Skip to content
CensusIO CensusIO Guide

Reviewing duplicates

When a field is marked must be unique across records, the web app and imports block a value another record already holds. Records synced from field devices are never blocked (so field data is never stranded), so a duplicate can still land that way. The Data check flags those, and the Duplicates view is where you resolve them.

Why a grouped view

Section titled “Why a grouped view”

A flat list would show one row per flagged record, and with a hundred conflicts you would hover each one to see what it collides with. A pile of flagged records is usually only a handful of repeated values, so the Duplicates view groups the records by the value they share instead. A hundred rows become a short list of groups you scan and act on.

Open it

Section titled “Open it”

On the records page, choose the Duplicates filter (it appears once the type has a unique field). If the list looks empty or stale right after an import or sync, run Check data first to refresh the flags.

The top line tells you the size of the problem, for example “8 duplicated values across 21 records.” Below it, one row per duplicated value, the largest groups first:

  • The field and value they share, and a record count.
  • For a field that is unique within a trip, the trip is shown, since the same value on another trip is a separate group.

Open a group to see its members. Each member shows where it came from (web, import, or a device sync), when it was entered, and its site. The origin is usually what tells the record you want to keep from the accidental collision.

Resolve a group

Section titled “Resolve a group”

Turn on Review (next to Enter data), then work a group:

  • Tick the group’s checkbox to select every record in it, or tick individual members.
  • Keep earliest, select the rest ticks every member except the one entered first, ready for you to reject the extras.
  • The action bar at the bottom then approves, rejects, or flags the selection, the same actions and the same bar as the rest of the review screen. A rejected record releases its value, so the identifier is free to use again.

You can also open any member (click its status) to see its full history and act on it on its own.