Made a merge you need to reverse? Data Doctor's Merge Undo feature lets you restore deleted records and reconstruct their relationships using the comprehensive artifacts created during every merge operation. This guide explains how merge data is captured and walks you through the undo process step by step.
Every time a record is merged—whether through Auto-Merge or manual merging—Data Doctor creates a detailed merge artifact before deleting the non-master record. This artifact serves as a complete snapshot that enables future restoration.
The merge artifact is designed to preserve everything needed to fully restore a deleted record. Here's what's included in every artifact:
Additionally, each artifact records the master record ID (the record the deleted record was merged into), the rule that triggered the merge, and the user who performed or scheduled the operation.
User triggers merge or Auto-Merge processes a duplicate group
Complete snapshot of the non-master record is captured and stored
Related records are moved to point to the master record
Non-master record is removed from the database
Artifact remains accessible in Merge Undo until retention policy expires
While the artifact system is comprehensive, there are important limitations that affect what can be fully restored:
Calculated fields are not stored in artifacts. After restoration, these fields will recalculate based on current data, which may produce different values than before the merge.
The longer you wait to undo a merge, the more your data may have diverged. Related records may have been modified, creating potential conflicts.
If re-parented child records have been updated since the merge, undoing will restore the parent relationship but won't revert changes made to the child records themselves.
External systems integrated with Salesforce won't automatically reflect an undo operation. Manual reconciliation with third-party systems may be required.
Not Captured: Chatter posts, feed items, field history tracking entries, and some system-managed fields (like CreatedDate and CreatedById) cannot be restored. The restored record will have new system timestamps reflecting when the undo occurred.
Storage Consideration: Artifacts consume org storage. High-volume merge operations can accumulate significant artifact data. Work with your admin to establish appropriate retention policies based on your organization's needs and storage capacity.
Follow these steps to restore a previously merged record using the Merge Undo feature:
From your Data Doctor dashboard, click on Settings in the navigation menu, then select Merge Undo. You'll see a list of all merge artifacts available for restoration, sorted by merge date with the most recent first.
Locate the merge you want to undo and click the preview icon (eye) in the Actions column. This opens a detailed view of the artifact without making any changes to your data.
Carefully examine the stored field values, relationship data, and merge context. Verify this is the correct record you want to restore. Pay attention to any fields that may have become outdated or that reference records which no longer exist.
Once you've confirmed this is the correct artifact, click the Undo Merge button. Data Doctor will recreate the deleted record, restore its field values, and re-establish child record relationships where possible.
After Undo Completes: You'll receive a confirmation message with a link to the restored record. We recommend reviewing the record immediately to verify all data was restored as expected and to address any formula fields or relationships that may need attention.
By default, artifacts are retained for 90 days. Your Salesforce administrator can adjust this retention period in Data Doctor Settings based on your organization's compliance requirements and storage constraints.
Yes, but with limitations. The record will be restored, but it won't be linked to a master record. Any child records that were re-parented to the now-deleted master will need to be manually reassigned after the undo operation.
Child records that were re-parented to the master during the original merge will be moved back to point to the restored record. However, any changes made to those child records since the merge will remain—only the parent relationship is reverted.
Currently, merges must be undone one at a time. This is intentional—each undo operation should be carefully reviewed to ensure data integrity. For bulk restoration needs, contact our support team for guidance.
Yes, restoring a record will affect any reports or dashboards that include the relevant object. The restored record will appear in reports based on its field values. Rollup summary fields on parent records will also recalculate to include the restored record.
Need Help? If you encounter issues during the undo process or have questions about a specific artifact, contact our support team. Please have the artifact ID ready—you can find it in the artifact preview screen.
