Database Merge
Database merging combines records from multiple databases into a single system, typically after an acquisition, a department consolidation, or a CRM unification project. Without proper deduplication and standardization, merging databases just doubles your data problems.
Company A has 30,000 contacts in Salesforce. Company B has 20,000 contacts in HubSpot. There's 8,000 records of overlap that no one has mapped. If you just import B into A, you now have 50,000 records with 8,000 duplicates, conflicting data on shared contacts, and two different formatting standards mixed together.
How We Merge Databases
- Overlap analysis. We identify which records exist in both databases and how they differ. You get a clear picture of the overlap before any merging happens.
- Cross-database deduplication. We match records across databases using fuzzy matching on name, email, phone, and company to find duplicates that exact matching would miss.
- Conflict resolution. When both databases have different data for the same person, we determine which values to keep based on recency, completeness, and source reliability.
- Standardization. Fields from both databases get normalized to the same format, picklist values, and conventions before merging.
- Golden record creation. For every duplicate pair, we build one master record that preserves the best data from both sources.
Merged Database Results
- A single, deduplicated database with the best data from both sources
- Clear audit trail showing where each data point came from and why it was chosen
- No lost data because merge rules preserve the most complete and recent information from each source
- Consistent formatting across all records regardless of their original source system
Common Questions
How do you decide which record to keep when there are conflicts?
We apply configurable precedence rules. By default, we prefer the most recently updated value, then the most complete record, then the record from the designated primary system. You can customize these rules before we merge. Every conflict resolution is documented so you can audit decisions.
What if the two databases have completely different field structures?
We handle field mapping as part of the merge. If Database A has 'Company Revenue' and Database B has 'Annual Revenue' and 'Revenue Range,' we map them together and standardize the values. You approve the field mapping before we execute the merge.
Can you merge more than two databases at once?
Yes. We regularly merge three or more databases in a single project, typically during multi-company acquisitions or when consolidating regional databases. The process is the same — overlap analysis, deduplication, conflict resolution, standardization — just applied across more sources.
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