Eliminating duplicate rows from the report

In Prompted Query, you can request that rows with duplicate information not appear in your report.

About this task

If you create a query that is based on the sample tables that shows all departments that have salespeople, the report will show duplicate rows for each department with more than one salesperson. Such a report is shown in the following figure:

Figure 1. The report shows duplicate rows for several departments.
     DEPT  DIVISION
   ------  ----------
       15  EASTERN
       20  EASTERN
       38  EASTERN
       38  EASTERN
       42  MIDWEST
       51  MIDWEST
       51  MIDWEST
       66  WESTERN
       66  WESTERN
       66  WESTERN
       84  WESTERN
       84  WESTERN

Procedure

To eliminate duplicate rows:

  1. On the Specify panel, select Duplicate Rows.
    The Duplicate Rows panel displays, as shown in the following figure.
    Figure 2. The Duplicate Rows panel
     PROMPTED QUERY                                       MODIFIED  LINE    1
                                         +---------------------------------------+
       Tables:                           |            Duplicate Rows             |
         Q.STAFF(A)                      |                                       |
         Q.ORG(B)                        | Select one of the following.          |
                                         |                                       |
       Join Tables:                      | Keep. . 2 1. Duplicate rows.          |
         A.DEPT And B.DEPTNUMB           |           2. Single copy of each row. |
                                         +---------------------------------------+
       Columns:                          | F1=Help  F12=Cancel                   |
         DEPT                            +---------------------------------------+
         DIVISION
     
       Row Conditions:
         If JOB Is Equal To 'SALES'
     
       Duplicate Rows:
       > ...
     
       *** END ***
     
  2. Select Single copy of each row.
    The Prompted Query panel displays with your query in the echo area. The Specify panel does not display because eliminating duplicate rows is the last step in creating a prompted query. Press the Specify key to display the Specify panel if you want to work on your query again.

    When you run the query, QMF displays a report that shows one row for each department, as shown in the following figure.

    Figure 3. The report shows only one row for each department.
         DEPT  DIVISION
       ------  ----------
           15  EASTERN
           20  EASTERN
           38  EASTERN
           42  MIDWEST
           51  MIDWEST
           66  WESTERN
           84  WESTERN