Merge Direction
Sorry if asked previously, but didn't find anything here in the Community or in the Help offerings….
What do you use to determine merge direction? Is the preferred/better way to decide on merge direction [when offered] —
Use as the Surviving Person the oldest [by added date] or…
Save the one with the assessed best/most sources and family connections.
Or does it not really matter. Beyond the post-merge 'clean-up' actions being different after the merge, the only thing I can think of is that the 'Latest Changes' will be different depending on the direction used. I haven't settled in on anything and depending on the day I find myself doing it differently
Answers
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The comments made by @Gordon Collett at
are the only recent ones on the subject I can find right now.
I must admit, comparing change logs is not my first consideration when I undertake a merge and making the decision of which profile should survive. The choice is usually clear for me based on what is attached to the two IDs. Very often, both were "created" in 2012, so the date added to the system can't always be the main factor. Rather, as has been suggested earlier, I would retain the profile that had a more detailed pedigree attached (after checking the relationships appear to be sound) and/or the most sources.
Sometimes the choice is a "close call" and I have probably decided to lose the profile I have created rather than that created by another user - who might well be upset at their carefully constructed, older profile being merged into one I only created recently!
As with other options one is presented with when working in other Family Tree (including the commonly raised issue of what to use as an individual's prime name), there is no hard and fast rule here, so I feel one should make the decision based on what appears will lead to the best overall outcome within the collaborative tree, rather than one that suits any personal considerations.
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@Mark McKenzie_1 , you stated, "I haven't settled in on anything and depending on the day I find myself doing it differently." Good. Not only that, you should find yourself doing it differently depending on the merge. My main criteria for merge direction is: "What is going to create the best final result?"
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keep in mind, that occasionally you need to edit the "final result" merged record with information from the "deleted record" which might be "more correct".
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