Unique Fields

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Overview

A unique field stops two records of the same object from sharing the same value in that field. Once a field is unique, Reevo blocks duplicate values at save time: if someone tries to save a value another record already has, the save is rejected and Reevo shows which record already uses it. Use a unique field to protect an identifier your team relies on, such as:

• One employee ID per contact
• One external system ID per account
• One contract number per custom record

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At a glance

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Unique fields vs. duplicate detection

These are two separate features on the same settings page, and they solve opposite problems:

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Before you start

Only admins can set up unique fields. If you aren’t an admin, you won’t see the Data integrity page. Uniqueness applies to custom fields, so you need the field to exist before you can make it unique. You can also turn uniqueness on while you’re creating the field. Each unique field covers one field on its own. Reevo can’t enforce uniqueness across a combination of two or more fields together. If you need a combined key, make a single custom field that holds the combined value, then make that field unique.

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Which fields can be unique

You can make custom fields unique on Accounts, Contacts, and any of your custom objects. Opportunities aren’t supported. Five field types can be unique: Computed and rollup fields can’t be unique because Reevo works out their values for you rather than someone typing them in.

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How Reevo compares values

Reevo tidies values up before comparing them, so near-identical entries still count as duplicates:

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Make a field unique

There are two places to do this, and both run the same checks.

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From the field editor

Use this when you’re already creating or editing the field.

1. Go to Settings, pick your object under CRM, and open Custom Fields.
2. Click Add Field, or click an existing field to edit it.
3. Turn on Set as unique.
4. Click Save.

If you’re turning this on for a field that already has data in it, Reevo checks your existing records first and shows you any conflicts. New fields skip the check, since there’s nothing to compare yet.

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From Data integrity settings

Use this when you want to see everything that’s currently unique in one place.

1. Go to Settings > Data integrity and open the Unique fields tab.
2. Click Add field.
3. Pick the Object.
4. Pick the Field. Fields that are already unique show an Already unique label and can’t be picked again.
5. Under When duplicates exist, choose what should happen to records that already share a value.
6. Wait for the conflict check to finish, and sort out any conflicts it finds.
7. Click Proceed.

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Handling records that already share a value

Making a field unique doesn’t just affect what happens next. Reevo also has to decide what to do about records that already hold the same value. There are 3 things to know:

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1. Choose what happens to existing duplicates

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2. Read the conflict check

As soon as you pick a field, Reevo checks your existing records in the background. This takes a few seconds. You’ll get one of three answers:

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3. Sort out the conflicts

Clicking Resolve duplicates opens a Resolve duplicates page in a new tab, so your setup stays open behind it. The page groups records by the value they’re clashing on. For each group you can:

• Click Merge to combine the records. This works for groups of 2 to 10 records. Above 10 the button is disabled, and you use View list instead to open the object’s list filtered to that value and work through it in bulk.
• Click any record to open it and change or clear the value, or delete the record.

Groups you’ve finished with show a Resolved badge. If a merge didn’t clear the clash, the group shows Merge didn’t clear this, re-check so you can look again. When you’ve worked through the list, click Re-validate to run the check again. Once it comes back clean, go back to your setup tab and finish.

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What happens when someone hits a duplicate

Once a unique field is active, Reevo blocks any save that would create a duplicate value. In the app, a red warning appears under the field reading Already in use by another contact, or Already in use by 3 other contacts when several records hold the value. The warning lists the records so you can click straight through to them, showing the first three with a Show 2 more link for the rest. You can’t save until you change or clear the value. Through the API, the request is rejected with a 409 error reading "GB-123" is already used by another contact and must be unique. The response also includes the ID of the record holding the value, so an integration can look it up.

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Manage your unique fields

The Unique fields tab lists everything currently unique, with its object, field, and status. You can search by field or object name, filter by object or status, and sort any column.

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Status

If a field failed, delete it and start again, either after cleaning up the duplicate records or by choosing Allow existing duplicates the second time.

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Change or remove a unique field

You can’t edit a unique field in place. To change which field is unique, or to change how existing duplicates were handled, delete it and set it up again. To delete one:

1. Click the … menu on the field’s row.
2. Select Delete.
3. Confirm in the Delete unique field? dialog.

Deleting stops enforcement. Your records and their values stay exactly as they are, duplicate values become allowed again, and you can make the field unique again later.

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Unique fields and imports

Uniqueness applies to CSV imports as well as to records people create by hand, so an import can’t sneak a duplicate value past a unique field. Rows that would duplicate a value, either against an existing record or against another row in the same file, are skipped rather than imported, and reported back so you can review them. The rest of the import goes ahead as normal. Deleting or archiving a record frees up its values for someone else to use. When you merge two records, the surviving record keeps its values and the archived one’s are released.

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Troubleshooting / FAQs

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