it.
  • The users are not in the same user group.
  • The users do not have the same security role.
  • The users do not have an identity record with the same provider name.
  • The contact does not have a comma in the Suffix or Last Name fields.
  • If contacts both have attached images, the default file does not display twice and the record does not display twice.

Before combining contacts, edit the records to fix the above scenarios, then run the tool again.

Note: The tool only displays selection options for standard database fields, not custom fields. However, information for any custom fields are kept for the contact record you keep.
  1. Open any page that references the contacts or participants you want to combine. Or, you can launch the tool without a selection to combine contacts marked as "Duplicate of" or identified by the Duplicate Finder routine.
  2. Click Tools, then click Combine Contacts.
  3. In the Potential Duplicates drop-down list, select the contacts.
  4. Review the records to be combined. The contact you select to keep is marked "(Keep)" in green. The contact you select to merge is marked "(Merge)" in red.
    In one column, the contact record for Anderson, Jason with a green "(Keep)" next to the name. In the other column, the contact record for Anderson, Jason with a red "(Merge)" next to it.
    1. If needed, select the checkbox to merge any additional contacts.
      Note: If the column for a contact is grayed out and not selected, it will not be combined.

      Three columns. The far left column is titled "Field ID" with a list of field IDs. The middle column is the contact record for Jason Anderson that has been selected. The far right column is the contact record for Jason Anderson that has not been selected and is grayed out.

    2. If needed, select any alternate options to change the contact to keep.
      Three columns. The left column is the Field ID with a list of field IDs below it. The second column is the selected contact record for Jason Anderson to keep with the Participant Type field ID for "Church Family" deselected. The right column is the selected contact record for Jason Anderson to merge, with the Participant Type field ID for "Guest" selected to merge.
  5. Click Combine Contacts.

As a part of this process, any participant and donor notes combine into the surviving record. The tool automatically shortens values that exceed the default field length.

Note: If you are using the Red Flag Alert routine and you keep a contact record that is green while the merged record is red, the remaining record remains green. To turn the record indicator to red, make an edit to the Red Flag Note field on the participant record to trigger the routine.

Manage Contacts that Aren't Duplicates

Occasionally, the system or a user may incorrectly identify records as duplicates, such as a father and adult son who have the same name. When you indicate the records as "similar records", it tells the system and other users to ignore these as possible duplicates.
If you find this situation while using the Combine Contacts tool:
  1. Clear the selected records.
  2. Select Mark un-selected records as similar to merged record.
  3. Click Combine Contacts.
To preemptively add a "Similar Records" relationship:
  1. Open one of the contact records.
  2. Go to the Relationships tab.
  3. Click New Contact Relationship.
  4. In the Relationship drop-down list, select Similar Records.
  5. In the Related Contact field, select the similar contact record.
  6. Click Save.

Accidentally Combined Contacts

MinistryPlatform does not store deleted data. If you accidentally combine contacts, a SPoC or Professional Services must restore a database backup from before the merge took place. Act quickly because backups may be limited to a recent time frame. Depending on your backup strategy, this could be as little as two weeks. Admins, it may be helpful to review the Delete Record Research report (accessible from Administration > Users) to identify any records deleted in error.

Contacts with "APIUser (Do Not Edit)" in the Audit Log

Sometimes records duplicate because someone created an account through a MinistryPlatform application. Any record created this way lists the user as "APIUser (Do Not Edit)" in the audit log. You can use the Combine Contacts Tool on these duplicate records. The "Do Not Edit" notation lets you know that you shouldn't edit the APIUser record itself, but you can edit records created by the APIUser.

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Last updated: June 10, 2025

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