Updated Merge Functionality for CRM Objects (including Contacts and Companies)

[hseligson]

Note: This changelog supersedes a prior version published on July 22, 2024. Due to customer feedback and confusion regarding the scope of changes, we have updated and clarified the details in this new changelog. Please review the updated information below.

 

What's changing?

We’re updating how merges are handled across CRM object types, starting with contacts and companies, to ensure consistency with how merges are processed for other objects.

Key updates: 

• New Record ID Generation: When contacts, companies, or other CRM objects are merged, a new record with a new ID will be created for the resulting merged record. The original record IDs will still point to the new merged record, so fetching records with the original IDs will return the new one.
• Property Value Updates for Contacts and Companies: For merged records, property values will now prioritize the values from the primary record. Property values from both records will still be merged, but the final values will reflect those from the primary record. 

Note: Contact and company properties that already have exceptions to existing behavior, as detailed in our help documentation for merging records, will keep their special behavior.

• Association Prioritization: Associations from the primary record will be prioritized in the resulting merged record for all object types, including contacts and companies. Multiple associations with "primary" labels will prioritize those from the primary record, while excess associations will be dropped.

Why is this changing?

This change aims to standardize the merge behavior across all CRM objects, including contacts and companies, making it easier to manage merges and add new merge options in the future.

When is this changing?

The new merge functionality will take effect on January 14th, 2025, for all CRM objects. Merges completed before this date will not be affected.

Note: This change was originally scheduled for October 21, 2024, but has been extended to January 14th, 2025.

Questions or comments? Join the forum below for a peer-to-peer discussion.

[JakeAGill]

Hi I currently use hs_merged_object_ids property for the company and contact object.

Will the new object created contain both merged ids?

[hseligson]

@JakeAGill - Hi there! Yes, the new object created during the merge should still include the original IDs in the hs_merged_object_ids property. This property is specifically designed to track the IDs of objects merged into the resulting record.
This change does not alter the behavior of the hs_merged_object_ids property, so your existing use of this property should remain consistent. It simply introduces a new ID for the merged object while preserving the historical IDs in hs_merged_object_ids for reference and tracking.

[morganmcgee]

Can someone please help me understand which details have been updated/clarified? How does this differ from the previous announcement (other than the launch date)?

[hseligson]

Hi @morganmcgee - Thank you for your feedback. We apologize for any confusion. We want to clarify that the recent update applies to all object types, not just contacts and companies. Some people were concerned that the new merge functionality was limited to contacts and companies, so we wanted to address this feedback and clarify the scope.