[thelist] Merge Duplicate Records in MySQL/PHP

[Nan Harbison]

Hi Rudy, Database Guru,

What is wrong with using an autoincremented ID? What is a better way to
choose a unique ID for a large table? 

Thanks!
Nan 

-----Original Message-----
From: thelist-bounces at lists.evolt.org
[mailto:thelist-bounces at lists.evolt.org] On Behalf Of r937
Sent: Friday, July 04, 2008 7:28 AM
To: thelist at lists.evolt.org
Subject: [thelist] Merge Duplicate Records in MySQL/PHP

> I have a dozen other tables which have a foreign key to this table and 
> store additional data about each person, such as favorite food and 
> hair color and education etc.

what were you thinking!!!  separate tables???

;o)

>  is there an automated way I can do this [merge the records]

no, but you can write one query per each of these dozen tables and find the
duplicates easily enough

it isn't going to be pretty but after you've finished, i trust you will have
a better appreciation for the importance of avoiding duplicates ~before~
populating your tables

i blame the stupid database system for having an auto_increment concept

imagine what you would have done if you had not been allowed to use an
auto_increment

;o)


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