Combining Duplicate Profiles

Please note: This article applies to Versions 11.1 and prior. Newer versions of the software feature a "Merge Duplicate Profiles" utility that is a more complete and easy to use solution than what is described below.

Occasionally you may discover two records within PowerChurch Plus for the same individual. This might occur if someone contributes as a visitor under the name John Smith and later joins under the name James Smith. In reality, there are many possible causes of this problem. And, luckily, PowerChurch contains handy features that simplify this process of combining these records without losing their contribution history.

Before we continue, let's clarify one point: When attempting to "combine" profiles in PowerChurch, we're really just "moving" the two profiles into one family, assigning the same envelope number, and then deleting the extra record. Here's how.

1. First of all, use the PowerChurch Plus Backup feature located under the Utilities menu to make a backup copy of Contributions, Mailing List, & Profiles data. You may choose to backup All Data Files as an extra precaution.
2. From the Membership menu select Personal Profiles and then Maintain Personal Profiles.
3. Find or Locate the person you would like to move into a different family. Typically you will want to move the extra profile that has the least amount of detailed information entered.
4. After locating the desired profile, choose Move from the button bar. A window will appear asking you to select the family that this profile should be moved into. From this list, highlight the appropriate family and choose OK. Finally, close the Maintain Personal Profiles screen.
5. Next, verify that the move process worked by selecting Integrated Data Entry from the Membership menu. Use the Find or Locate buttons to locate the family you moved the profile into. Once selected, go to the Family Members tab. You should now see both profiles listed in this family.
6. Typically both profiles will have been assigned different envelope numbers. In order to combine contribution history you must first decide which envelope number you wish to use in the future. In this example we will be combining envelopes 100 and 200 into envelope 100.
7. Next, click on the Contributions menu and choose Reassign an Envelope Number. Enter the appropriate envelope numbers as follows: Reassign envelope 200 to 100. Click OK.
8. Finally, go back to the Integrated Data Entry screen and locate this family. You'll notice that both profiles now share the same envelope number. To complete the process combine any other data elements you need by hand and then delete the extra profile.