Merging owners combines duplicate or related owner records into a single, accurate account.

What it does
It consolidates all associated data—licenses, animals, billing, and payments—under one owner record, eliminating fragmentation.

Why you would merge owners
You’d perform a merge when multiple records represent the same person or household:

• Remove duplicates
  An owner was entered more than once, often with slight variations in name or contact details.
  
  
• Unify related records
  Licenses, animals, or transactions are split across multiple accounts and need to be brought together.
  
  
• Improve data accuracy
  Ensure there’s a single, complete view of the owner’s history and activity.
  
  
• Simplify management
  Make it easier for staff to search, update, and work with one record instead of many.

In practice
Merging creates a single source of truth. It reduces confusion, prevents errors in billing or communication, and ensures all activity is tied to the correct owner moving forward.

Before you get started

• Back up the database. This routine modifies or deletes transactions. Modified or deleted transactions can only be restored from a backup. (Send Databases)
  
  

Merging owners

When there is more than one record in the database for an owner, you can use Merge Owners to combine two records into one record. This routine will copy the accounts from the owner to merge and remove and then paste the copied information in the owner to keep.

Running this routine will perform the following tasks:

• Move all transactions to the owner to keep.

• Move all licenses to the owner to keep.

• Move notes and attachments, if the option to merge attachments and notes have been selected.

Do this...

1. Open Connect Animal License > Organization > Merge Owners.

2. Which record do you want to keep? This record becomes the master owner record.

• I know the owner's name. Click on the Enter the Owner to Keep field, then type in the owner's name or number.

• I don't know the owner's name. Click the Search (F9) button located at the end of the Enter the Owner to Keep field. Then, select the owner's name from the Search list.

3. Enter the Enter the Owner to Merge and Remove.

All of the transactions, licenses, notes, and attachments (if selected) will be copied to the Owner to Keep.

Which record do you want to merge?

• I know the owner's name. Click on the Enter the Owner to Merge and Remove field, then type in the owner's name or number.

• I don't know the owner's name. Click the Search (F9) button located at the end of the Enter the Owner to Merge and Remove field. Then, select the owner's name from the Search list.

4. Set up the option to Merge Attachments.

Use this option to copy the attachments from the owner to merge and remove and paste them in the owner to keep.

Do you want to merge attachments?

• Yes, I want to merge attachments. Select the Merge Attachments checkbox. The system will copy the attachments from the owner to merge and remove.

• No, I do not want to merge attachments. Leave blank the Merge Attachments checkbox.

5. Set up the option to Merge Notes.

Use this option to copy the notes from the owner to merge and remove and paste them in the owner to keep.

Do you want to merge notes?

• Yes, I want to merge notes. Select the Merge Notes checkbox. The system will copy the notes from the owner to merge and remove.

• No, I do not want to merge notes. Leave blank the Merge Notes checkbox.

6. Click GO (CTRL+G).

The owner records have been merged.