Question

If there are two profiles in Unify that should be one (profile was split into two), how can I fix it so that the second profile merges with the original profile?

Product

Twilio Segment

Environment

Segment Console

Answer

Removing the trait that triggered the creation of a second profile will not automatically merge two already-fragmented profiles.

When identity resolution creates two separate profiles, they remain distinct records within your workspace even after the problematic trait or identifier is removed. Because these profiles have already been processed as separate entities, the system does not retroactively "undo" the creation of the second profile or merge its history back into the original canonical profile.

If the profiles were fragmented due to a lack of common identifiers, then sending an identify call that contains identifiers from both profiles will resolve the two profiles into one assuming that the merge will not violate any of the identity resolutions rules or limits.  

Otherwise, to resolve the fragmentation:

• Identify the Root Cause: Ensure the identifier that caused the split (such as an email mapped to a user_id) is corrected in your upstream source data.

• Manage Existing Records: You will need to manually delete the incorrect profile, or the specific identifier.

• Re-trigger Identity Resolution: Once the incorrect information is removed and the source data is corrected, new events coming in with the correct identifiers should correctly associate with the primary profile.

Additional Information

For more information on how identity resolution determines profile merging, refer to the official documentation on Segment Identity Resolution. If you have a large volume of fragmented profiles, please reach out to Support for guidance on best practices for data cleanup.