Forum Discussion
Selectively remove duplicate rows?
Power Query, if I'm reading my own pbix right where I have a similar situation (have appended a new report to an old one, and if there's a matching case number I want to keep the data from the new report), removes duplicates from the bottom up - if you make a custom column that gives anything that's type A the value 1, and type B the value 2, then sort ascending on the new column, this should force it to remove the rows you want
Hi Anonymous,
After research and test, there is a way to view the rows moved using Query Statement.
You create a copy table of your resource table, remove the duplicate rows in your original table. Then merge the original table( have removed the duplicate rows) to the copy table using inner join. Then you can filtered the merged table to get all removed rows.
For example, my Sample table is named 'Table1', I create a copy table 'Copy_Table1'. Remove the duplicate rows in Table1 based on [Area], then merge it to Copy_Table1. Filter Copy_Table1 based on [Copy_Table1.Record Number]=[Table1.Record Number], eventually delete the unnecessay columns, you will get the expected result. The following is my statement.
let
Source = Table.FromRows(Json.Document(Binary.Decompress(Binary.FromText("jdO7EoJADIXhV2G2piBZdoFSe8dCO4bCC63MqBS+vZBjg01OkSKTr/snfR8klOE0P+6XT1kcb+/pOj4LSWWhlTTLabeMaBjKPigho8lIyNpkTchkMhEym8yEbEyu62H6k3krW5MtITuTnS+1MikVQQV0rXSex9fWNluLTKKMRSiJjEUqcVrtV4pW4sQyilji1DKKWrZ7FLmkJSh6SefTiGDqBDOKYCoE/b2VEhS5NBIUtbR2yppFLk2MRS/NjF2CDV8=", BinaryEncoding.Base64), Compression.Deflate)), let _t = ((type text) meta [Serialized.Text = true]) in type table [#"Record Number" = _t, #"Starting Date" = _t, Area = _t, Count = _t]),
#"Changed Type" = Table.TransformColumnTypes(Source,{{"Record Number", Int64.Type}, {"Starting Date", type date}, {"Area", type text}, {"Count", Int64.Type}}),
#"Merged Queries" = Table.NestedJoin(#"Changed Type",{"Area"},Table1,{"Area"},"Table1",JoinKind.Inner),
#"Expanded Table1" = Table.ExpandTableColumn(#"Merged Queries", "Table1", {"Record Number", "Starting Date", "Area", "Count"}, {"Table1.Record Number", "Table1.Starting Date", "Table1.Area", "Table1.Count"}),
#"Added Custom" = Table.AddColumn(#"Expanded Table1", "Custom", each if [Record Number]=[Table1.Record Number] then"Yes" else "No"),
#"Filtered Rows" = Table.SelectRows(#"Added Custom", each [Custom] = "No"),
#"Removed Columns" = Table.RemoveColumns(#"Filtered Rows",{"Table1.Record Number", "Table1.Starting Date", "Table1.Area", "Table1.Count", "Custom"})
in
#"Removed Columns"
You can download the .pbix file for more details.
Best Regards,
Angelia
Please note 1 important phenomenon (or bug if you like) when first sorting a table and then removing duplicates: you need to buffer the table after the sort, before removing duplicates, otherwise records may be removed without taking into account the sort order.
Sorted = Table.Sort(sort code)
Buffered = Table.Buffer(Sorted)
RemovedDuplicates = Table.Distinct(Buffered, equationCriteria)
or:
Sorted = Table.Buffer(Table.Sort(sort code))
RemovedDuplicates = Table.Distinct(Sorted, equationCriteria)
Parameter equationCritera may include field names and/or comparer functions.
With comparer functions you can ignore the case and/or use a culture code: e.g. "æ" and "ae" are considered equal in some cultures.
The parameter can take on various formats as illustrated in the examples below.
let
Source = #table(type table[Text1 = text, Text2 = text],{{"a", "Encyclopaedia"},{"A","Encyclopædia"}}),
// **** Format equationCriteria: comparer function
// Result: both records ("a" and "A" are not equal):
RemovedDuplicates1 = Table.Distinct(Source, Comparer.FromCulture("en-US")),
// Result: 1 record (æ and ae are considered equal in "en-US"; true = ignore case))
RemovedDuplicates2 = Table.Distinct(Source, Comparer.FromCulture("en-US", true)),
// Result: 2 records (æ and ae are not considered equal in "da-DK")
RemovedDuplicates3 = Table.Distinct(Source, Comparer.FromCulture("da-DK", true)),
Indexed = Table.AddIndexColumn(RemovedDuplicates2, "Index", 0, 1),
// **** Format equationCriteria: (list of) field name(s) (as generated from the user interface if columns were selected):
RemovedDuplicates4 = Table.Distinct(Indexed, "Text1"),
RemovedDuplicates5 = Table.Distinct(Indexed, {"Text1"}),
RemovedDuplicates6 = Table.Distinct(Indexed, {"Text1","Text2"}),
// **** Format equationCriteria: list of field name with comparer function:
RemovedDuplicates7 = Table.Distinct(Indexed, {"Text1", Comparer.OrdinalIgnoreCase}),
// **** Format equationCriteria: list of lists with field name and comparer function:
RemovedDuplicates8 = Table.Distinct(Indexed, {{"Text1", Comparer.OrdinalIgnoreCase},{"Text2",Comparer.FromCulture("en-US")}})
in
RemovedDuplicates8
The Table.Buffer was a lifesaver. I thought of sorting and then removing duplicates, but for a long time it seemed like it didn't work.
Thank you MarcelBeug for the knowledge sharing. I'll include the step to buffer the table prior to removing duplicates.
Kudos.
IMHO the anti-join is the way to go here. I never like sorting and relying on some undocumented logic to always work or not change in the future.
