Data Merge Rules

The following rules apply to all training items being moved from one user record to another:

  • Best Practice: When using the Data Merge tool, it is a best practice to only merge user training records when the donor account has no more than 50 items on their transcript.
  • Training that is transferred from one user record to another will restart the approval process based on the settings associated with the recipient account.
    • Example 1: The donor account is in a status of Pending Approval. The course requires two training approvals in order to register. The donor account receives one approval, and then their training record is merged. After the merge, the recipient account remains in a status of Pending Approval and begins the initial approval process from the beginning, based on the settings associated with the recipient account.
    • Example 2: The donor account is in a status of In Progress and the training record is merged. After the merge, if the course requires completion approval, then this is defined in the settings of the recipient account.
    • Example 3: The donor account is in a status of Pending Completion Approval. The course requires two completion approvals in order to be considered Complete. The donor account receives one approval, and then their training record is merged. After the merge, the recipient account remains in a status of Pending Completion Approval and begins the completion approval process from the beginning, based on the settings associated with the recipient account.
  • For sessions, the donor account is withdrawn from the session. Because the recipient account must restart the approval process, the recipient account is not always registered in the session.

  • The Data Merge tool does not merge removed training items from the donor account to the recipient account.

  • The Data Merge tool does not merge a training item if it already exist on the recipient account; this includes equivalencies, other versions of the training, and if the training is used in a certification.
    • If the same training item is listed on both training records, the one in the recipient account remains and the one in the donor account is not merged, regardless of the status or version of either course.
    • For sessions, if the recipient account already has the session, then that record remains and no merge occurs. This is regardless of status. If the recipient account is waitlisted in a session and the donor account is registered in the same session, the user retains the status associated with the recipient account.
    • If the recipient account has a completed course that is an equivalent to a course in the donor account, the course is not transferred.
  • For curricula, if the recipient account has the curriculum on their transcript (prerequisite, stand-alone item, pre-work, post-work, or as part of another curriculum), the curriculum is not transferred. Also, if a learning object (LO) within a curriculum exists on the recipient account's transcript (prerequisite, stand-alone item, pre-work, post-work, or as part of another curriculum), the LO is not transferred. Note: If an LO in the merge is part of ANY curriculum on the donor account, the merge will fail, even if the curriculum is NOT the one being merged.

  • On the Job Training (OJT) materials are not compatible with the Data Merge Tool. If the donor account is registered for an OJT material, we suggest removing the material from the donor account prior to using the tool. Once merged to the recipient account, the user will not be able to notify observers, and the training will not be actionable.

    • If the OJT material is in a Completed status on the donor account, the recipient account will receive the completed material without the observation history. Any attachments, comments, scoring, or training hours recorded will no longer be available on the recipient account's transcript.