Matching: update instead of duplicate

By default, processing a submission creates new records. Matching is how you tell it to update an existing record instead. Use it wherever the same person or account can submit more than once.

Tick Use for matching on one or more mapped fields and the submission’s write becomes an update where a record matches, and an insert where none does.

All ticked fields on the same object are ANDed together as the match key. A submission must agree on every one of them to update an existing record. Otherwise it inserts a new one.

Rules that follow from that

• A weak key matches the wrong record. Last Name on its own will match many records, so use a key that identifies one person or account, such as Email plus Last Name.
• An incomplete key inserts. If a submission leaves any ticked field unanswered, the key is treated as incomplete and that submission inserts rather than matching on the answered subset.
• Blank answers are skipped at processing. A blank answer never blanks a field on a record the submission matched. To clear a field on the target record, clear it on the record.
• Make every match field required. A key is only as good as the answers it gets, and an optional match field that a respondent skips sends that submission down the insert path.
• A single strong identifier beats several fields. If the form collects a customer number or another real identifier, match on that alone. Adding more fields can only narrow the match, so a customer whose email address changed would fail to match and be duplicated.
• A matched record keeps its record type. The form’s record-type choice applies only to records it creates. See Record types.

Check the match key before you publish. Deselect everything on the canvas and open View field mappings: the match badges show your key in one list. A field you meant to tick and did not, or one ticked by mistake, is easy to miss field by field and obvious in the overview.

On a public form, matching is a decision about who can change your records. A key on Email means a submission naming an existing person’s address will, when processed, update that person’s mapped fields. The control is that nothing is written until someone processes it, and every row opens a dry-run preview first. Review before you process on any form that is open to the internet, and prefer matching on something a stranger would not guess.

Before you process a real submission, you can see whether it will match: the preview panel in the responses console says whether the submission matches an existing record or would insert a new one. See The responses console.