---
schema_version: "1"
id: 1fec2e4ae34b4c77dcf4f5ab99715405423646e954b29bfd134e1871a4d09609
title: Duplicate Detection and Handling Process
collection: admin
version: current
locale: en-us
portal_url: https://docs.salesforce.com/admin/current/en-us/sales/264-0-0/duplicate_detection_and_handling.md
canonical_url: https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=sales.duplicate_detection_and_handling.htm&release=264.0.0&type=5
source_site: help.salesforce.com
content_type: documentation
content_hash: 92565a2feb627efe61305e47c90f4a8641f7bc84f93b96c3c66f7629b8f62835
description: Salesforce finds and handles duplicates using a combination of matching rules and duplicate rules. Duplicate rules and duplicate jobs specify matching rules that determine how duplicates are identified. Duplicate sets and reports list the duplicates found.
products:
  - Sales
  - Sales Enablement
release: "264"
---
# Duplicate Detection and Handling Process

Salesforce finds and handles duplicates using a combination of matching rules and duplicate rules. Duplicate rules and duplicate jobs specify matching rules that determine how duplicates are identified. Duplicate sets and reports list the duplicates found.

### Required Editions

<table class="slds-table slds-table_bordered slds-max-medium-table_stacked slds-m-bottom_small edition"><colgroup><col></colgroup><tbody><tr class=""><td class="slds-cell-wrap" style="vertical-align:top;">Available in: Lightning Experience and Salesforce Classic</td></tr><tr class=""><td class="slds-cell-wrap" style="vertical-align:top;">Available in: <strong>Essentials</strong>, <strong>Professional</strong>, <strong>Enterprise</strong>, <strong>Performance</strong>, <strong>Unlimited</strong>, and <strong>Developer</strong> Editions</td></tr></tbody></table>

## 1\. A Matching Rule Compares Records and Detects Duplicates

The matching rule specified in a duplicate rule or job can compare records on the same object, such as leads, or one other object. For example, a rule can compare leads that duplicate contacts.

A matching rule consists of an equation that determines how to compare the fields in a pair of records. Criteria on the fields determine how broadly a match is defined. Indexing and algorithms speed up the matching process.

When a matching rule is activated, one or more match keys are applied to existing records. The matching rule looks only for duplicates among records with the same match key. If two records don’t share match keys, they aren’t considered duplicates, and the matching algorithms aren’t applied to them. This indexing process improves performance and returns a better set of match candidates.

## 2\. A Duplicate Rule or Job Handles Duplicates

Duplicates can be detected when a sales rep creates, clones, or edits a record and a duplicate rule runs, or when you run a duplicate job. They can also be detected as part of other processes, such as importing or an API.

A duplicate rule alerts a sales rep and lists possible duplicates.

Duplicate job results list duplicates across an org.

## 3\. Sets and Reports List Duplicates Found

Duplicate record sets list the duplicates found when duplicate rules or jobs run. Reports of duplicates are generated from these sets.

![Note](https://sf-zdocs-cdn-prod.zoominsoftware.com/tdta-sales-data_quality-264-0-0-production-enus/abf88105-66d5-422e-983e-0592556338d7/images/icon_note.png)

Note The upper and lower case dotted I characters, or i-dot, found in languages such as Turkish and Azerbaijani aren’t detected in duplicate matching. For example, the accounts “iTest” and a second record named “İTest” aren’t identified as duplicates.