Delete Query or maybe is it MATCHING??

[xljruser]

Good morning.

I’m having a problem with a relatively easy query problem. Im not sure if it’s a delete query I want, or a matching query. I want to delete duplicate records.

If the records from a certain column in table B appear in table A, then I would like to delete those records. I can set up a regular query which gives me the duplicate records, which I then need to delete. But when I hit delete, I get an error message saying “can delete. Read only”. Basically I want to delete records from TABLE A if they match records from TABLE B.

What am I missing here?

 

[Gates Is Antichrist]

Yes, you want a delete query.

The rectangular grid that you get when you run a query is just like what you get when you hit Enter on a Table name - it's the Datasheet View. However the delete key is only active when you're working with a table - not a query.

No offense, but since delete queries are like, uh, injurious to your health , develop and practice this new skill on copies of data..

Try the create delete query wizard and compare it to what you would have come up with on your own.

Note that the records that are displayed for a delete query are indeed the ones that are deleted. So it's consistent with your instinct which was to hit the delete key for those records.