How can I keep both values of a field after the merge

Use the "Concatenate and Unicity" operation in Delpha to retain key candidate values during record merges. Ideal for legacy ID tracking and post-merge analysis.

How to Keep Track of Candidate Record Values During a Merge

When merging duplicate records in Salesforce using Delpha, the Master record is retained while the Candidate record is deleted. Standard merge logic retains only selected field values based on your Merge Field Rules.

However, in some cases, you may want to retain and track values from the Candidate record — such as legacy IDs, previous emails, or alternate names — for audit, traceability, or post-merge processing.

Delpha allows this via the “Concatenate and Unicity” operation.

Step-by-Step: Set Up a Merge Rule to Preserve Candidate Values

  1. Open the Delpha Setup app.

  2. Go to the Duplicate Settings tab.

  3. Select the target object (e.g., Account, Contact).

  4. Scroll to the Merge Field Rules section.

  5. Click New Rule.

Then configure the following:

Field
Description

Action

Select Operation

Input Field

Choose the field whose values (from both records) you want to track (e.g., Legacy_Id__c)

Output Field

A custom field (usually text or long text) where the unique values will be stored

Operation

Select Concatenate and Unicity

This operation:

  • Collects values from both the Master and Candidate

  • Deduplicates them

  • Combines them into the Output Field

Use Case: Tracking Legacy IDs

If you store legacy system IDs in a custom field (e.g., Legacy_Id__c), you can use this rule to keep all IDs from merged records:

This ensures historical traceability and can be used in post-merge automation or reporting.

Master Legacy Id: FJQn

Merged Legacy Ids : <Empty>

Candidate

Legacy Id: rAAH

Merged Legacy Ids: oYAAX

Master and Not Empty + Concatenate and Unicity

Legacy Id: FJQn

Merged Legacy Ids: oYAAX, rAAH

Result

After merging:

  • The Output Field contains all unique values from both records

  • You preserve key information from deleted candidates

  • Your data governance and traceability stay intact

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