Removing duplicate user entries from a directory catalog

If there are multiple Person documents with the same distinguished name in the source Domino® Directories that are aggregated into a directory catalog, the Remove duplicate users field in a directory catalog configuration document controls whether to aggregate information from all of the Person documents, or just the first one the Dircat task encounters.

About this task

For the Remove duplicate users field, choose one:

  • Yes (default) to aggregate information from only the first Person document encountered by the Dircat task, according to the order in which you list the directories in the Directories to include field in the directory catalog configuration document.
  • No to aggregate information from multiple Person documents with the same name.

If there are occurrences of more than one Person document with the same distinguished name, and the multiple documents really represent one user, keep Remove duplicate users selected so that:

  • Notes® users aren't required to choose between duplicate entries in the Ambiguous Name dialog box when they resolve the mail address for the name.
  • The Router doesn't encounter duplicates names that prevents it from delivering mail.

The Remove duplicate users field does not apply to Group documents. To distinguish between different groups with the same name in multiple directories, the Dircat task uses the Domain defined by this Domino Directory field in the Directory Profile of the source Domino® Directories.

Removing duplicate user entries from an Extended Directory Catalog to improve Dircat performance

You can reduce the time it takes the Dircat task to run on an Extended Directory Catalog by selecting No to retain all entries with duplicate names. Doing so keeps the Dircat task from building a particular view required for the removal of entries with duplicate names. Retaining entries with duplicate names does not result in a similar performance gain for a condensed Directory Catalog.

Deleting Person documents from the source Domino® Directories when Remove duplicate users is selected

If you choose the Remove duplicate users option, and later remove a Person document from a source Domino® Directory that is the one aggregated into the directory catalog, the Dircat task removes the corresponding user entry from the directory catalog the next time it runs, so the name is longer be found in the directory catalog.

About this task

To cause the Dircat task to add the user entry back into the directory catalog, make a minor change to a remaining Person document in one of the source Domino® Directories for the user. The next time Dircat runs, it then aggregates information from the remaining Person document into to the directory catalog. You can also correct the problem by clicking the Clear History button in the directory catalog configuration document, although this approach isn't recommended because it causes a rebuild the entire directory catalog.

For example, if Source Directory A and Source Directory B both contain a Person document with the name Phyllis Spera/Renovations, if Remove duplicate users is enabled and Directory A is listed first in the Directories to include field, when the Dircat tasks runs, it includes only the entry from Directory A. If someone then removes the Person document from Directory A, the name Phyllis Spera/Renovations is removed from the directory catalog the next time Dircat runs. To add the name back, make a small change to the remaining Person document in Directory B, so the Dircat task adds the name back to the directory catalog the next time it runs.