Merging Tickets

Merging is used to consolidate duplicate tickets—for example, when multiple users report the same issue and separate tickets are created for each submission. Merging combines the relevant data from one or more source tickets into a single destination ticket, keeping your queue clean and work organized.

When tickets are merged, items from the source ticket — including feed entries, attachments, assets/CIs, alerts, time entries, expense entries, and source control events — are reassociated to the destination ticket. The source ticket is then deleted. Note that read-by information and field values on the source ticket are not carried over, though a feed entry containing the source ticket's title and description will be written to the destination ticket.

Tickets can be merged one at a time or in bulk. You can only merge tickets that you have permission to update. Tickets that have been converted to project tasks cannot be merged, and tickets cannot be merged into a destination ticket that has also been converted to a project task.

In this article, we'll cover:

 

What Happens When Tickets Are Merged

Merging a ticket will move the following items from the source ticket to the destination ticket:

  • Feed entries
  • Attachments
  • Assets/CIs
  • Alerts
  • Time types
  • Expense accounts
  • Time entries
  • Expense entries
  • Source Control Events

After reassociation is complete, the source ticket is permanently deleted. The following information is not carried over: field values from the source ticket and read-by history. As a record of the source ticket's content, a Feed entry containing the title and description is automatically written to the destination ticket at the time of the merge.

Available Merge Options

When merging tickets, the following options are available. Each can be selected or left unchecked, depending on the situation.

  • Add Requestor as Contact - When selected, the requestor of the source ticket will be added as a contact on the destination ticket. Use this option when the source ticket's requestor should continue to receive updates on the destination ticket after the merge.​​​​​​​

  • Move Ticket Tasks - When selected, any ticket tasks on the source ticket are reassigned to the destination ticket and can be worked on as normal. If this option is left unchecked, feed items and time entries associated with those tasks will still be reassociated, but the tasks themselves will be discarded.​​​​​​​

  • Notify Responsible Resource - When selected, the individual or group primarily responsible for the destination ticket will be notified of the merge. If no responsible resource is assigned, the notification will go to the reviewing individual or group instead.

Merging Two Tickets

  1. In Work Management, click View Applications, then select the Ticketing Application where both tickets live. 
  2. Open the source ticket. 
    • This ticket will be REMOVED after merging (and merged INTO another ticket).
  3. Select Actions > Merge Into
  4. In the To Ticket field, enter the Ticket ID of the destination ticket.  This is the ticket that will remain after merging. 
    • If you don't know the ticket ID, use the magnifying glass to search and select the ticket.
  5. Select the desired merge options (see Available Merge Options above).
  6. Click Save.

After merging: If a user attempts to access the source ticket using a direct link, they will see a message indicating that the ticket was merged, along with a link to the destination ticket. The source ticket will no longer appear in searches or reporting.

Merging Multiple Tickets

  1. In Work Management, click View Applications, then select the Ticketing Application where all tickets live. 
  2. Click Search in the left side menu to view all open tickets.
  3. Use the Filter to narrow the list of tickets to those you wish to merge. 
  4. Select all source tickets by checking the box to the left of each ticket. These tickets will be removed after merging (into the "To Ticket").
  5. Select Actions > Merge Tickets
  6. In the To Ticket field, enter the Ticket ID of the destination ticket.  This is the ticket that will remain after merging. 
    • If you don't know the ticket ID, use the magnifying glass to search and select the ticket.
  7. Select the desired merge options (see Available Merge Options above).
  8. Click Save.

A message will confirm that the merge job has been initiated. You will receive an email notification when the process is complete.

After merging: Unlike single-ticket merges, following a direct link to a bulk-merged source ticket will display a generic message stating that the ticket was not found, moved, deleted, or converted, or that you do not have appropriate permission to view it. No redirect to the destination ticket is provided. The source tickets will no longer appear in searches or reporting.

Print Article