The Results Screen|Merging Duplicate Records
Merging Duplicate Records
When the merging option is selected, the final record in each matching group is the merged or consolidated record.
This record is made up of what are felt to be the best data values in each column derived from the other records in the matching group, according to the merge rules used.
However, you can override the default merged value in any column by selecting the cell it is in and right clicking to bring up a menu of choices to use to populate the merged column value.
When preparing and saving merges, the following occurs.
- The master record is deleted in the source data altogether.
- All slave records are also deleted in the source data.
- One single record, the merged record is inserted into the source data.
A number of functions are available which determine which of the available values are offered by default for the columns in the merged record.
They are as follows :-
- MASTER() Merge the column value from the master record.
- FIRST_SLAVE() Merge the column value from the first slave record.
- LAST_SLAVE() Merge the column value from the last slave record.
- CONTENT() Merge the column value from the record with content in the column.
- NULL() Merge the column value from the record with no content in the column.
- SHORTEST() Merge the column value from the record containing the value with the shortest length.
- LONGEST() Merge the column value from the record containing the value with the longest length.
- LOWEST() Merge the column value from the record containing the value with the lowest value.
- HIGHEST() Merge the column value from the record containing the value with the highest value.
- COMMONEST() Merge the column value from the record containing the commonest value from the matching group.
- COMMONEST_NOT_NULL() Merge the column value from the record containing the commonest non null value from the matching group.
- COMMONEST_NOT_ZERO() Merge the column value from the record containing the commonest non zero value from the matching group.
- COMMONEST_NOT_NULL_NOT_ZERO() Merge the column value from the record containing the commonest non null, non zero value from the matching group.
- LEAST_COMMONEST() Merge the column value from the record containing the least commonest value from the matching group.
- LEAST_COMMONEST_NOT_NULL() Merge the column value from the record containing the least commonest non null value from the matching group.
- LEAST_COMMONEST_NOT_ZERO() Merge the column value from the record containing the least commonest non zero value from the matching group.
- LEAST_COMMONEST_NOT_NULL_NOT_ZERO() Merge the column value from the record containing the least commonest non null, non zero value from the matching group.