How to Efficiently Delete Duplicate Rows from a Table in SQL?

SQL: Eliminating Duplicate Rows in Tables

Challenge:

You're faced with a table lacking primary keys or constraints, containing multiple rows with identical data. The goal is to remove duplicate rows, preserving only a single instance of each unique row. We'll use a column named "key" to identify duplicates, ensuring only one entry exists for each distinct "key" value.

Solution:

This process involves two key steps:

1. Identifying the First Occurrence: Locate the initial instance of each duplicate row.
2. Removing Subsequent Duplicates: Delete all rows that are not the first occurrence identified in step 1.

The following SQL command accomplishes this:

DELETE FROM dups a USING (
    SELECT MIN(ctid) as ctid, key
    FROM dups 
    GROUP BY key HAVING COUNT(*) > 1
) b
WHERE a.key = b.key 
AND a.ctid <> b.ctid;

Important Note: This method doesn't offer control over which specific row is retained.

Illustrative Example:

Consider this sample table:

CREATE TABLE people (
    name    varchar(50) NOT NULL,
    surname varchar(50) NOT NULL,
    age     integer NOT NULL
);

INSERT INTO people (name, surname, age) VALUES 
    ('A.', 'Tom', 30),
    ('A.', 'Tom', 10),
    ('B.', 'Tom', 20),
    ('B', 'Chris', 20);

To find the first occurrence of duplicates:

SELECT MIN(ctid) as ctid, name, surname
FROM people 
GROUP BY (name, surname) HAVING COUNT(*) > 1;

Output:

ctid	name	surname
(0,1)	A.	Tom

Deleting the non-first duplicates:

DELETE FROM people a USING (
    SELECT MIN(ctid) as ctid, name, surname
    FROM people 
    GROUP BY (name, surname) HAVING COUNT(*) > 1
) b
WHERE a.name = b.name
AND a.surname = b.surname
AND a.ctid <> b.ctid;

The remaining rows:

SELECT * FROM people;

Output:

name	surname	age
A.	Tom	30
B.	Tom	20
B	Chris	20

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