Update rules for duplicate handling

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Environment: onsite
• 3 minutes to read
 • 3 minutes to read

You must always specify rules for handling duplicates during importing.

  1. Click Import in the Navigator.

  2. Do one of the following:

    • Click icon next to the Import description file field and select an import description file in the dialog that opens. An import file and previously selected settings are inserted automatically.

    • Click icon next to the Import file field and select a data file in the dialog that opens.

      Then specify the field mapping.

  3. The contents of the Table column under Handling of duplicates are based on the specified field mapping.

  4. Under Handling of duplicates, select the row to specify a duplicate handling rule for.

    Note

    Which rows appear under Handling of duplicates depend on which fields you have chosen to import into. This cannot be changed and you must specify duplicate handling rules for all the rows.

  5. Click the Update button. The Handle duplicates dialog for the selected data type opens.

  6. All available fields of the required data type for which you defined field mappings are displayed under When these fields match. Check which field(s) must have identical contents for the record to be considered a duplicate. This is called an import key.

  7. Under Do the following, choose what to do if duplicates are detected during the import:

    • Update existing: the values in the import file overwrite the values in the database. Choose this option if you consider that the information in the import file is more up-to-date than that already in the database.
    • Update blanks only: all new records are added, but for existing records only the empty fields are updated. Choose this option if you consider that the information in the database is more up-to-date than that in the import file.
    • Skip record: all new records are added, but those that already exist in the database are retained unchanged.
    Note

    This is the default option for resetting the database, so that unwanted records are not imported with unfortunate consequences.

    • Insert anyway: all the fields in the import file are imported and no check is performed to see if they already exist. This is particularly relevant when you import into an empty database. You do not need to specify import keys for this option.

  8. Click OK.

Tip

Your field mapping selections can be saved, so that the same configuration can be reused in future. This is what constitutes import descriptions.

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