We Made a Few Changes to Merging Duplicate Records in Blackbaud Raiser's Edge NXT® and You Noticed!

Some of you noticed fluctuations in the number of duplicates identified in your database over the past few weeks, even though you didn't change anything in your daily processes. You were right! We recently made updates to our merge criteria in web view, which affected how duplicates were identified and reported. While the actual records remained unchanged, these adjustments impacted the way duplicates were displayed in your system.

To provide more insight, we asked Chris Ager, Principal Product Manager, to explain the changes.

January 21 Updates:

• Enhanced web view merge to include database view-only information.
• Introduced the ability to delete source constituents and exclude soft credits from merging.
• Revised the completed merge list, that used to exclude deleted source constituents, to be visible. This capability is laying the groundwork for future multiple merge queuing.

January 17 Bug Fix:

• While upgrading the merge process for future multiple merge support, a bug was introduced that caused more low-confidence duplicate pairs to appear.
• This did not impact the accuracy of potential merge identification or affect merges already in progress.
• The issue was quickly resolved on January 18, but you may have seen more suggested merges before the fix was applied.

February 4 Enhancements:

• Implemented an improved confidence rating system for identified merge pairs.
• Added filtering options to sort merge pairs by confidence level (1, 2, or 3).
• Addressed your feedback by allowing you to hide merged constituents where the source constituent was deleted.

Merged constituents filter feed


Not to worry because we heard you! Some of you want to see and review all merge pairs, including those classified as lower confidence. In response, we're expanding our filtering options to include a new setting that allows customers to view all merge pairs, just as they could before our February 4 updates.

New filter when released


Sneak Preview!
We are making enhancements to Raiser's Edge NXT data health to ensure it's in full alignment. The additions below are expected to be released (and announced in this blog) next week. After that update, your possible duplicates will be categorized into All possible duplicates and Duplicates with higher confidence, empowering you to use the dupe review process you prefer.

Current Data Health for possible duplicates



Enhanced Data Health for possible duplicates (releasing February 25, 2025)

Also, in case you missed it, web view merge now includes all fields from both database view and web view. Merging duplicate records ensures that no constituent data is lost, even when the source constituent is deleted. In web view, you can now merge:

• Consent
• Education
• Fundraisers
• Gift Aid Declarations
• Volunteers
• Memberships
• Prospects
• Tributes

When you merge records in web view, you can also:

• Select to delete source constituents after you merge.
• Select to exclude soft credits when you merge gifts.

These enhancements are a part of our ongoing commitment to the development of Raiser's Edge NXT. We value (and act on) your feedback and remain dedicated to making adjustments that provide the flexibility you need, with the control that you want. As always, keep sharing your insights because they play a crucial role in shaping the future of Raiser's Edge NXT.