Deleting duplicates

Having a unique ID makes this easy. By using a self referencing sub-query and the MIN aggregate function, you can determine the lowest ID for a given NAME. By deleting all but the lowest ID, you are left with a unique set of NAMEs.

delete from MyTable t1
  where id <> ( select min(ID) from MyTable t2 
                  where t2.Name = t1.Name )

For More Information

• Dozens more answers to tough SQL questions from Jason Law are available here.
• The Best SQL Web Links: tips, tutorials, scripts, and more.
• Have an SQL tip to offer your fellow DBAs and developers? The best tips submitted will receive a cool prize. Submit your tip today!
• Ask your technical SQL questions -- or help out your peers by answering them -- in our live discussion forums.
• Ask the Experts yourself: Our SQL, database design, Oracle, SQL Server, DB2, metadata, object-oriented and data warehousing gurus are waiting to answer your toughest questions.