Find and merge duplicate records

Mesy finds duplicates by comparing the fields you tell it identify a record, such as an email address or a phone number. It warns you while you create, lets you review a whole type at once, and merges two records into one.

Turn detection on for a type

Duplicate detection is off until an admin picks identity fields. An object type with no identity fields shows no duplicate hints, and its review screen reads Duplicate detection isn’t configured for this type.

To set identity fields (admins only):

1. Open Admin from the sidebar and click the Schema tab.
2. Click the type to expand it.
3. Under Identity Fields (duplicate detection), tick the fields that identify a duplicate, such as email or phone.
4. The note below changes from Duplicate detection off to say that a matching new record shows a duplicate card before create.

A type with none set shows No identity fields in its row. Matching is exact after tidying: emails are compared lower-case and trimmed, phone numbers by their digits only, and any other field trimmed and case-folded.

See a warning while you create

With identity fields set, the create form, the table’s Add New row and the board’s add box all check as you type. When a value matches an existing record, a line reading Possible duplicate names the field and lists the matching records. Click a record’s name to open it instead. The warning never blocks you; you can still create the record.

Review a whole type

To scan every record of a type:

1. Open the type’s page and click Review duplicates in the toolbar.
2. Wait for Scanning for duplicates… to finish.
3. Each group shows the reason, such as same email, the shared value and the records in it. Tick two records in a group.
4. Click Compare & merge.
5. The two records open side by side.

The scan lists up to 50 groups of up to 8 records each; a larger group notes it’s showing first followed by the count. A clean type reads No duplicates found followed by a note that every record has unique identity values.

Merge two records

The comparison shows one row per field that has a value on either record. The record marked Keep survives; click the other record’s column heading to make it the survivor instead. The panel explains that The kept record’s values win. On a row where the two differ, click the other record’s value to carry it onto the kept record. The tooltip on such a value reads Click to carry this value onto the kept record. Click Merge records.

Mesy then asks Merge followed by the two names. The message explains that everything linked to the removed record (relations, notes, tasks, files, activity) moves to the kept one. It counts the field values that carry over, and states that the removed record is deleted and that this can’t be undone. Click Merge records to confirm. Both records must be of the same type.

Merge from a record

You can also start from the record you want to fold away. Open More actions in its panel header and choose Merge into…, then pick the record to keep and resolve the fields the same way.