---
title: "Review and merge duplicates - Basic matching"
slug: "review-and-merge-duplicates-basic-matching"
description: "Learn how to manage duplicates with basic matching rules, enabling merging and field value comparison for effective data quality control."
tags: ["Task", "Data Quality Studio", "DQS"]
updated: 2026-03-20T09:11:46Z
published: 2026-03-20T17:44:40Z
canonical: "docs.staedean.com/review-and-merge-duplicates-basic-matching"
---

> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.staedean.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Review and merge duplicates - Basic matching

A duplicate check rule of type 'Basic matching' checks if the data doesn't already exist in the table, based on a combination of table fields.

Duplicate check rules of type 'Basic matching' are applied automatically when you manually enter or update a record.

If merging duplicates is enabled for basic matching, and duplicates are found, you can compare the duplicates and merge field values. To enable merging duplicates is for basic matching, in the **Data quality studio parameters**, on the **General** tab, in the **Enable duplicate check using basic matching** field, select **Yes**.

This topic explains how to handle possible duplicates that are found if merging duplicates is enabled for basic matching.

### Steps

1. Go to a page to which a duplicate check rule of type '**Basic matching**' applies.
2. Enter or edit a record.
3. Click **Save**.
4. If possible duplicates are found, automatically, the **Duplicate records found** page is shown.

Review the possible duplicates that are found by the basic matching duplicate check.
5. Sub-task: Merge field values of duplicate records.
  1. You can merge field values of the duplicate records found to a chosen master record.

In the **Duplicates found** section, click **Proceed to merge**.
  2. The master record to which the field values are merged is shown in the **Master record** section.

By default, the created or edited record is the master record.

You can select another of the shown duplicate records as the master record. As a result, this record is shown in the master record section.

For the desired record, select the **Master record check** box.
  3. The duplicate check setup defines which fields can be merged. These fields are shown in the **Duplicates found** section, preceded by a '**merge**' check box.

Select the '**merge**' check for each field value that you want to merge to the master record. You can only select one '**merge**' check box for each field.

Select the desired '**merge**' check boxes.
  4. Click **Merge**.
  5. Click **Yes**.
6. Close the page.

> [!NOTE]
> Notes
> 
> If the duplicate check rule **Outcome** field is set to **Warning** and a duplicate record is found, the changed or new record is saved. If you have merged field values to a master record, the found duplicate records are not deleted automatically. The main reason is that the found duplicate records can be referenced in other records. Therefore, if desired, you can delete the undesired records manually. Do so from the record page.