Spreadsheet Question

[USAPatriot]

Using Miscrosoft Works, and importing a csv into a blank 'sheet, and after sorting on the freqs and then by bank, how would I set up a function to scan and remove all the dupe freqs? I'm using Scancontrol to gather the data but regardless of the fact that it's supposed to discard the dupes, it simply collects everything, regardless of which options settings I use. My log is 7500 hits (more or less) and there's dozens of dupes in there. I need to weed it out to see what's really there. Thx. -Rod-

 

[Al42]

Assuming you have the frequencies in column A, starting in row 1, and Works will take the same syntax Excel will (I don't know - I don't have Works):

In cell B2:

=IF(A1 = A2,0,A2)
promulgate this formula down column B as far down as column A goes (does Works let you autofill by grabbing the lower-right corner of the cell?)

Now copy all the active cells in column B and Paste Special (Values) into column C. Then sort on column C (ignore any #REF! error). All the 0s will be at the top, and they'll be your dupes. Delete those rows and you won't have any dupes.

 

[USAPatriot]

Al,

That definitely didn't work, and I'm not sure why. Why I try and paste in the formula into B2, it simply takes up B2, C2 and D2. The logic seems a bit different and I did figure that part out so it would work, but then when deleting the 0 valued rows I saw data moving from B2/3/4 into C2/3/4 etc... I'm not sure what the deal is. -rOD-

 

[Al42]

I've never used Works, so I have no idea, but now you have an idea of how to do it.

Do you have anything else available? Access? If nothing else, how about installing a copy of MySQL? That's free. It's a bit like killing a flea with a sledge hammer, but it would work.

Or, actually, you could just sort by frequency in Works and delete the duplicates by eye.

 

[USAPatriot]

20 years ago I was using an SQL program called RBase. But that was then. I don't have Access, no. I have MySQL on my website running vBulletin but don't see how that would help me out in this. Unfortunately it seems like manual deletes will be the way to do it if the data doesn't self destruct. -Rod-

 

[Al42]

You can still sort, so it'll be easier to spot the duplicates. MySQL would help in the same way any good database would - if you set the frequency as a non-duplicable key the database will not accept the duplicates when you import the data.

 

[USAPatriot]

I wouldn't even know where to start. RBase was groundbreaking software and pretty cool stuff. I used it to weed out (read that as fake) information for the at-the-time 2nd largest insurance company in the country. Hellofa tool. But I haven't programmed anything more complex than this scanner in 20 years. I'm one of those that is baffled when faced with recording a show when away for two days...