When merging records through Alma’s Search Resources, make the existing Alma record the Primary and the incoming external record the Secondary.

Currently, when bringing in external records, Import and Integration Profiles treat the existing Alma record as Primary, but Search Resources makes the external record Primary. This inconsistency forces libraries to maintain two opposing sets of merge rules, depending on how the record enters Alma.

Making the Alma record Primary in Search Resources would align the behavior with other workflows. This could be configurable or at least opt-in so libraries can adjust their merge rule settings in the External Search Resources configuration to coincide with the change.

Benefits:
Simplifies workflows by allowing a single set of merge rules.
Reduces user confusion, since rule descriptions will match consistently across scenarios.
Provides consistency in the Metadata Editor, where the record on the left will always be the Primary.