Note: Merging users is currently only supported in the Aeon Desktop Client and cannot be performed from the Aeon Web Client.
In Aeon, the Merge User functionality allows you to merge an uncleared user with an already existing user. The purpose of this is to allow you to easily convert any requests associated with a new user account, created by someone who already has a valid user account, to the pre-existing user account and simultaneously disavow the new user account so as to prevent unnecessary duplication. It will also allow you to go in the other direction, by transferring all open requests from a previously created user account to a newly created user account.
The Users Waiting to be Cleared form in the Aeon Desktop Client displays a Similar Users panel listing current users with similarities in the first name, last name or username, so staff can track and merge duplicate users easily. A single Merge Users template includes both existing and new user information fields and allows staff to merge either the existing user or the new user to eliminate duplicate users. An email can be sent to the disavowed user alerting them that their accounts have been merged.
Accessing the Users Waiting To Be Cleared Form
Duplicate users are merged using the Merge button on the Users Waiting to be Cleared form in the Aeon Desktop Client. You can access the form from two places within the desktop client:
- Double-click the Waiting to be Cleared header in the Users Waiting to be Cleared group on the Aeon Desktop Client Home page.
- Click the Merge button on the User Information form in the Aeon Desktop Client.
Merging Duplicate Users
Compare new users with a list of similar users on the Users Waiting to be Cleared form. The Similar Users list is comprised of users with the same first letter in the last name. If you want to view a list of all Aeon users, right-click in the Similar Users table and select Show All Users. Selecting a user from the Similar Users list and clicking the Merge User button on the Process ribbon opens the Merge Users form.
- New users to be cleared are listed in the Users to be Cleared grid.
- When you select a user, a list of similar users, if any, appears in the Similar Users grid.
- If no users appear in the Similar Users grid and you want to view a list of all Aeon users, right-click in the Similar Users table and select Show All Users.
- Select the user you wish to merge from the Users to be Cleared grid.
- Select the user you wish to merge with the new user from the Similar Users grid.
- Click the Merge User button to open the Merge Users form.
- Once on the Merge Users form you have three options:
- Keep Existing User and Disavow New User. This will keep the existing user (the one in the Similar Users grid) and disavow the new user. All open requests under the new user are transferred to the existing user.
- Disavow Existing User and Clear New User. This will keep and clear the new user (the one in the Waiting to be Cleared grid) and disavow the existing user. All open requests under the existing user are transferred to the new user.
- Cancel. Cancels the merge and returns you to the Users Waiting to be Cleared list.
- Clicking either of the two merge buttons merges the users as explained above and prompts a Confirm Disavow popup window explaining that disavowing the user being merged will move open requests to the user that is retained.
- Click Yes to confirm the merge.
- The users are merged and the Users to be Cleared form returns.
The Merged User Email
Before clicking to keep the Existing User or the New User, you can choose to send a notification email to the User account that you are keeping.
- To send a notification email, check the Send Email check box.
- To edit the email before it is sent, check Customize Email.
- Choosing to edit the email opens the email template for you to view and edit.
- The MergeUser email template shows both Old User Details and New User Details as well as the resulting field of the merge.
The Merged User History
When two user accounts are merged, the Reading Room History and request history of the merged account are added to the saved account.
Merging Users That Are Already Cleared
If you want to merge a user record that has already been cleared with another cleared user record, you must first go to the User Information form for the user you want to merge and unclear the user by clicking the Unclear User button on the Home ribbon. You can then click the Merge button on the Process ribbon to quickly open the Users Waiting to be Cleared form and perform the merge.