Inconsistent Duplicate Constituent Count Database View vs. Webview

Allison Jewell

Wondering if anyone out there knows why I may be getting one number for the count of possible duplicates using the Webview tool (119) and another number when looking at the Duplicate Constituent Management Tool in Database View (199)? I can't seem to find if the criteria the two tools match on is different or if there is something else I am missing? Thank you for any insight!

Dariel Dixon

I think both tools use different criteria to find duplicates.  I don't think you can update the duplicate consitituent tool in database view anymore either.

Veronica Williams

Dariel has it exactly right.  Blackbaud has pre-set the duplicate criteria (and we don't really know what they are!) for both NXT and the Database view.  They are different, and they consistently find completely different results. AND - neither finds all the duplicates.  I find a random few every couple of days!  


Also - if you combine them in NXT, it takes an extra step to actually delete the source constituent record, the one you merged into another.  It removes them from the duplicate list - but it doesn't get rid of the record (which the database view gives you the option to do).


Way long ago, in a different universe, when the people who bought Raiser's Edge were able to control settings in RE on their owns servers, users could CHOOSE their own duplicate criteria - and change the criteria as needed, based on how their own data has been entered.  You had multiple fields you could choose in Configuration, as well as the number of characters in a field to use for duplicate comparisons.  AND you could save the results as a Query to go through to compare the records.  When that user control went away (when RE 7 was born), so did the ability to completely find and clean up ALL your duplicates.


Good luck!

Allison Jewell

Wow, super helpful background! And yes the criteria being different is what I suspected, thank you for confirming. Really appreciate it!