How to Set Up Duplicate Detection Rules in Dynamics 365 CRM: A Step-by-Step Guide

Duplicate records can clutter your CRM, reduce data accuracy, and impact the efficiency of your sales and marketing efforts. Dynamics 365 CRM offers built-in Duplicate Detection Rules to help maintain data integrity by identifying and preventing duplicate records. In this blog, we'll walk through how to set up these rules using the Advanced Settings in Dynamics 365.

Step 1: Access Duplicate Detection Rules

1. Open Dynamics 365:
   
   Begin by logging into your Dynamics 365 instance.

2. Navigate to Advanced Settings:

   • Click on the Settings gear icon in the top right corner.
   • From the dropdown menu, select Advanced Settings. This will open the classic Dynamics 365 settings interface in a new tab.

3. Go to Data Management:

   • In the Advanced Settings area, select Settings from the top navigation menu.
   • Click on Data Management.

4. Open Duplicate Detection Rules:

   • In the Data Management section, find and select Duplicate Detection Rules.

Step 2: Create a New Duplicate Detection Rule

1. Click on New:
   
   On the Duplicate Detection Rules page, click the + New button to create a new rule.

2. Enter Rule Details:

   • In the new rule window, enter a Name for the rule (e.g., “Duplicate Detection by Email Domain”).
   • Set both the Base Record Type and Matching Record Type to Lead.

Step 3: Define Matching Criteria

1. Add Matching Criteria:
   
   In the Criteria section, click on + Add to create a new matching criterion.

2. Configure the Criterion:

   • Select Email from the Field dropdown.
   • Set the Operator to Contains.
   • In the Value field, enter the email domain pattern you want to match (e.g., @abc.com.hk).

3. Save and Publish the Rule:

   • Click Save and Close to save the rule.
   • Back on the Duplicate Detection Rules page, select the newly created rule and click Publish to activate it.

Final Thoughts

Once published, Dynamics 365 will automatically use this rule to detect duplicate leads based on the specified email domain pattern, helping to ensure data quality and consistency. By leveraging Duplicate Detection Rules, you can avoid redundant records and maintain a clean, efficient CRM system.