Admin - Merge 2 Animal Files

This section allows two records to be merged into one after an animal was accidentally duplicated in the system.  Only users with administrative access can process this function.

Don’t forget to:

• Make sure to transfer information from all non-mergable fields from the record that is to be absorbed prior to merging the records.

Tip: one record will be kept; one record will be absorbed by the kept record.  Open the 'To Keep' record in one tab/window.  Open the 'To Be Absorbed' record or duplicate record in another tab/window. Have the merging window open in between them to ensure no information is lost.

• Fields to check/information to manually transfer BEFORE the merge:
• Preadoption Counselling
• Animal Vet Notes
• Euthanasia Details
• General Notes 
• Icon Check Marks
• Special Message
• General Vet Notes History on the Medical Notes page
• Distinguishing Features
• Animal Behaviour page information
• Note: Shelter Tag, Council reference, Registration/license tag and other ID information OTHER than a Microchip number are saved in history, but unless they were displayed on the kept file they will no longer be visible.
• Note: although microchip numbers are merged, information relating to microchip implant date, implanter name and brand of the chip is NOT kept so be sure to transfer them to the file to be kept. 
• After merging, the kept file will display a history (H) link next to the ID number. Click on the link to see all Animal ID numbers for files merged into this one.
• If a user searches for an Animal ID number for a file that has been merged into another file and no longer exists as a separate file itself, the page will still take them to the remaining file and notify them via message at the top near the Animal ID number that the number they searched for has been merged into the file they are now viewing. 

To Merge Files:

1. Obtain both Animal IDs.
2. Determine which of the two records the most accurate record is – usually the one with the most recent information, the one with the most non-mergeable information or the one that was added via the public website.

• Web verified animals should always trump everything else because if you merge these into a non-web file while the web entry is active, the owner will no longer be able to see or update their animal with their website login.

Click on the Administration link in the Orange Menu on the left-hand side of the screen.

Click on the Merge 2 Animal Records link.

Animal ID 1:  enter the first of the two IDs.

Animal ID 2:  enter the second of the two IDs.

Click Merge!.

Select the animal record that is to be saved.

Select the animal name to be kept as current.

If one or both files have a microchip number, this will be visible on the merge file. If the numbers are not identical (which can only be achieved via Public Site web entry), the process will not allow you to merge the files. 

Scroll down and ensure that you read the white text before completing the next step.

If you are confident all relevant information that may be lost has been copied over to the file to be kept, then click Merge.

This will return back to the main Animal Merge screen with an Animals Merged notice in the lower left-hand corner.