Unchecking Export every individual associated with an account? keeps one person per account. It does not collapse extra emails, phones, or addresses.
The other three questions, transaction columns, or extra Advanced Settings source columns can still add rows. Use these checks to get one row per account.
Use this article when
- You downloaded a Pathways File Export CSV and see multiple rows for the same account.
- Export every individual associated with an account? is unchecked, and extra rows remain.
- You want one row per account, not one row per email, phone, or address.
- Two people who look like one household still appear as two rows.
This is not Direct Mail's Select only one record per household. That setting belongs to a different workflow.
| Item | What you need |
|---|---|
| Permission | You need permission to export from Pathways. |
| File Export | Does not require full Pathways activation. Third-party destinations do. |
| Insights-only | The left nav may say Audiences. Manage Pathways is unavailable. |
| Time | About 5 minutes to diagnose. |
Quick checks
If you have Pathways, open Pathways in the left nav. You see Add a new Pathway.
If you have Insights without full Pathways, open Audiences. You see Manage Audiences. Use Export the Audience.
From Add a new Pathway, select the audience in Step 1: Select Audience. In Step 2: Choose a Destination, select the destination that ends with File Export. The tile often reads File Upload: File Export.
Click Review Pathway. You see Pathway Summary. Frequency for File Export is One Time.
From Manage Audiences, choose Export the Audience to open Pathway Summary for that audience.
On Pathway Summary, find Columns to Export, then Questions About Your Export, then Advanced Settings.
These questions appear when the mapping includes contact, email, phone, or address fields. On a new mapping they default off.
Read all four Questions About Your Export switches. The email, phone, and address helpers say they can create multiple rows.
If any of those three is on, extra rows for the same account are expected.
In Columns to Export, look for transaction fields.
If those fields are in the list, extra rows for the same account are expected.
In the CSV, compare Id and Contact Id. The file is CSV only.
Id is the account. When Avid has a household or split-group parent, Id uses that parent. Contact Id is the person Avid kept. A Contact Id column is normal.
File Export is one-time. Column mapping is saved for this audience going forward. Change the questions, then export again.
Diagnose and fix
If only the individuals question is unchecked
The helper is (If unchecked, it will select only a single individual from each account).
That keeps one person per account. It does not collapse extra emails, phones, or addresses. It also does not merge two separate CRM accounts that look like one household.
Avid prefers the primary email, phone, and address when those questions exist, then the most recent gift date.
If email, phone, or address is on
Turn off Export every email address? (This can create multiple rows for each contact.)
Turn off Export every phone number? (This can create multiple rows for each contact.)
Turn off Export every address for each person? (This can create multiple rows for each contact.)
Click Confirm. You see Your File is Ready. Click Download.
The dialog says the audience has been exported to a file and is ready to download.
With individuals unchecked, these three off, and no transaction columns, you get one row per account.
LockStep insight: Start with the email, phone, and address questions. Their helpers already say they can create multiple rows.
If Columns to Export includes transaction fields
Remove transaction fields from Columns to Export.
Click Confirm, then Download from Your File is Ready.
You see one row per account.
If two people in a household still appear as two rows
Compare Id (account) with Contact Id (person).
Unchecking individuals collapses extra people on the same account. If the Id values differ, they are two accounts. Avid will not merge them.
Household rollup applies only when Avid has a household or split-group parent.
If a re-export still has multiple rows
Mapping is saved per audience. Open Pathway Summary again and review the four questions.
In Advanced Settings, review the source columns. Extra source columns can keep extra rows. Keep source columns at account Id only if you want one row per account. Review Advanced Settings after you change the mapping.
To export again, run Add a new Pathway, or use Manage Audiences and Export the Audience.
If Pathways is activated, you can also open Manage Pathways, expand the destination, and select Export Audience.
Insights-only organizations cannot use Manage Pathways. Use Manage Audiences and Export the Audience.
If all four questions are off and rows still repeat
Confirm the other three questions are off, not only Export every individual associated with an account?.
Confirm Columns to Export has no transaction fields.
Confirm Advanced Settings source columns are account Id only.
If extra rows remain, contact LockStep Support with the diagnostics below.
For agency partners
On Pathway Summary, expand Advanced Settings.
Which rows you get depends on the source columns Avid uses as the primary key, plus the four questions and any transaction fields.
For one row per account, keep source columns at account Id only.
Prioritization Column(s) asks: If there are multiple records with the same primary key, how should Avid determine which one to sync?
Choose Ascending or Descending. The default is Descending.
Review Advanced Settings after you change the mapping.
Collect diagnostics
- The audience name.
- The destination: File Export.
- A screenshot or list of all four Questions About Your Export switch states.
- Whether Columns to Export includes transaction fields.
- Sample repeating Id values. Do not send names, emails, phones, or other personal data.
- Your organization name.
When to contact LockStep Support
LockStep insight: Contact support if all four questions are off, no transaction columns are mapped, and the CSV still repeats the same Id. Send the audience name, destination File Export, the four switch states, whether transaction fields are mapped, sample repeating Id values, and your organization name.
Related articles
- Set up a Pathway for the File Export wizard and Questions About Your Export.
- What integrations work with Pathways? for the File Export destination and the File Upload connection tile.
- What are Pathways and Audiences? for one-time File Export.