How did I break my join

My join was working correctly, and now every time I run my workflow it's producing duplicate rows and multiplying my dollar values on each row. How do I fix my join? I need to keep an entire set of data, and match that set to the other spreadsheet that brings in relevant data based on matching to the ID's in the first spreadsheets rows. There is a second column I could match in each spreadsheet as well, but currently I am stumped.

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Accepted answers

alexnajm

Check your data - for the field(s) you are joining on, are the values unique in both data sets? That would be the main cause of duplication!

Deepanshi_024

Hi,

This is a very common and frustrating issue! It almost always means that the data in one of your spreadsheets has changed. The Join tool itself isn't broken, but the uniqueness of your data is.

When a Join creates duplicates, it's because a key in your "one" dataset (your main set of data) is now matching to multiple records in your "many" dataset (the spreadsheet bringing in relevant data).

Here’s how to diagnose and fix it.

The Most Likely Fix: Use Both Matching Columns

You mentioned there is a second column you could match on. This is the key! You should almost always use all available matching columns to create the most specific match possible. This is called a composite key.

Open the configuration window for your Join tool.
In both the "Left" and "Right" input sections, make sure you have a checkmark next to both the ID column and the second matching column.
Run the workflow again.

This tells Alteryx to only create a match when both columns are identical, which will likely resolve your duplication issue immediately.

If this post solves your problem, please help our community by marking it as an accepted solution. This will make it easier for others to find the answer!

All comments

alexnajm

Check your data - for the field(s) you are joining on, are the values unique in both data sets? That would be the main cause of duplication!

Deepanshi_024

Hi,

This is a very common and frustrating issue! It almost always means that the data in one of your spreadsheets has changed. The Join tool itself isn't broken, but the uniqueness of your data is.

Here’s how to diagnose and fix it.

The Most Likely Fix: Use Both Matching Columns

Open the configuration window for your Join tool.
In both the "Left" and "Right" input sections, make sure you have a checkmark next to both the ID column and the second matching column.
Run the workflow again.

Gaurav_Dhama_

See if this thread helps in this regard.

Solved: Re: General ledger & Detailed ledger combination, ... - Alteryx Community

NBPSE

Yes that's what it was, thank you!

NBPSE

This fixed the issue, and thank you for such a thoughtful and helpful answer!

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