Possible duplicates
A tidy-up report that finds likely-duplicate clients and patients and lets you merge them with two clicks.
Over time — especially after a busy week, or a data import from your old system — the same client or the same animal can end up entered twice. The Possible duplicates report finds these likely twins for you and lines them up side by side, so you can tidy them away with the merge tool you already know.
It lives under Settings → Duplicates.
Nothing happens automatically. This report only suggests possible duplicates — it never merges anything on its own. You stay in control: you look at each pair, decide whether they really are the same, and only then merge. Looking is completely safe.
How to get there
- Click Settings.
- In the left sidebar, click Duplicates.
- The report loads, grouping likely duplicates together.
What it looks for
The report groups records that look like they might be the same. It checks two kinds of record:
Clients (pet owners) — flagged when records share a:
- Phone number, or
- Email address, or
- Name.
Patients (animals) — flagged when records share a:
- Microchip number, or
- the same owner and a similar pet name (a second "Bella" for the one client).
These are the same signals Wattle uses for the gentle "possible existing record" heads-up when you're creating a client or patient — this page just gathers them all up in one place after the fact.
They're suggestions, not certainties. Two different people really can share a landline, and two littermates really can be called "Bella". The report errs on the side of showing you a pair so you can judge — a group appearing here doesn't mean the records are duplicates, only that they're worth a look.
Merge a duplicate pair
Usually: admin
Quick version — Settings → Duplicates → in a group, tick two records → Merge → choose which to keep, resolve any conflicts → confirm.
Step by step
- Open Settings → Duplicates.
- Find a group that really is the same client or animal entered twice.
- Tick two records in that group.
- Click Merge. This opens the same merge dialog used elsewhere in the app — pick which record to keep (the survivor), resolve any differing fields, and confirm.
The records fold into one, keeping all the history. For exactly how merging behaves — what's kept, what's a blocking conflict versus a soft warning — see the full write-ups: merging clients and merging patients.
Merging is permanent. As with merging anywhere in Wattle, the two records combine into one and the duplicate is removed — there's no undo. The report makes duplicates easy to find; the care you take before clicking the final Merge is the same as always.
Can't see the Duplicates page or the Merge action? Cleaning up duplicates needs management permission. If you don't see the page, or the merge step, your account may not have it — ask whoever set up your clinic.
When to use it
- After importing data from another system — imports are a classic source of double-ups.
- Every so often as housekeeping — a quick pass keeps the lists clean so reminders, statements and search all point at one record per client and pet.
Related reading
- Clients (pet owners) — the full client merge walkthrough.
- Patients (the animals) — the full patient merge walkthrough.
- Data Import — where many duplicates come from in the first place.