Find duplicates

[bkudria]

Hello!

I'm using SugarCRM, and I love it...but it is missing a feature, I think, that I would like. I have many accounts, and some of them are duplicates...is there a tool or function that can find duplicate accounts? If not, how easy would it be to write one? I know PHP: should I use the SOAP API (I have no experience with SOAP) or should I connect to the database directly? But I am hoping this functionality already exists, somewhere...

Thanks!

[niche]

I have the same problem.
Some of our leads come in from an XLS file imported from badges that were scanned at a trade show.
Some of these same people also fill out a catalog request page on our website that sends data directly to sugar (through the LeadCapture.php file).
The same people might also send and email to our Group email box (info@).

Leads also come in via XLS files received after advertising in magazines.

I've had to train our small sales staff before creating a new lead from an incoming mail to MANUALLY search to make sure the lead doesn't already exist. This is a pain!
We're getting all sorts of duplicate data already and I haven't even imported most of our existing leads from a whole bunch of spreadsheets.


I think this is a HUGE problem; I hope somebody out there has some advice.

At the very least, the Sugar team should add code that notifies you that a lead with that name/email aleady exists when a user attempts to add it again. (I wouldn't necessarily expect this to happen at import of a XLS/CSV file though, although a report after the fact would be nice so I could clean out duplicates manually.)

[bkudria]

I have basically the same problem, but with Accounts...I don't think such a module exists, but if it is written, it should be able to compare Leads, Accounts, Contacts, whatever. A solution really is needed...anyone?

-Benjamin Kudria

[jasonslater2000]

Leads (IMHO) should support duplicates

However, what sugar does with duplicates is the bigger question -- it should, for instance, not send multiple campaign emails to the same person.