In the realm of data management, ensuring data integrity is paramount. One of the key aspects of maintaining data quality is identifying and eliminating duplicate records. A duplicate record is an exact copy of an existing record within a table. Duplicate records can arise due to various reasons, such as data entry errors, data integration from multiple sources, or system errors. They can lead to data inconsistencies, incorrect analysis, and wasted storage space.
To safeguard against the detrimental effects of duplicate records, it is crucial to have a robust strategy for identifying and removing them. One of the most effective ways to check for duplicates in a table is to use the DISTINCT keyword in SQL (Structured Query Language). The DISTINCT keyword, when used in conjunction with the SELECT statement, returns only distinct values for the specified columns, effectively eliminating duplicate rows from the result set.