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Compare and Merge Entities

Introduction

The Compare and Merge Entities feature in Accurids allows users to compare two entities side by side that are possible duplicates. This feature enables users to merge a new entity (with a temporary URI) into an existing entity by selecting which values to keep from each side.

Accessing the Compare and Merge View

There are two ways to access the Compare and Merge view:

  • From Global Entity View (GEV): In the entity details page, click on the Compare and merge button visible in the possible duplicates alert. This will open the compare view for the entity and its duplicate.

  • From Pending Changes Validation: In the pending changes validation pop-up, navigate to the Possible duplicates section. Expand the section to view the duplicates of the newly created entity, and then click the Compare and merge button next to the existing entity you wish to merge with the new duplicate.

When Merge is Available

To be able to merge two entities, all of the following conditions must be true:

  • One entity must be existing: One of the entities must be an already existing entity in the system.
  • One entity must be new: The other entity must be a new entity that is not yet released (with a temporary URI).
  • Both entities need to be on the same dataset
  • No pending changes on new entity: If there are any pending changes in review or ready to release for the new duplicate entity, the merge option will not be available.

If any condition is not true, we can still compare the two entities but merge functionality will be disabled.

Starting a Merge

When two entities are identified as possible duplicates, users can access the Compare and Merge view. This view displays both entities side by side, allowing for easy comparison of their properties and values.

To begin the merge process, click the Start merge button. This will initiate the merge workflow and allow you to select which values to keep from each entity.

Selecting Values

After starting the merge, you can select the values from each side that you want to keep in the merged entity:

  • Select values from existing entity: Choose which values from the existing entity should be preserved in the final merged entity.
  • Select values from new entity: Choose which values from the new duplicate entity should be applied to the existing entity.

Constraints on Value Selection

There are several constraints that affect which values can be selected or unselected:

  • Required properties: If there are any required properties in the existing entity, you will not be able to unselect values for those properties. Additionally, you cannot select values from the new duplicate entity for required properties.
  • Pending changes on existing entity: If there are existing pending changes for the existing entity, you will not be able to unselect values that are affected by those pending changes.

Applying the Merge

Once you have selected all the values you want to keep, click the Apply merge button. This will open a final review screen where you can:

  • Review the merged entity: See a preview of how the merged entity will look with all your selected values.
  • Final confirmation: Verify that all changes are correct before applying them.

What Happens When Merge is Applied

When the merge is applied, the following actions occur:

  • New entity values are discarded: All values of the new duplicate entity will be discarded permanently.
  • Selected values are applied: The selected values belonging to the new duplicate entity will be applied as new changes on top of the existing entity.
  • Unselected values are removed: All values from the existing entity that were not selected will be discarded in the form of new value removal changes.

Discarding the New Entity

If you determine that there are no values worth merging from the new duplicate entity, you can choose to discard the new entity entirely. This option is useful in cases where:

  • The new entity contains no valuable information.
  • All values in the new entity are already present in the existing entity.
  • The new entity is a true duplicate with no additional data to merge.

When you discard the new entity, it will be removed without creating any changes to the existing entity.