Duplicate Records with F1
GroupVitals does it's best to prevent duplicates, but it's not perfect. Here, you'll learn how duplicates can happen and best practices.
Where duplicate records can be created
There are three places in GroupVitals where people get added and we try to match them to an existing record behind the scenes. They are:
1. GroupFinder group signup form.
2. GroupFinder need help? form.
3. General group signup form.
When someone fills out one of the above forms, we look for a 100% match between their:
first name or nickname and last name and at least one other matching field:
- personal email
- infellowship login email
- cell #
- home #
If we don't find a match, then we add this person as a new record into the database for GroupVitals and F1.
For the GroupFinder, we look to find a match between someone's first and last name or goes by name and last name and then one of these fields: email, cell # and home #.
4. Adding a person to a group via the group's profile
Whether it's a group leader or account admin, whenever someone is added to a group, they are presented with a search box to first search the database and find a matching record. If one doesn't exist based upon the name search (first, nickname and last name) then they are presented with a link to add a new person record.
Example:
A leader is adding Bill Smith to their group, and Bill Smith already exists in GroupVitals, but only as William Smith and Bill is not set as the nickname. so he does a search for Bill Smith but nothing turns up, so the leader adds Bill Smith as a new record, thus creating a duplicate.
5. Adding a new person under People > Add Person
Anyone with an account admin or staff role can manually add a new person to the database via our Add New Person form, accessible from the navigation. This form does not require a check to see if the person already exists. The only field we check on this form is the email address field. If they type in an email that already exists, it will say that and not let them add a new person.
6. Group attendance guests and group roster checks
When filling out attendance and if you have allowed group guests turned on, the person filling out attendance can add a guest. Doing so will force them to search for an existing record first. If it doesn't find a match (based upon the first name and/or nickname and last name), then they can easily add a new person record. The same applies to a group roster check.
Example:
A leader is taking attendance and adds a guest from their meeting. The guest's name in GroupVitals + F1 is Sarah Wallace. The leader only knows her as Sarah Phillips, as she was recently divorced. So the leader searches for Sarah Phillips and doesn't not find a match, so she's added as a new record.
7. Not merging records in GroupVitals and F1
It's important to know that GroupVitals is unable to recognize if duplicate records have been merged in F1. If you merge a record in F1, then you will need to merge it in GroupVitals. Otherwise, GroupVitals will continue to have the duplicates in GroupVitals and if one of them has their profile updated in anyway, that information is sent to F1 and could possibly create a duplicate record over there. See below for more details on best practices.
How duplicate records appear exactly the same
It's possible that you'll come across two records that have the same exact first name, last name, email and phone #s and you may be wondering how it was possible that they were duplicated. It's very common for someone record to be created with just their first and last name (attendance guest and roster check is most common). Then several months later that same person signs up for a new group via the GroupFinder. Because GroupVitals doesn't have their email or phone # on file, it could not find a match, so a new record was created. Then, at some point someone (leader or staff) notices the first record doesn't have an email or phone number so they add it via GroupVitals or F1. So now both records share the same name and contact information. GroupVitals doesn't allow updating someone's profile with an email that already exists, but F1 does.
Ways to prevent duplicate records
Preventing duplicates is a challenge for most churches we talk to. Whether they sync with F1 or not, they will end up with many of their duplicates during peak group signup seasons. This usually happens because people will signup for a group on the GroupFinder or the general signup form with a different email and phone # that isn't on file. This is challenging to control and manage from your end. Humans will be humans 😉 However, we have made improvements to our GroupFinder so that it looks at several fields to find a match, minimizing duplicates as much as possible.
How to handle duplicate records
There are three important things you'll need to know before you get started:
- It's important to know which profile is the "master" or main record in GroupVitals and which one is the master in F1. You can determine that by navigating to all the duplicate profiles for the person in both systems and review the data to determine which one is or should be the master record in each system.
- It's important to know which GroupVitals profile is linked/connected to the master profile in F1. You can determine this by reviewing all the duplicate profiles for the person in F1 and see which one has the same name, email and or phone # in GroupVitals and F1. If all of that is the same for all duplicates and you can't tell which GroupVitals profile is linked to the master F1 profile, then you'll see the F1 ID # that we sync for each record, shown on their GroupVitals profile sidebar. Click their ID # and see which F1 record it takes you to. If takes you to the wrong one, an account admin can change which F1 ID # the profile will sync with. Here are instructions on how to do that.
- It's important to merge duplicate records in GroupVitals and F1 on the same day so that data isn't reverted back during the nightly sync with your F1 account.
Once you know which profiles are the master profile records in GroupVitals and F1, then you can proceed to follow these steps:
1. In GroupVitals, go to the profile that's connected to the master profile record in F1, then click the Merge with Person link on the sidebar.
2. Search and then select the duplicate profile.
3. In the profile merge window, go through each section and select all of the information to be kept on the master profile and click merge.
4. Wait 5-60 seconds and then refresh the master profile in GroupVitals and review it to ensure it has all the accurate data.
⚠️When someone is merged in GroupVitals, their information is not sent to FellowshipOne. Proceed to the next step to solve this:
5. In the master profile in GroupVitals, click on the Edit tab, then scroll to the bottom and click save changes. Doing this will push all of the updated data found in their Edit profile section over to their master record in F1.
6. In F1, refresh the master profile to ensure it has the updated/accurate data from the merge you did in GroupVitals.
7. Merge in F1. In F1, go to People > Merge Individual and select the master record and then select the duplicate you'd like to merge it with. Then click the merge button. Select all of the data you'd like to keep in the master record. Note that if any of the data that syncs with GroupVitals is different then what you selected in the merge process in GroupVitals, then the master profile in GroupVitals will reflect those changes during the nighly F1 sync with your account.
8. Go their profile in GroupVitals and click their F1 ID # on the sidebar to view their profile in F1 to confirm that it's matched and syncing with the correct person.