Overview
Work Item Merge is a feature that allows instances of various work types to be merged into a single work item. For example, duplicate matters can be removed from the system by merging them into one matter. The source represents the work item that will be merged into the target work item. The feature can be configured to determine which work items can be merged. This relies on two elements being in place:
- The two work type instances to be merged must share the same root work type.
- A Merged Work Items relationship must be set between the two work types:
The feature is configured through the Work Type Modeller's Manage Features menu.
Work Item Merge Global Feature
Use the Work Type Merge global feature to see which work types have merge enabled and their configurations.
Feature Configuration
The following can be configured within the feature.
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Merge Targets The Merge Targets section allows you to access the work item's Type Relationships configuration. This is equivalent to selecting the Type Relationships menu option found in the left-hand menu of a work type. |
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System Close Upon Merge Once the merge has been completed successfully, you can allow the end-user to close the source work item if toggled On. This setting can only be enabled if the source work item phase model has a System Closed phase available. If not, it cannot be switched on. |
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Copy Wiki Entries The next configuration point is whether wiki entries should be merged between the source and target work items. If toggled on, all wiki entries will be copied from the source work item to the target work item. Please note that any information in the target work item will be overwritten by what is copied from the source work item. |
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Copy Comments Comments can also be copied from the source work item to the target work item. Comments from the source work item will not replace the comments on the target work item, it will instead just be appended to the existing list. |
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Copy Participants Participants can be copied from the source work item to the target work item. Within the feature, you can explicitly specify which roles to include or exclude. If this is not explicitly set, all roles will be considered when the two work items are merged. This is dependent on the participant configuration against the work items. For example, if only one participant with the role of Matter Owner is allowed, then the Matter Owner role from the source work item will not be copied to the target work item. |
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Copy Budgets Budgets can be copied from the source work item to the target work item. Within the feature, you can explicitly specify which budget structures to include or exclude. If this is not explicitly set, all budgets will be considered when the two work items are merged, provided they apply and are relevant based on the configuration for the work items being merged. |
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Copy Notifications Notifications can be copied from the source to the target work item. Within the feature, you can explicitly specify which notification types to include or exclude. If this is not explicitly set, all notification types will be considered when the two work items are merged. |
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Move Work Items Child work items can be moved from the source work item to the target work item. Within the feature, you can explicitly specify which work item types to include or exclude. If this is not explicitly set, all child work items will be considered when the two work items are merged. Child work items will be moved from the source to the target work item, and once the merge has been completed successfully, the child work items will no longer exist on the source. |
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Move Key Dates Key Dates can be moved from the source work item to the target work item. Within the feature, you can explicitly specify which key dates to include or exclude. If this is not explicitly set, all key dates will be considered when the two work items are merged. If Overwrite Key Dates On Merge is toggled on, the key dates on the target work item will be updated and replaced with the associated key date from the source work item, and the key date will be removed from the source work item. If multiple instances of a specific key date are allowed on a work type, then an additional key date will be added to the target work item. |
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Set Target Phase Within the feature, if toggled on, the phase of the target work item will be updated to the phase of the source work item. If this is not toggled on, the phase of the target work item will remain as it is once the merge has been completed. |
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Other Configuration
By default, aspect data and jurisdiction will be copied from the source to the target work item, replacing the data in the target case. Any open Execution Engine triggers will also be moved to the target work item automatically.
Work Item Merge Menu Option
To use the work item merge feature, the Work Item Merge command needs to be added to the menu of the relevant work type.
Running a Work Item Merge
Step 1 - Select Work Items
When running a work item merge, the source item will be pre-populated; the target work item must be entered. Entering the first three characters of the work item reference will return the relevant results from which the user can choose. If the source work item needs to be the target, this can be switched easily. A reason for the merge must also be entered. Providing a reason for the merge and the Target work item field are mandatory and must be completed before the data can be validated.
Step 2 - Review Merge
On the validation screen, the user will see a summary of what will be merged. If data cannot be merged, a yellow warning message will explain why. At this point, appropriate changes can be made before proceeding to the final step. Once changes are made, click Re-Validate to proceed to the next step.
Step 3 - Merge
When the Merge step is reached, a screen displays the progress of the data being copied or moved to the target work item. If configured, the user can also close the source work item at the end before completing the process by clicking Done.
As part of the feature, three Execution Engine plans run in the background to merge two work items successfully. One triggers the work item merge job to start, and the second conducts each job, such as copying the wiki entries across or moving work items from the source to the target work item. The last Execution Engine plan completes the job once all the individual work item jobs have been successfully completed.
Review
This article introduced the Work Item Merge feature and showed how to configure and use it.