Find and Eliminate Duplicate records

[RS]

How can I find and eliminate (delete) duplicate records in a mailing list in
Access 2007? I know how to do this in Excel, but was wondering if I can
keep it in Access and do the same process. Thank you!

 

[Gina Whipp]

RS,

Not an easy task...

UNTESTED

1. Make a back up
2. Make a back up
3. Use a Select query with a DISTINCT clause as the basis for a MAKE TABLE
query, give it a name and fix all the field Data Types. It will generate a
new table of unique records to replace the table with duplicates. Remove
the original table and replace with your newly created table.
4. Hope you made that back up in case this doesn’t work.

--
Gina Whipp
2010 Microsoft MVP (Access)

"I feel I have been denied critical, need to know, information!" - Tremors
II

http://www.regina-whipp.com/index_files/TipList.htm

How can I find and eliminate (delete) duplicate records in a mailing list in
Access 2007? I know how to do this in Excel, but was wondering if I can
keep it in Access and do the same process. Thank you!

 

[John W. Vinson]

How can I find and eliminate (delete) duplicate records in a mailing list in
Access 2007? I know how to do this in Excel, but was wondering if I can
keep it in Access and do the same process. Thank you!

One way is to base the mailing list Report (printing the mailing labels, etc.)
on a Query with its Unique Values property set to Yes.

One very general problem in cleaning mailing lists is that what you consider a
duplicate might not be considered a duplicate by Access: to you or me,

Joseph Roberts, 312 W. Main St., Anytown MA 02187
Joe Roberts, 312 Main St., Anytowne MA, 02187
Jos. Roberts, 312 Main Street, Anytown MA, 02187-0238


are all evident duplicates, and Joe would be irked at getting three
mailings... but to Access they are different in the fullname field, the
address, and the town - state combination. Removing such duplicates requires a
USB (Using Someone's Brain) interface, or some very expensive listcleaning
software.

 

[David Brady]

Copy your table then paste structure only as a new table.

Open query and append old table to new table but group so that only unique results are output.

The new table will have all result minus duplicates.

Cheers