Finding duplicate users - wiso-forschungslabor/hroot-documentation GitHub Wiki

In hroot, administrators can identify and manage duplicate participant profiles using built-in duplicate detection rules. This helps prevent participants from creating multiple accounts to bypass recruitment limits or restrictions.

1. Where to Access Duplicate Search

There are two primary locations in hroot to manage duplicates:

  1. Duplicate Users Settings: Navigate to Site Settings -> Duplicate Users (Doppelte Benutzer / /admin/options/duplicate_checks under Participants & Master Data). This allows administrators to customize, enable/disable, and configure the duplicate detection rules.
  2. User Search Filters: Go to Users (/admin/users). In the filter sidebar under the Duplicate accounts (Doppelte Benutzer) section, check the respective options to filter the user list directly.

2. Types of Duplicate Checks

The system performs three automated default matching queries (which can be customized in Site Settings):

Match Type A: Identical First & Last Names (name)

  • Query Condition: Matches accounts where the First Name AND the Last Name are identical (firstname and lastname).
  • Use Case: Catching simple re-registrations under the same name but using a different email address.

Match Type B: Identical Last Name & Date of Birth (birthday)

  • Query Condition: Matches accounts where the Last Name AND the Date of Birth (lastname and birthday custom field) are identical.
  • Use Case: Catching users who register with a slightly different first name (e.g., "John" vs. "Johnny" or "Jon") but share the same family name and birth date.

Match Type C: Identical Bank Details (iban)

  • Query Condition: Matches accounts with an identical IBAN (iban).
  • Use Case: Catching users who attempt to create multiple participant accounts to participate multiple times while utilizing the same bank account for payouts.

3. Managing Duplicate Accounts

When duplicates are listed:

  • Visual Indicators: Matching profiles display warning icons in the user list. Hovering over the icon displays the specific duplicate detection reason.
  • Merging Accounts: Select the suspected accounts using the checkboxes in the Users overview, click Aktionen (Current result), and select Benutzer zusammenführen... (Merge Users) to inspect profile data side-by-side and merge them into a single primary account.
  • Exclusion: Users who are marked as permanently deleted (anonymized/inactive) or pairs explicitly marked as "ignored duplicates" are excluded from duplicate matching.