# Set Up Merge Rules
The Merge Rule Configuration feature in DeDupeD enhances deduplication with intelligent, rule-based logic. It allows users to define conditional filters for both master and subordinate records, giving organizations greater control over merge decisions. Instead of depending solely on system-defined logic, administrators can implement custom business rules using FetchXML syntax to automate whether records should be merged, flagged for review, or denied. Additionally, a configurable fallback merge action ensures consistent outcomes by defining a default action (Merge, Review, or Deny) when no rules are met, preventing duplicates from remaining unprocessed.
To configure Merge Rules, follow the steps below:
* Go to **Entity Configuration**
* Navigate to **Merge Settings**
* Drill down to Merge Rule Settings and click on **+ New Merge Rule**
The following fields will be part of the Merge Rule entity:
**Name:** Give your rule a clear, unique name so you can easily identify it later. Example: *“High Priority Contact Merge”*.
**Action:** Choose what should happen if the rule conditions are met:
* **Merge –** Automatically merge the records.
* **Review –** Send the records for manual review before merging.
* **Deny –** Block the records from being merged.
**Master Filter Criteria:** Add conditions (using FetchXML) to define what the *main/master* record should look like. Example: “Keep the record where Status = Active.”
**Subordinate Filter Criteria:** Add conditions (using FetchXML) for the *duplicate/subordinate* record. You can also compare fields directly with the master record using the format \[Master:FieldName].
Example: “Merge only if the subordinate’s Email = \[Master:Email].”
**Execution Order:** Decide the order in which this rule should run. Rules with lower numbers run first. Example: Set *1* for your most important rule, *2* for the next, and so on.
Every created rule will be displayed as below in list format.
Fallback Action: In case no rules match, the fallback action defined in the configuration is applied. This fallback action can be:
* Merge – Automatically merge the subordinate into the master.
* Review – Mark the duplicate pair for manual review.
* Deny – Prevent the merge and exclude the pair from further processing.
The fallback behavior (Merge/Review/Deny) is configurable by the administrator through the system configuration or settings entity.
The user can select the records for merging as given below:
**DeDupeD Job Runs:**
Once the job run is over, it’s result will be stored in DeDupeD Job Runs as given below:
DeDupeD Job Runs Result:
The Job Results sub-grid will display:
* **Name:** name of the job run record. This usually takes the name of the master record
* **Record URL:** URL of the master record
* **Duplicate Count:** number of total subordinate records
* **Merge Count:** number of merged subordinate records
* **Review Count:** number of subordinate records to be reviewed manually
* **Deny Count:** number of subordinate records that will not be merged
* **Merge Rule Status** -> Auto-Merged, Review, Denied.
* **Merge Status** -> Merging, Merged, Partially Merged, Completed, Pending, Failed.
**Merging**- when the merging process is on going
**Merged**- when the merging process is finished and all the subordinate records are merged
**Partially merged**- when the merging process is finished and some of the subordinate records are merged, while the others may be in review/denied/ both
**Completed-** when the merging process is finished and none of the subordinate records are merged and all the subordinates are in denied
**Pending-** when the records are in review
**Failed-** when the merging process is halted mid-way and is not resumed/some error has occurred
Results of respective records are displayed as below:
Result showcase for each record,
* Number of records detected as duplicate records
* Number of records got merged
* Number of records under review
* Number of records got denied
Admin/User can find the selected master record summary in the Master Details tab as given below:
After setting up your merge settings, you'll now have three advanced merge options to choose from: Auto Merge, Field Merge, and Address Merge—each designed to enhance the efficiency of your merging operations.
