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lancedb/docs/web/sql/dql/dedupe.mdx
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Jack Ye ddb318567a docs: complete SQL reference, enrich Functions drafts, rename OSS to Embedded (#4732)
## Summary

- Complete the SQL reference: `ATTACH DATABASE`, the `CHANGES` clause,
and
`dedupe()`/`duplicate_pairs()` (verified against current sophon source;
these were recently renamed from
`vector_dedup`/`vector_duplicate_pairs`).
  Fix the blob-column default-projection claim and add the previously
  undocumented `blob_descriptor()`.
- Enrich the gated Functions draft (still `.mintignore`'d, pre-release):
  chained Functions over blob outputs, GPU-produced blobs, Secrets,
  multi-input/output binding, `code=[module]` packaging.
- Upgrade the materialized-view and computed-column auto-refresh drafts
with
  precise, verified catch-up semantics, and add the missing `ALTER
  MATERIALIZED VIEW` / `CREATE ... WITH(...)` sections (also gated — the
  automatic-refresh scheduler is still dev/staging-only).
- Thread one running example (video frames → GPU extract/caption → dedup
→
auto-refreshing materialized view) through Functions, materialized
views,
and the LeRobotDataset integration guide instead of a separate tutorial.
- Rename "LanceDB OSS"/"OSS" to "LanceDB Embedded"/"Embedded" throughout
  (52 files); activate the existing availability-comparison mechanism on
  `basics/offerings.mdx` for a full feature-by-feature comparison table.
2026-10-29 10:16:03 -07:00

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---
title: "DEDUPE"
sidebarTitle: "DEDUPE"
description: "The dedupe() table function: one representative row per near-duplicate group, scanned over the index."
icon: layer-group
keywords: ["dedupe", "vector_dedup", "sql", "deduplication", "near-duplicate", "table function"]
availability:
embedded: unavailable
enterprise: available
---
`dedupe` scans a vector column's [index](/indexing/vector-index) partitions
for rows closer than a distance threshold, resolves the overlapping pairs it
finds into duplicate groups, and returns one representative row per group --
without a full pairwise scan or a shuffle. See
[`duplicate_pairs`](/sql/dql/duplicate-pairs) to inspect the pairs themselves
before committing to this resolution.
```sql
SELECT * FROM dedupe(<table>, <vector_column>,
distance_threshold => <float>
[, resolution => 'connected_components' | 'direct_representative']
[, selection => 'all' | 'first' | 'random', count => <int>, seed => <int>]
)
```
```sql
SELECT * FROM dedupe('frames', 'vec', distance_threshold => 0.02)
```
<Note>
Earlier releases spelled this `vector_dedup`; that name is rejected on
current deployments.
</Note>
## Input {#input}
| Argument | Type | Required | Meaning |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| table name | string literal | yes | the table to scan |
| vector column | string literal | yes | the indexed vector column to compare |
| `distance_threshold` | float | yes | maximum distance for a pair to count as close |
| `resolution` | `'connected_components'` (default) \| `'direct_representative'` | no | how overlapping pairs group together -- see [Resolution](#resolution) |
| `selection` | `'all'` (default) \| `'first'` \| `'random'` | no | which index partitions to scan |
| `count` | int | no | number of partitions to sample when `selection => 'random'` |
| `seed` | int | no | random seed when `selection => 'random'` |
`id_column` is refused on `dedupe`: it has no separate pair-identifier output
to project onto, only [`duplicate_pairs`](/sql/dql/duplicate-pairs#input)
accepts it.
## Output {#output}
One row per duplicate group, **in the table's own schema** -- every column of
`<table>`, including a BlobV2 column, comes through unchanged on the
representative row Lance selected for that group. Unlike
[`duplicate_pairs`](/sql/dql/duplicate-pairs#output), there is no fixed
`dedupe`-specific schema to document: the output schema is the source
table's schema.
Because the result is already shaped like the table, it composes directly
into a new table or a materialized view:
```sql
CREATE MATERIALIZED VIEW frames_deduped AS
SELECT * FROM dedupe('frames', 'vec', distance_threshold => 0.02)
```
## Resolution {#resolution}
`resolution` chooses how overlapping pairs group together:
| `resolution` | |
| --- | --- |
| `connected_components` (default) | groups transitively: if a~b and b~c are both close, all three resolve together |
| `direct_representative` | only pairs within the threshold of each other resolve together |
## Sampling partitions {#sampling}
`selection` scopes the scan to a sample of partitions instead of all of them,
the same `all` (default) / `first` / `random` choice as
[`ivf_partition`](/sql/scalar-functions#ivf-partition). Use it to estimate a
duplicate rate on a large table before scanning it in full:
```sql
SELECT * FROM dedupe('frames', 'vec',
distance_threshold => 0.02, selection => 'random', count => 100, seed => 42)
```
## What to read next {#next}
<CardGroup cols={2}>
<Card title="DUPLICATE_PAIRS" icon="clone" href="/sql/dql/duplicate-pairs">
Inspect the close pairs themselves instead of the resolved groups.
</Card>
<Card title="Deduplicate near-duplicates" icon="copy" href="/curation/dedupe">
When to reach for this instead of exact-key deduplication.
</Card>
</CardGroup>