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🧹 Admin & Extend · Module 19

Data Quality: Stop Duplicates and Undo Mistakes

Keep your data clean. Catch duplicate records (the same customer or lead saved twice) before they're saved, and give every deleted record a 30-day safety net.

4
Tabs
~12 min
Time to Complete
80 pts
Available
1 Badge
Data Hygiene Champion

Why messy data is a real cost

PM
Priya Menon · Sales Operations Manager

"We keep getting the same lead saved three times, by three different reps. Nobody notices until two people call the same person on the same day. And when someone deletes a record by mistake, it's just gone."

Duplicate records (the same person or company saved more than once) confuse reports, waste rep time, and embarrass the team in front of customers. Accidental deletes are worse. Without a safety net, one slip of the mouse can wipe out weeks of work with no way back.

💡
What you get out of it
One clean record per customer, and a 30-day undo button for every delete. No more duplicate embarrassment, and no more permanent "oops."

Two tools, one clean set of data

Duplicate Rules check a new record against your existing records, the moment someone hits save. A duplicate rule is a rule that says "these two records are probably the same thing." You choose which fields must match (like email), and whether a match should just Alert (warn the person, but still let it save) or Block (stop the save completely).

✅
Alert vs. Block
Use Alert while you're still testing a rule, so you can see what it catches without stopping anyone's work. Switch to Block once you're confident it only catches real duplicates.

The Recycle Bin is where every deleted record goes first — nothing is destroyed right away. Deleted records sit in the Recycle Bin for 30 days. Any admin can restore them, or permanently purge (delete for good) them sooner if needed.

1 Build a duplicate-email rule and recover a deleted record

Open Duplicate RulesGo to Setup → Data Quality → Duplicate Rules, then click "New Rule".
Set up the matchRule Name: "Duplicate Email Check" · Object: Lead · Match Fields: email (Exact) · Action on Match: Block.
Save, then test the Recycle BinSave the rule. Then delete any test record. Go to Setup → Data Quality → Recycle Bin, and click "Restore" to bring it back.

Day-to-day: reps

See the alert or blockTry to save a record matching an existing one and you'll see the warning (or the save gets stopped) right away.
Recover your own mistakeAccidentally delete something? Ask an admin to check the Recycle Bin — it's there for 30 days.

Day-to-day: admins

Restore or purge from the Recycle BinCheck it periodically — restore anything deleted by mistake, or purge records you're sure you don't need.
Tighten a rule from Alert to BlockOnce you've confirmed a Duplicate Rule only catches real duplicates, switch it from Alert to Block.
🎯
What to try next
Look at the Import / Export trail — Duplicate Rules also apply to bulk-imported records, not just manual saves.

Test what you learned

1. What does a duplicate rule do when its action is set to "Block"?
It quietly deletes the older record
It stops the record from being saved at all
2. How long does a deleted record stay in the Recycle Bin before it's gone for good?
24 hours
30 days