Frequently Asked Questions
General
What is AutoMerge?
AutoMerge is an intelligent duplicate detection program for Microsoft Dynamics 365. It can automatically merge duplicate data using default and customizable matching and ranking logic, to improve your data quality without record-by-record work.
Does AutoMerge work with anything other than Dynamics 365?
No. AutoMerge works only in Microsoft Dynamics 365 CRM at this time.
How does AutoMerge work, end to end?
Step 1. Analyze. Submit an analysis request on your Leads, Accounts, or Contacts from the Management App. The Azure-based service applies fuzzy matching logic to find duplicates, using either the default rules or your own:
- Match on any out-of-the-box or custom field
- Match on fields in related (N:1 / parent) records
- Fuzzy matching handles nicknames, misspellings, and phone, address, and company-name variants
- Cross-field matching finds duplicate phone, email, or street data across whichever fields it's hiding in
Matched records are ranked within each set so the right record wins the eventual merge, and each set gets a precision score from 0–100. Results are written back into your CRM, and you're notified by email when the analysis completes.
Step 2. Validate. Review the matched sets in the duplicate views inside your CRM. Use the precision score to separate high-confidence from low-confidence matches, and add your own columns to compare records.
Step 3. AutoMerge. The AutoMerge button replaces the built-in merge wizard and merges sets of any size in one click, preserving data from loser to winner. You can also submit an AutoMerging request in the Management App to merge everything above a chosen precision threshold.
How do I know whether I even have duplicates?
Dynamics 365 accepts records through manual entry, the import wizard, and integrations with other line-of-business systems. All three produce duplicates. Users who work in the CRM daily usually know there's a problem but can't quantify it.
A free Data Quality Report tells you how many duplicate Leads, Accounts, and Contacts you have, with examples.
How much does AutoMerge cost?
See the pricing page.
Do you offer discounts?
Registered non-profit organizations qualify for a discount off standard pricing. Email sales@genbil.com and we'll go through the details with you.
We're a Microsoft partner or reseller. Is there a program?
Yes. Microsoft value-added resellers and Dynamics 365 partners who bring or refer a customer to us receive a free Standard subscription for use in their own Dynamics tenant.
If you're evaluating AutoMerge on behalf of a client, get in touch before the referral rather than after. Email sales@genbil.com.
How the matching works
What is fuzzy matching?
Not exact, but close enough. Ask ten people to create the same contact with name, address, and phone fields and you'll get ten different records. Fuzzy matching finds duplicates regardless of how the data was entered.
How does AutoMerge decide which record wins?
By default, the most recently updated record wins. This is fully customizable through ranking rules, which can reference fields on the record itself or on related records such as Activities, Opportunities, Cases, or custom entities.
Set by set, you can override the winner with the AutoMerge Set Primary button.
Where does the losing record go?
Losers are deactivated, not deleted, the same behavior as the out-of-the-box merge dialog. They remain visible in a subgrid on the winning record until you bulk-delete them to reclaim space. See merge history.
Is there a limit on how many analyses we can run?
There's no metered cap. Tiers are set by Max Table Size, the record count in whichever of your Lead, Account, or Contact tables is largest, rather than by a pool of consumable credits.
The practical expectation is that you run as many analyses as it genuinely takes to understand your data and see the effect of your matching, ranking, and precision rules. Tuning a rule set is iterative: you adjust, re-run, look at how the duplicate sets and precision distribution shift, and adjust again. That learning process is the point, and it isn't something we count.
What the subscription isn't intended for is submitting requests with no interpretive purpose: running the same unchanged configuration repeatedly, or scheduling analyses on a loop without reviewing what came back. If you're unsure whether another pass will tell you something new, get in touch; talking through what you're trying to learn is usually faster than another run.
Some earlier subscriptions were described in terms of analysis credits. That model has been retired. If your agreement references credits and you'd like to know how it maps to the current tiers, email sales@genbil.com.
Can I control which sets get merged?
Yes, always. Nothing is merged until you say so. Merge sets yourself with the AutoMerge ribbon button, or submit a request from the Management App to merge everything above a chosen precision percentage and review the rest by hand.
Can I exclude specific records from analysis?
Yes. The AutoMerge Ignore button removes records from their sets and prevents future matching. You can reverse it with a bulk edit or an Unignore All request.
The built-in merge wizard lets me pick which fields to keep. How does AutoMerge handle that?
AutoMerge has a system-wide configurable set of preservation fields checked before every merge. For each one, if the winner has no value and a loser does, the loser's value is copied to the winner. For cases where the winner's field is already populated, see complex field preservation.
Security and privacy
How secure is AutoMerge?
Several layers, and the details matter if you're going through a procurement review:
- Minimal collection. Only the specific fields needed for duplicate analysis, including PII such as name, email, and phone. Nothing beyond that.
- Transport. Data moves only over SSL/TLS or a direct VPN connection to our Azure Cloud servers. If you're on Dynamics 365, your CRM data never travels over the public internet at all, because it's already sitting in an Azure datacenter.
- Encryption at rest. SQL Transparent Data Encryption, AES-128.
- Restricted access. Analysis servers are reachable only by Genbil's managing partners and delivery-path analysts.
- PII scrubbed on completion. Once an analysis finishes, personally identifiable information is removed from our systems.
Read the full privacy policy.
Can we choose where our data is processed?
Yes. You select the regional Azure datacenter for your analysis on your AutoMerge profile:
EASTUS · WESTUS · SOUTHUK · CENTRALDE · CENTRALAUS · CENTRALCA
If data residency is a requirement for you, as it commonly is under UK, EU, or Australian policy, set this before your first analysis rather than after. Email sales@genbil.com if you're not sure which region applies.
Our CRM is on-premises behind a firewall. Will this work?
The service works with Dynamics 365 (Online), Dynamics Partner-hosted deployments, and on-premises installations with an Internet-Facing Deployment (2011 and later).
If your CRM sits behind a closed firewall, get in touch. There are ways to work around it safely.
Still have questions? Email sales@genbil.com or send us a note.