I am suggesting an enhancement to the Merge Parcel Points tool in ArcGIS Pro that would allow users to choose whether the points being merged (those not marked as "Preserved") are deleted from the database or updated as Retired (Historic) features by the currently active record.
Current tool Behavior:
According to the current documentation, when multiple parcel points are merged, the tool preserves one point and deletes the remaining points, along with any dangling lines or sliver polygons. As stated in the "Note" section of the tool's help page: "Historic points, lines, and polygons are not created for merged points. Merged points... are deleted."
The Problem:
When points are deleted, the spatial history of where a corner "used to be" or how a specific point was originally imported is lost forever. This makes it impossible for future researchers\land surveyors\GIS analysts to trace the evolution of the fabric or perform audit trails on data quality improvements.
Proposed Feature:
Add a simple checkbox in the Merge Parcel Points pane.
for example, "Retire non-preserved points".
If Checked: The points not chosen for preservation would have their RetiredByRecord field populated with the GlobalID of the active record (and be moved to the historic points layer).
If Unchecked (Default): The tool would maintain its current behavior of deleting the points to keep the database clean.
