--- title: Identify and Eliminate Duplicate Records | Lookup Helper Use Case Library description: Lookup Helper automatically looks for existing matches to the criteria, eliminating the creation of duplicate Salesforce records. image: https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/4sXyV63odwysy_PmgA82U6stWv0ICryhghPzOsesjEpzhCM-64ufwTm4F63Yq2nXRV4aEkjs2uP1Q3hiLX149ZmX0x8D3oLEo4hvlt96x46TvJauKEiSd46jPcs_MjfIX_yMvEGc --- [GET DEMO](https://www.passagetechnology.com/any-product-one-on-one) **+1 (224) 655-6779 [![Trusted Salesforce service partner Passage Technology](https://www.passagetechnology.com/hubfs/2021/Nav-header-logo_PT.png) ](https://www.passagetechnology.com) # Identify and Eliminate Duplicate Records [![Free Salesforce business guides to help admins/developers, project managers, sales managers, and decision makers. Download the free PDF series now: Reinventing Your Business, Reimagining Your Salesforce®.](https://www.passagetechnology.com/hubfs/2021/Essential-Salesforce-Guide_Helper-Suite.png) ](https://www.passagetechnology.com/en/essential-guide-for-salesforce-admins-developers) ## Problem: When a user manually enters the information for a contact and searches Salesforce for the appropriate account, it adds extra steps and increases the chance that duplicate records will be created. For example, if the user doesn’t find the account, then they will need to create one. Next, they would need to fill in the required fields on the account (many of which might already be on the account), and associate this newly created account to the contact. The manual search process is unreliable, increases the possibility of account duplicates, and wastes valuable selling time. ## Solution: [**Lookup Helper**](https://www.passagetechnology.com/helper-suite-overview) will automatically relate records based on the criteria the Admin has set. Since new users don’t need to manually fill in those lookup fields, it reduces the number of steps that are needed. Lookup Helper automatically looks for any already existing match to the criteria, reducing situations of users not finding the record and eliminating the creation of duplicate records. **Example: **You can create a Lookup Helper Setting that relates a Contact to an Account automatically by comparing a text field "Company" on the Contact to the Account Name. You simply need to enter the contact information and fill out the "Company" field with the name of the contact's company. Lookup Helper will then search for an existing account with that name. This allows Lookup Helper’s powerful search to find the best matching account to link to the contact.  ![image (7)](https://www.passagetechnology.com/hs-fs/hubfs/image%20(7).png?width=800&name=image%20(7).png) **How it works inside of Lookup Helper:** - With "Create New Category Records" enabled, Lookup Helper automatically creates an Account with the appropriate name (and other fields if so defined in the "Fields to Populate" section of the Lookup Helper Setting) when it doesn’t find a matching account. - Lookup Helper associates the Account with the Contact. - The possibility for user error when creating the Account is removed since Lookup Helper automatically finds the best matching account. 1. Select a child object you would like to create or maintain a relationship on. Contact has been selected in the image below. ![Select a child object](https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/4sXyV63odwysy_PmgA82U6stWv0ICryhghPzOsesjEpzhCM-64ufwTm4F63Yq2nXRV4aEkjs2uP1Q3hiLX149ZmX0x8D3oLEo4hvlt96x46TvJauKEiSd46jPcs_MjfIX_yMvEGc) 1. Select or create a lookup field. ![create a lookup field](https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/hy-ZjXZPUY9PQa4C7cwjFKoDl2MlDelleTh-OmtlqMJm3vMw95vei8gNXZAG0my59knPi5u-72-NlO0JR7F_O3qRsPmLlhpdnbGQo7OB_96m7I0BZNJqFWvTI9nWdIKuLlSDHXB7) 1. Select fields on the contact and account to match. In the image below, "Company" and "Account Name" have been selected.  **![Select fields on the contact and account](https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/NWuErzjsZ6nNAP2pbuySpCrHnZq0gv6KXc1wv7MDzvkXEmHsTmeJxkPW21S-FzX5jZ_81_4k3wiozSXhOYNjjptDKpXjB76p4sZjRySBH3zmqxd_Rc_vfLiPjFqL7xqq5BvjkqDu)** 1. Check the “enable the creation of category records” box. **![enable the creation of category records](https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/3gOSKHIvuomkLE8SHiUuoMx9Mu1MLgVzhyMcA75PlykzYTh3iwZqSpCknjXmF2BmalV0C0d-XrMicsXS59WgPVifpMRIaMA-ZBXbKx_-c6YIzbkcUKa8TiHianfWJ9OhHSjnUKRC)**   **Multiple Matching Parent Record Alerts ** If Lookup Helper runs and finds more than one potential matching parent record, it will send an email alert to the Admin, letting them know multiple matching parent records exist, along with the ID’s of the records. For instance, in the above example that uses “Contact and Account,” a "multiple matching records" alert indicates two accounts with the same name exist in the org and might be duplicates. Tags: [Lookup Helper](https://www.passagetechnology.com/lookup-helper-use-cases/topic/lookup-helper) | [** Salesforce Reports for Time Entry Logs from Milestones PM+ ](https://www.passagetechnology.com/lookup-helper-use-cases/salesforce-reports-time-entry-logs-milestones-pmplus) | [Lookup Helper Use Case Library](https://www.passagetechnology.com/lookup-helper-use-cases) | [ Number of Tasks From Lead Owner ** ](https://www.passagetechnology.com/lookup-helper-use-cases/number-of-tasks-from-lead-owner) | | --- | --- | --- | [ Tracking Open Cases on Contacts in Salesforce ](https://www.passagetechnology.com/lookup-helper-use-cases/track-open-cases-on-contacts-in-salesforce) [ Tracking Open Cases on Accounts in Salesforce ](https://www.passagetechnology.com/lookup-helper-use-cases/track-open-cases-on-accounts-in-salesforce) [ Relate Contacts to their Assistants in Salesforce ](https://www.passagetechnology.com/lookup-helper-use-cases/relate-contacts-to-their-assistants-in-salesforce) [ Automatically Link Contacts to Individuals in Salesforce ](https://www.passagetechnology.com/lookup-helper-use-cases/automatically-link-contacts-to-individuals-in-salesforce) [ Automatically Link Contacts to Account Owners in Salesforce ](https://www.passagetechnology.com/lookup-helper-use-cases/automatically-link-contacts-to-account-owners-in-salesforce) [ Link Child Accounts to Ultimate Parent Account in Salesforce ](https://www.passagetechnology.com/lookup-helper-use-cases/ultimate-parent-account) [ Set Queue Custom Object on Any Standard Object ](https://www.passagetechnology.com/lookup-helper-use-cases/top-use-case-set-queue-custom-object-on-any-standard-object) [ Display Related List of Grandchild Records on the Parent Record ](https://www.passagetechnology.com/lookup-helper-use-cases/top-use-case-link-cases-and-opportunities-to-parent-accounts) [ Relating Cases to Accounts in Salesforce ](https://www.passagetechnology.com/lookup-helper-use-cases/relating-cases-to-accounts-in-salesforce) [ Assign Lead to Account Owner and Send New Lead Notification ](https://www.passagetechnology.com/lookup-helper-use-cases/assign-lead-to-account-owner-and-send-new-lead-notification) © 2026 Passage Technology LLC All Rights Reserved. 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