How to merge suppliers in Dext

Duplicate suppliers can come from the documents themselves. Dext reads the supplier name from each Costs receipt, invoice or other financial document, so one business can turn up under a slightly different spelling, or under both its trading name and its legal name. A supplier that was extracted or published wrongly can leave a duplicate behind too.

Settle on the name to keep before you start, because there's no way back. If Dext is connected to accounting software, find the matching supplier records there as well, since Dext asks you to merge them in that software too. If you're unsure which record to keep on that side, check with your accountant.

Think about whether an alias would do the job instead. An alias tells Dext that a variant name belongs to a main supplier, and documents that match it are then assigned to that supplier automatically. To add one, open the main supplier from Costs, Suppliers, scroll to the Aliases section, type the variant name and select Add. Dext may also offer one on an item's details page, under the Supplier field, when it spots a likely alias; choosing Yes, they are the same lets you add it.

1. Go to Costs, then Suppliers.
2. Search for the supplier by name, or select Supplier duplicates.
3. Tick the checkbox next to each supplier you want to combine. Two or more can be merged at once.
4. Select Merge at the top of the page.
5. Choose the supplier name you want to keep, then select Merge.
6. If Dext is connected to accounting software, merge the same suppliers in that software too.

Dext keeps a single supplier under the name you chose, and the merge is permanent. Dext asks you to repeat the merge in any connected accounting software.

Aliases work differently. Once added, an alias sends new documents carrying that name to the main supplier. To take one away, open the supplier, go to its Aliases section and select the red cross beside the alias. Dext then offers to turn the alias into a supplier of its own. Items already processed keep the supplier they have, and a supplier made from a removed alias is assigned only to new submissions, not past ones.

Importing a supplier list merges as well. When your accounting software doesn't integrate with Dext directly, you can bring suppliers in from a CSV file with Import from CSV on the Suppliers page: the file needs a Supplier Name column, and Currency, Category Name and a unique Supplier Code are optional. After you map the columns and select Submit, Dext merges any name already on the list automatically. With connected accounting software such as Xero or QuickBooks, the supplier list comes across automatically instead.

A supplier you deleted has come back: if it still exists in the connected accounting software, it syncs back into Dext. Delete it there first, then remove it in Dext.

New suppliers turning up in your accounting software: one added in Dext from an item's details page, through the +Add option in the Supplier field, goes into your accounting software too once that document is published. To get a warning before that happens, go to Business Settings, then Connections, select Manage next to your accounting software, choose Settings and turn on Warn me when creating a new supplier in the General section.