// File: src/content/docs/remove-duplicates-forms/getting-started/first-scan.md // Location: src/content/docs/remove-duplicates-forms/getting-started/ // Purpose: Detailed guide for running the first duplicate scan

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title: "Your First Duplicate Scan" description: "Learn how to run your first duplicate scan and understand the results in Remove Duplicates for Google Forms" order: 3 lastUpdated: "2025-01-20" readingTime: 7 keywords: ["first scan", "duplicate detection", "google forms", "scan results", "data cleaning"]

Your First Duplicate Scan

This comprehensive guide walks you through running your first duplicate scan, understanding the results, and taking action to clean your form data.

Understanding What Happens During a Scan

The Scanning Process

When you initiate a scan, Remove Duplicates:

1. Reads your form structure - Analyzes all form fields and their types
2. Loads response data - Retrieves all form responses from the linked spreadsheet
3. Applies detection logic - Compares responses based on selected fields
4. Groups duplicates - Organizes duplicate responses by matching values
5. Displays results - Shows actual duplicate values with full context

What Makes a Response "Duplicate"?

A duplicate is detected when two or more responses have:

• Identical values in the selected detection fields
• Similar values when fuzzy matching is enabled (85% similarity)
• Same normalized data (e.g., "[email protected]" = "[email protected]")

Preparing for Your First Scan

1. Check Your Form Status

Before scanning, verify:

✅ Form has responses: At least 2 responses needed
✅ Spreadsheet is linked: Required for cleaning operations
✅ Add-on is open: Extensions → Remove Duplicates → Find & Delete

2. Understand Your Data

Consider these questions:

• What type of duplicates am I expecting? (repeat submissions, test entries, etc.)
• Which fields uniquely identify a respondent? (email, ID number, name)
• Do I want the first or latest submission from duplicates?

3. Response Volume Guidelines

| Responses | Scan Time | Performance | |-----------|-----------|-------------| | 1-100 | Instant | Immediate results | | 100-1,000 | 2-3 seconds | Fast processing | | 1,000-5,000 | 5-10 seconds | Normal processing | | 5,000-10,000 | 15-20 seconds | Batch processing | | 10,000+ | 20-45 seconds | Optimized batching |

Method 1: Smart Auto-Detection (Recommended)

When to Use Smart Detection

Smart detection is ideal for:

• ✅ Standard contact forms
• ✅ Event registrations
• ✅ Newsletter signups
• ✅ Survey responses
• ✅ First-time users

Step-by-Step Smart Scan

1. Open the add-on

   Extensions → 🧹 Remove Duplicates in Forms → 👉 Find & Delete duplicates
   

2. Stay on Smart Detect tab (default)

   • You'll see a purple icon and description
   • No configuration needed

3. Click "✨ Auto-Detect Duplicates"

   • Button changes to "⏳ Detecting..."
   • Progress shown in loading state

4. Wait for analysis (2-5 seconds)

   • Add-on analyzes your form structure
   • Identifies duplicate-prone fields
   • Runs the detection algorithm

5. Review detected fields

   • After scan, you'll see which fields were checked
   • Common auto-detected fields:
     • Email addresses
     • Phone numbers
     • Names (first, last, full)
     • ID numbers
     • Student/Employee IDs

Understanding Smart Detection Logic

The add-on prioritizes fields in this order:

1. Priority 1: Email fields - Most reliable unique identifier
2. Priority 2: ID fields - Student ID, Employee ID, etc.
3. Priority 3: Name fields - Full name, First + Last name
4. Priority 4: Phone fields - Mobile, telephone numbers
5. Priority 5: Required fields - Any required text field

Maximum fields selected: 3 (to balance accuracy and performance)

Method 2: Manual Field Selection

When to Use Manual Selection

Manual selection is better for:

• ✅ Custom business logic
• ✅ Specific field combinations
• ✅ Non-standard forms
• ✅ Partial duplicate checking
• ✅ Advanced users

Step-by-Step Manual Scan

1. Switch to Manual Select tab

   Click "🎯 Manual Select" tab
   

2. Open configuration drawer

   Click "🎯 Select Fields & Options"
   

3. Choose your fields (in the 420px drawer)

   Field Selection Interface:

   📍 SELECT FIELDS TO CHECK
   ☐ Email Address        [REC]
   ☐ Full Name           [REC]
   ☐ Phone Number
   ☐ Student ID
   ☐ Custom Field 1
   

   • Check boxes next to fields to scan
   • [REC] badge = Recommended field
   • Selected fields get blue background

4. Configure detection options

   ⚙️ DETECTION OPTIONS:

   • ☐ Case sensitive matching

     • When checked: "[email protected]" ≠ "[email protected]"
     • When unchecked: Both are treated as duplicates

   • ☐ Fuzzy matching

     • When checked: "Jon Smith" ≈ "John Smith" (similar)
     • When unchecked: Only exact matches count

5. Choose keep strategy

   📍 KEEP STRATEGY:

   • ◉ Keep first response (original)

     • Preserves the earliest submission
     • Best for: Preventing repeat submissions

   • ○ Keep latest response (most recent)

     • Preserves the newest submission
     • Best for: Getting updated information

6. Click "🔍 Find Duplicates"

   • Drawer closes automatically
   • Scan begins with your configuration

Understanding Scan Results

Results Overview

After scanning completes, you'll see:

Results Summary Bar:
[12 to remove] [88 to keep] [✅ Ready]

This means:

• 12 duplicate responses will be removed
• 88 unique responses will be kept
• Ready for you to take action

Duplicate Groups Structure

Each duplicate group shows:

┌─────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ Email: [email protected]  [3 duplicates] │ ← Click to expand
└─────────────────────────────────────────┘

When expanded:

☑ [email protected]
  [ORIGINAL] 2024-01-15 10:30 AM
  Name: John Smith
  Phone: 555-0123
  Message: Original submission

☐ [email protected]
  2024-01-16 2:15 PM
  Name: John Smith
  Phone: 555-0123
  Message: Duplicate submission

☐ [email protected]
  2024-01-17 9:45 AM
  Name: John Smith
  Phone: 555-0124
  Message: Another duplicate

Reading Response Details

Each response card shows:

1. Checkbox state

   • ☑ Checked = Will be KEPT
   • ☐ Unchecked = Will be REMOVED

2. Primary identifier

   • The actual value that matched (e.g., email address)

3. Timestamp

   • Exact submission date and time

4. [ORIGINAL] badge

   • Green background
   • Indicates first occurrence
   • Usually checked by default with "Keep First" strategy

5. Full response data

   • All form fields and their answers
   • Helps you verify it's truly a duplicate

Customizing Selections

You can manually adjust which responses to keep:

1. Click any checkbox to toggle keep/remove
2. Check multiple responses to keep several versions
3. Uncheck all to remove entire group
4. Mixed selection for custom logic

Real-time updates: The summary bar updates as you change selections

Interpreting Different Scenarios

Scenario 1: Perfect Duplicates

Email: [email protected] [2 duplicates]
├─ ☑ [ORIGINAL] All fields identical
└─ ☐ Exact copy of original

Action: Keep original, remove duplicate

Scenario 2: Updated Information

Email: [email protected] [2 duplicates]
├─ ☐ [ORIGINAL] Old phone: 555-0001
└─ ☑ Latest: New phone: 555-0002

Action: Keep latest with updated info

Scenario 3: Test Submissions

Email: [email protected] [5 duplicates]
├─ ☐ Test submission 1
├─ ☐ Test submission 2
├─ ☐ Test submission 3
├─ ☐ Test submission 4
└─ ☐ Test submission 5

Action: Remove all test entries

Scenario 4: Partial Duplicates

Name: John Smith [3 responses]
├─ ☑ [email protected]
├─ ☑ [email protected] (different person)
└─ ☐ [email protected] (actual duplicate)

Action: Keep different people, remove true duplicate

Taking Action on Results

Before You Act

Critical Safety Check:

1. ✅ Review the selections carefully
2. ✅ Verify backup will be created
3. ✅ Understand this modifies the spreadsheet
4. ✅ Know that form responses are preserved

Option 1: Update Linked Spreadsheet

What happens when you click "📊 Update Linked Sheet":

1. Confirmation dialog appears:

   This will permanently remove 12 rows from your linked spreadsheet.
   A backup will be created before deletion.
   Continue?
   

2. Backup creation:

   • Creates sheet named "Backup_2024-01-20_1737389456"
   • Preserves all current data
   • Adds metadata about operation

3. Row deletion:

   • Removes unchecked responses from spreadsheet
   • Maintains all other data integrity
   • Updates row numbers automatically

4. Completion notification:

   ✅ Successfully removed 12 duplicates!
   Backup: Backup_2024-01-20_1737389456
   

Option 2: Create Clean Sheet

What happens when you click "✨ Create Clean Sheet":

1. New sheet creation:

   • Sheet named "Clean_2024-01-20_1737389456"
   • Contains only checked responses
   • Original sheet unchanged

2. Data structure:

   • Same columns as original
   • Headers preserved
   • Formatting maintained
   • Only clean data included

3. Result:

   ✅ Created clean sheet "Clean_2024-01-20_1737389456"
   with 88 responses
   

Troubleshooting Common Issues

No Duplicates Found

Possible causes:

1. Your data is already clean (good!)
2. Wrong fields selected
3. Detection too strict

Solutions:

• Try Smart Detect instead
• Select different fields
• Enable fuzzy matching
• Check case sensitivity setting

Too Many False Positives

Cause: Detection too broad

Solutions:

• Use more specific fields (email vs name)
• Disable fuzzy matching
• Enable case sensitivity
• Select additional fields for combination matching

Scan Takes Too Long

For forms with 10,000+ responses:

1. First scan: May take 30-45 seconds
2. Be patient: Don't close the dialog
3. One-time process: Results are cached
4. Future scans: Much faster

Results Don't Match Expectations

Debugging steps:

1. Check field selection:

   • Are you scanning the right fields?
   • Try different field combinations

2. Review detection options:

   • Is case sensitivity appropriate?
   • Should fuzzy matching be on/off?

3. Examine sample duplicates:

   • Expand a group
   • Verify they're true duplicates
   • Check the matching values

Best Practices for First Scan

Do's

✅ Start with Smart Detect - Let the AI guide you ✅ Review samples carefully - Verify before removing ✅ Keep the original - Unless you need updates ✅ Check backup created - Verify it exists ✅ Start small - Test with one form first

Don'ts

❌ Don't rush - Take time to review ❌ Don't skip verification - Check the results ❌ Don't ignore patterns - Learn from duplicates ❌ Don't delete backups - Keep for safety ❌ Don't scan during submissions - May miss new data

After Your First Scan

Immediate Next Steps

1. Verify the cleanup:

   • Open your spreadsheet
   • Check row count decreased
   • Confirm correct data remains

2. Review the backup:

   • Find "Backup_[timestamp]" sheet
   • Verify it has original data
   • Keep for reference

3. Document your settings:

   • Note which fields work best
   • Save your detection preferences
   • Plan regular scan schedule

Building a Routine

Recommended scan frequency:

| Form Type | Scan Frequency | Best Time | |-----------|---------------|-----------| | Event registration | After event closes | End of registration | | Ongoing survey | Weekly | Monday morning | | Contact form | Bi-weekly | Every other Friday | | Newsletter signup | Monthly | First of month | | Order forms | Daily | End of business day |

Next Steps

Now that you've completed your first scan:

• Understanding Duplicates - Learn why duplicates occur
• Smart Detection - Deep dive into auto-detection
• Duplicate Strategies - Master Keep First vs Keep Latest
• Backup System - Understanding your safety net