Contact records are merged with patron records if they use the same email address. This merging ensures that Polaris and Sierra customers are able to see a complete and unified view of all their patron records in Promote when they search their Audience.
Contact information is combined with the existing patron record when any of the following actions take place:
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a CSV import
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a sync with the ILS
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A manual sign-up form submission
The data that is added to the patron record includes:
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Segments
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Tags
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All activity
When multiple patrons with the same email address exist, the contact is merged with the patron that has an exact name match. If there isn't an exact name match, the segments, tags, and all activity from the contact are copied to all patron records with that email address.
Subscription status and age restrictions
When a contact record is being merged with a patron record, the system keeps the subscription status associated with the email address from the target record.
If the patron is identified as being under 13, the system preserves their minor status and automatically unsubscribes them from all patron segments to help comply with age-related policies.
However, if the patron had previously submitted a sign-up form (explicitly opting in and confirming they aren't a minor) they will remain subscribed to patron segments despite their age classification at the time of merging.
