Guide
Avoiding duplicate records in automated workflows
Why automations create duplicates, and the search-before-create, idempotency and unique key patterns that prevent them.
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Why duplicates happen
Triggers can fire more than once, users resubmit forms, and retries repeat steps that already succeeded. Each of these creates a second record unless the workflow checks first.
Patterns
- Search before create, by a normalized key such as lowercase email
- Carry a stable ID from the source and store it on the record
- Prefer upsert operations where the destination offers them
- Use a destination with real unique constraints when it matters
Limits
Search then create is not atomic. Spreadsheets have no unique constraint. Keep the destination system duplicate tools as a backstop and review them periodically.
Sources
Related
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