back to knowledgebase

I did an update to my sync software in Outlook and I now have duplicates, what can I do?

Updated: 18 May 2022 05:40:49 OpenCRM::Settings::Google Sync Windows::Outlook

When you update your sync software that you use to manage the Google to Outlook sync you might find that the links between the Contact records in Google and those stored in Outlook are broken, this means that when you next synchronise your data you will likely get duplicates. Some software sync applications are more intelligent than others.

You should first investigate the problem with your Synchronisation Software Supplier Support team - they will be best placed to assist you if their software has failed.

This is a problem that occurs between Google and Outlook and therefore is not something that is under the control of OpenCRM. Any duplicates that you were to create are most likely to create new Contact records in OpenCRM therefore you do need to be careful.

Note : We have noticed that with the gSyncit V2 > V3 upgrade you need to manage the process in accordance with Fieldston Software's specific instructions.

When you carry out any upgrade you must follow the instructions from the sync software application supplier, if you un-install the software in the wrong way this might remove these link references between the records in Outlook and Google and this is the most common cause of duplicates following an update.

What Can I Do ?

You should try and track down the records that have been created since your upgrade in Outlook. Use the Contacts Search > Advanced Search > Contacts > Modified date : this will allow you to get a list of those records created in a set period. This may be enough to track down the duplicate records and you might decide that removing these is all that is required.

Using this list will allow you to make a decision on how best to remove the duplicates but please proceed with caution. These notes are provided as guidance only as each sync application, version, implementation, configuration and extension are unique, although you will have an idea about how your installation has been set up 'data synchronisation' can be a complex issue.

IMPORTANT : You must take some care here and apply a level of structured thinking to your removal process. If you were to remove the wrong records in Outlook this would flow back to your OpenCRM system, removing the wrong record will result in this record being marked as deleted in OpenCRM. Although we can undelete these records requests around this process will incur chargeable professional service time.

Help and Support : If you find yourself in this situation our advice is to get professional assistance as soon as possible. Tracking down the problems and eliminating them is much easier if there is only one error to correct, trying to work back through a set of unknown procedures could be time consuming and ultimately not as productive.

Is there a process that I can use within OpenCRM when this happens ?

There is a method that will work if all else fails and that is to do a complete resync from OpenCRM. This depends on what data you have set up to synchronise back into OpenCRM so please be careful when considering this step.

You can;

  • Remote Wipe the Google contacts from OpenCRM
  • Delete Contacts from Outlook (remember - you need to have the Contacts backed up OR be 100% sure that the Contacts from Outlook have been synchronised into OpenCRM as part of the sync process
  • Reset the Contact Sync date in OpenCRM - this will resync out to Google
  • Resync the Google > Outlook application - this will pick up all of the Google Contacts and push these into Outlook.

Always do a backup of your data before attempting any of these steps.

Rate This Article
  • 1 star
  • 2 star
  • 3 star
  • 4 star
  • 5 star
Feedback and Comments
captcha code  


You may also be interested in: