How to find duplicate records based on email address field only

Last published at: 2022-02-08 10:49:39 UTC
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Since an email address is unique, it is a valuable field when checking for duplicate records. Leads, Accounts or Contacts can have different names, but can be linked together based on the email address. This article will show you how to start a Duplicate Check Job in the Contacts object based on email address only.

You can apply the steps in this article to any object.

Step 1 Object configuration

  1. Navigate to DC Setup in the Duplicate Check App.
  2. Navigate to Contacts. Now navigate to Scenarios tab.
  3. Click 'Add New Scenario' and enter a name for the new Scenario, like "Contact Email".
  4. Set the Threshold number at 100, because we are looking for exact matches on Email Addresses. Only records that will match 100%, based on email address, will be shown in the Job results list. 
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    You can decide to use Fuzzy matching on the Email Address field. This way you can find duplicates with minor spelling mistakes or, for example, a different top level domain. Read more about Matching Methods.

  5. Leave the 'Empty fields' value at 'Disregard'. Since we're using a scenario with only one field, this setting becomes irrelevant. Learn more about empty fields.
  6. At 'Apply to' choose 'DC Job'. The scenario will now be applied to the DC Job page, enabling it to be used in a Duplicate Check Job.
  7. At scenario field configuration pick 'Email'. At matching Method, choose 'Email Address'. This will match email addresses, matching the addressee part differently than the domain name part. This is how your *Object* configuration should look so far:

Step 2 Start a DC Job with the newly created 'Contact Email' scenario.

  1. Navigate to DC Job page
  2. Click the 'Add New Job' button and select 'Contact' at 'Select Object'. At 'Match With' choose 'Contact' again.
  3. At 'Scenario' pick the newly created 'Contact Email'. Make sure to deselect 'Contact Default' Scenario.
  4.  The Job will now start and appear in the DC Job Overview. Learn more about Matching Methods.
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Congratulations! You now know how to set up a Scenario to check for duplicates based on email address only. Now that you found your duplicate records, you are ready to merge them. Learn more about merging records.