In some cases, it may happen that you find one of your colleagues to have two profiles created in Leapsome. This article shares context of how this can happen, and gives you the instructions to merge duplicate user profiles without losing data associated.
Unique identifiers in Leapsome
In Leapsome, there are three identifiers that help us understand which data belongs to which user. The primary identifier is the username or email address of the user. In addition, in case the email address of the user changes, Leapsome uses the External ID to identify users, and in result, handle email changes without creating duplicates. The external ID can be found in the user data export. It is defined either manually by performing a manual user data import, or, in case of using an integration, is set by the integration. Lastly, Leapsome internally uses the Leapsome User ID to connect data within the platform to a user.
Reasons for user account duplications
Email changes without an external ID
When an email address is changed without updating the external ID, Leapsome may not recognize that the new email belongs to the same user. This discrepancy can lead to the creation of a new user profile with the new email address, resulting in duplicate accounts. To prevent this, ensure that all users have an External ID associated with their account before making any changes to email addresses via a bulk user upload. If you use an HRIS intergration, the external ID should be populated by default.
Email address and external ID change at the same time
If both the email address and the External ID are changed simultaneously, Leapsome might be unable to link the new information to the existing user profile. This can also result in a duplicate account being created. To avoid this, it is crucial to maintain consistency in at least one of the identifiers.
Not preventable user account duplications
The most likely scenario for user account duplications is if an employee has more than one profile in an intergrated HRIS. This could be the case, if an employee is re-hired, or changes from an internship into a full-time role. In this case, as soon as you create a new user profile including a new External ID and email in your HRIS, Leapsome will not be able to connect this account automatically to any existing one, and create a duplicate user account. In such cases, you can however manually merge the two accounts following the steps outlined below.
Merging duplicate user accounts
Merging individual duplicate user accounts
If you have two user accounts for the same person in Leapsome but would like to keep only one of them, you can follow the steps below to ensure the account containing valuable historical data continues to be used.
1. Find the two accounts in Leapsome: Start by locating the two user profiles that need to be merged. This can be done by searching for the email addresses or usernames associated with each profile.
2. Determine which account should be kept: Identify the account that should be retained. Typically, this will be the account with the ‘old’ email address and existing data such as reviews or meetings linked to it. To check this, just click on the profile in the employee list and review the user profile.
3. Remove the unwanted profile: Delete the duplicate account that is not to be kept. This step is crucial as it frees up the email address associated with the unwanted profile, allowing it to be reassigned. Background for this is, that in Leapsome, each email address can only be tied to a single user account. Before deleting, please double-check that it does not contain any data that needs to be exported first (e.g. Review data).
4. Assign the email to the remaining profile: Update the remaining profile with the email address from the deleted account. When the integration runs next, it will synchronize and update the profile with any missing information, ensuring continuity of data.
Merging user accounts in bulk
In case you need to merge multiple accounts at once, you can also do this in bulk by using an excel user import. Due to the higher risk for errors, we recommend merging in bulk only in case manual merges are not feasible. Before getting started, please ensure all user profiles have an 'External ID' attached and to clearly identify which accounts should be kept, and which ones removed.
To merge user accounts in bulk, instead of directly deleting the unwanted profile, you can alter the email addresses of the unwanted profiles (e.g. by attaching a number to it). This will allow you use the email addresses these accounts 'blocked', to the accounts that should remain in Leapsome. Once that is done, you can upload the updated user data file and the email changes will be processed. Then, you can delete the unwanted user profiles directly from the Employee list in Leapsome.