This article covers how to avoid uploading blank determinations with Collection Object imports in the WorkBench. It also guides on how to remove those records using Batch Edit if created.
Preventing Blank Determinations
When uploading Collection Objects with Determinations in WorkBench, it’s important to know how Specify interprets data in checkbox columns during an import and how that reflects in the database.
Though seemingly binary, checkbox (or boolean) fields have three distinct field states:
- True / Yes
- False / No
- Empty
[!Note]
The WorkBench accepts True/False and Yes/No values interchangeably in columns for checkbox fields.
Importing records with True/Yes or False/No is entering a value. That value is reflected in Query results (Yes/No) and exports (TRUE/FALSE) from Specify once imported.
Importing records with an Empty cell makes no change to the checkbox. Query results and exports will be blank as well.
Though false and blank imports appear the same on the forms, there is a different result. For most checkbox fields, you will want to fill the column with True/Yes or False/No for the most uniform and understandable exports.
The False/No vs. Empty distinction becomes crucial for the “Is Current” field on Determinations because using False/No can lead to unintended Determination records where the only data is False/No for the isCurrent field. True and False are both field values that trigger Determination record creation, whereas Empty does not. Thus, the isCurrent column(s) should contain True/Yes when applicable, but be Empty when no other data is present for the determination.
isCurrent Value |
Creates Determination? | Applicable Query Operators |
|---|---|---|
| True/Yes | Yes | True, True or Empty |
| False/No | Yes | False, False or Empty |
| Empty | No | Empty, True or Empty, False or Empty |
[!important]
Ensure the “Allow null values” option is checked for theisCurrentcolumn(s).
Example: Creates Determination for Each Row
| CatalogNumber | Det 1 Current | DeterminerLast | DeterminerFirst |
|---|---|---|---|
| ######### | false | ||
| ######### | true | Doe | J |
| ######### | true | Doe | J |
| ######### | false | ||
| ######### | false |
Example: Creates Determination when Current
| CatalogNumber | Det 1 Current | DeterminerLast | DeterminerFirst |
|---|---|---|---|
| ######### | |||
| ######### | true | Doe | J |
| ######### | true | Doe | J |
| ######### | |||
| ######### |
Removing Blank Determinations
The easiest way to resolve this is by rolling back the WorkBench upload and removing “False” from the isCurrent cells before re-uploading. However, if any records from the upload have been edited since their creation, using Rollback is not possible.
If the records can’t be rolled back, the next best thing is using Batch Edit to bulk delete those records.
Deleting Determinations in Batch Edit
1. Backup the database
2. Create a Collection Object Query that returns the Determinations
- Often using Current=Empty, Taxon=Empty, and Determiner=Empty to return only the blank records we want to delete.
- To keep the batch edit dataset as simple as possible, hide all fields except Current from the results.
3. Save Query
- Click Save Query.
- Name the query.
- Click Save.
4. Run Query again
5. Batch Edit
-
Click Batch Edit.
-
In Batch Edit, you should a column where each row has “false” entered.
-
Select the entire row by clicking its header then press the delete key to clear it of its contents.
6. Validate the Dataset
- Click Save then Validate.
7. Review Results
- Click Results.
- Confirm the results panel states that these records will be deleted.
- You should see only the Determination table with the expected number of to-be-deleted records listed there.
8. Commit Changes
- Click Commit.
[!Note]
If there were more than 5,000 results in your query before Batch Editing, you’ll need to repeat steps 4-8 until all have been removed.