# Deleting / Merging Duplicate Connected Nodes **URL:** \ **Category:** Neo4j Graph Platform\ **Tags:** migrated\ **Created:** [August 28, 2022, 6:16pm UTC](https://community.neo4j.com/t/deleting-merging-duplicate-connected-nodes/59931 "2022-08-28T18:16:51Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![exb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/4bbf92/32.png) [@exb](https://community.neo4j.com/u/exb)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2022, 6:16pm UTC](https://community.neo4j.com/t/deleting-merging-duplicate-connected-nodes/59931/1 "2022-08-28T18:16:51Z")
Hello everyone, I have some data in the form: ```auto node:Account { "address": "mark.com", } relationship:FUNCTIONCALL { "date": "Tue Jan 18 2022 15:40:45 GMT+0000 (Greenwich Mean Time)", "amount": 1, "id": "unique_id", "outcome": "Success", "timestamp": 1642520445191736600.0 } ``` The idea is that an account should always have a unique **address** property, and a FUNCTIONCALL relationship between two nodes will always have a unique **id** property. To create an account I use MERGE, by declaring a variable with a unique name, and setting its properties: ```auto MERGE (encrypted_mark_address: Account {address: 'mark.com'}) ``` ```auto MERGE (encrypted_ted_address: Account {address: 'ted.com'}) ``` I then create a relationship with the two, by still using merge: ```auto MATCH (a1: Account {address: 'mark.com'}) MATCH (a2: Account {address: 'ted.com'}) MERGE(a1)-[unique_id:FUNCTIONCALL {id:'unique_id'}]->(a2) ON CREATE SET unique_id.date="Tue Jan 18 2022 15:40:45 GMT+0000 (Greenwich Mean Time)", unique_id.timestamp=1642520445191736600, unique_id.amount=1, unique_id.outcome="Success" ``` However, by running my code I get to a point where I have duplicate data, like in the following example (real data). ![Screenshot 2022-08-28 at 13.24.45.png](https://us1.discourse-cdn.com/flex021/uploads/neo4jcommunity/original/3X/b/3/b3df817aa47250e5716ffb1d852c979b784f46dc.png "Screenshot 2022-08-28 at 13.24.45.png") The three central nodes are the same, and so are the 5 surrounding nodes. Ideally, I should have this instead: ![Screenshot 2022-08-28 at 13.29.06.png](https://us1.discourse-cdn.com/flex021/uploads/neo4jcommunity/original/3X/1/6/160ca13c0ac6c1bdfb6a654d89ef43faab424a33.png "Screenshot 2022-08-28 at 13.29.06.png") My questions are the following: 1. How do I remove / merge the duplicates without messing up the data? 2. How do I change my code to create the data, such that this duplicate situation does not happen again? Thanks in advance! ---
**Author:** ![glilienfield](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/flex021/user_avatar/community.neo4j.com/glilienfield/32/27534_2.png) [@glilienfield](https://community.neo4j.com/u/glilienfield)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2022, 8:23pm UTC](https://community.neo4j.com/t/deleting-merging-duplicate-connected-nodes/59931/2 "2022-08-28T20:23:16Z")
Your approach seems correct. Can you provide the full query / driver code and some of that data? ---
**Author:** ![exb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/4bbf92/32.png) [@exb](https://community.neo4j.com/u/exb)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2022, 10:27pm UTC](https://community.neo4j.com/t/deleting-merging-duplicate-connected-nodes/59931/3 "2022-08-28T22:27:48Z")
These are essentially the full queries that I am running to create the data. They are called from Javascript and there are a few additional properties in the relationship, but what I included should be representative enough of the actual query. Same applies for the data, but will attach what you asked below! JS code to create the nodes: ```auto async function insert_address(address) { let session = driver.session() try { const res = await session.run('MERGE (' + fma(address) + ': Account {address: $address}) RETURN ' + fma(address), { address: address }) } catch (err) { console.error(err) } session.close() }; ``` JS relationship creation code: ```auto async function insert_relationship(address1, address2, amount, txId, date, timestamp, outcome) { let session = driver.session() try { const res = await session.run('MATCH (a1: Account {address: $address1}) MATCH (a2: Account {address: $address2}) MERGE(a1)-['+ fmtx(txId)+':FUNCTIONCALL {id:$txId}]->(a2) ON CREATE SET ' + fmtx(txId)+'.date=$date, '+ fmtx(txId)+'.timestamp=$timestamp, '+ fmtx(txId)+'.amount=$amount, '+ fmtx(txId)+'.outcome=$outcome RETURN '+ fmtx(txId), { address1: address1, address2: address2, txId: txId, amount: amount, date: date, timestamp: timestamp, outcome: outcome }) } catch (err) { console.error(err) } session.close() }; ``` Actual data: Query: ```auto MATCH (n:Account {address: "mark.com"}) RETURN n ``` Result: ```auto { "identity": 2402, "labels": [ "Account" ], "properties": { "address": "mark.com" } } ``` Sample relationship query: ```auto MATCH (n:Account {address: "mark.com"})-[r]->(b:Account) WITH DISTINCT r RETURN r ORDER BY r.timestamp ``` Result: ```auto { "identity": 11908, "start": 2402, "end": 1961, "type": "FUNCTIONCALL", "properties": { "date": "Tue Jan 18 2022 15:33:58 GMT+0000 (Greenwich Mean Time)", "amount": 5.02, "id": "LePwsL6czmCtfFB3VtPzpmmB7MpVNEMUtaBLw32R2cW", "outcome": "Success", "timestamp": 1642520038850413800.0 } } ``` ---
**Author:** ![glilienfield](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/flex021/user_avatar/community.neo4j.com/glilienfield/32/27534_2.png) [@glilienfield](https://community.neo4j.com/u/glilienfield)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2022, 10:47pm UTC](https://community.neo4j.com/t/deleting-merging-duplicate-connected-nodes/59931/4 "2022-08-28T22:47:30Z")
According to your sample relationships query, '[mark.com](http://mark.com)' is only related to one other 'Account' node. Is that the full result of the query, or just the first element in a list? If it is the full result, what are all the other nodes/relationships in your screenshot? If your database consist of only the data in the screenshot, can you provide the data from this simple query: ```auto match(n:Account)-[r]->(m:Account) return n, r, m ``` ---
**Author:** ![exb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/4bbf92/32.png) [@exb](https://community.neo4j.com/u/exb)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2022, 5:44pm UTC](https://community.neo4j.com/t/deleting-merging-duplicate-connected-nodes/59931/5 "2022-08-29T17:44:49Z")
Unfortunately, the data is very large, and does not consist of only the data in the screenshot. However, without attaching all the data I can tell you that the only thing that changes in the data (for the duplicates) are the identity, start and end values. All the properties are the same. Will attach a link to the JSON result running the query you asked me to run, additionally specifying the addresses in the screenshot for the nodes n and m. Sub Sample data (with addresses from screenshot): [https://jsonblob.com/1013866261813411840](https://jsonblob.com/1013866261813411840) ---
**Author:** ![glilienfield](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/flex021/user_avatar/community.neo4j.com/glilienfield/32/27534_2.png) [@glilienfield](https://community.neo4j.com/u/glilienfield)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2022, 4:01am UTC](https://community.neo4j.com/t/deleting-merging-duplicate-connected-nodes/59931/6 "2022-08-30T04:01:34Z")
I don't see the data you posted above in the data file, such as, '[mark.com](http://mark.com)' and node with id = 2402. Anyways, I noticed you have multiple Account nodes with the same address of '[xkcdfan.com](http://xkcdfan.com)' and for '[dragonnation.com](http://dragonnation.com)'. These should have matched during your 'merge' in your js script to create the nodes. Your query code looks fine. Is it possible you actually had more than one of each of these nodes before you executed the script? This would explain results. If you don't know, can you run your script on a fresh database to see if you get the duplicates?