If the user is merging data that might already be found in the merged record, the user has the option to select the Merge Unique Items checkbox.  This will configure MarcEdit to test all instances of a merged field to determine that the data doesn’t duplication information already found in a record.

Once the user has finished configuring the application, they simply click Next and the program will process the data, outputting the results to the Save File Location.

Step-by-Step

So, that was a lot of text.  In a nutshell, what are the steps to making this work?

1. Select your Source File (this is the file data is merged into)
2. Select your Merge File (this is the file data is merged from)
3. Select your Save File (this is where the final merged records are saved.  This must be different than the Source or Merge File paths.
4. Select your merge criteria
5. Click Next
6. Select the Fields to Merge
7. Determine if the Merge Unique Items checkbox is applicable
8. Click Next
9. Wait for the results

And that’s it.  The Merge Records tool will provide a running status message so users can monitor the matching and merging process.