How to Set Up Auto-Dedupe to Retain Newest Data Versions

Derek R. · 2025-06-11T09:40:46.313Z

Hello, is there a way to auto-dedupe that will retain *new* data? When turning on auto-dedupe it keeps the earliest version of the row data, I would like to retain the newest version.

How to Set Up Auto-Dedupe to Retain Newest Data Versions | Clay

13 comments

· Sorted by Oldest

Channeled
APP
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Currently, Clay's auto-dedupe feature only retains the oldest row when detecting duplicates in a specified column. The system automatically deletes newer duplicate entries. There's no built-in setting to keep the newest data instead. You can access auto-dedupe settings by clicking the Auto-dedupe icon at the bottom right of your table and selecting "Enable automatic deduplication." If you need to retain newer data when deduplicating, you might need to use a different approach or request this as a feature enhancement.
Sources: Table management settings | Documentation | Clay University Auto-update and Auto-dedupe Table
Derek R.
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Is there any work around, like adjusting table settings so new data is added to the top of the sheet?
Muhammad S.
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No unfortunately, it will still delete the latest entry regardless of sorting
Muhammad S.
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whats the usecase?
Owen C.
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Hey there, thanks for reaching out! Being able to customize your auto-dedupe to delete either the newest or oldest record found is something our team is working on implementing! Would love to hear your use case as well so we could try and come up with an alternative in the meantime! :)
Derek R.
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I’m using API to pull in email out reach campaign names and data. Then I’m exporting from Clay to a Google Excel spreadsheet. This process runs daily, and the most recent information is at the bottom of the sheet. The process runs fine since the excel sheet only received data from NEW cells, but I would prefer to have a cleaner Clay sheet and not have many duplicates being entered daily.
Bo (.
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You can use AutoDedupe to automatically remove duplicates and keep your Clay table clean. Alternatively, the Prevent Duplicates (loom) method tags each row with an identifier, so only new rows get processed. Here’s a guide to help: 📘 https://docs.clay.com/en/articles/9642165-auto-update-and-auto-dedupe-table 🎥 https://www.loom.com/share/a39a4569d95244b7886026f3c70812c7 Let me know if you want help setting it up.
Derek R.
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Bo both of these options only work on the first instance of data and not applicable to my use case. I’m wanting to update new duplicate data that’s added and remove the initial duplicate(s).
Gabe E.
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To confirm I'm understanding right, you don't want to prevent new duplicate data from coming in. You want this new duplicate data to replace the old data of the same information? Can you give me a little more context on the use case here so I can better troubleshoot?
Derek R.
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Gabe E. yes that’s correct. I explained above what the use case is, here it is again: I’m using API to pull in email out reach campaign names and data. Then I’m exporting from Clay to a Google Excel spreadsheet. This process runs daily, and the most recent information is at the bottom of the sheet, while the previous information is out of date.
Gabe E.
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Hi there, unfortunately the deduplication to replace old data is in the backlog but not available yet. Is there any other way I can help to unblock you/keep you building? Sorry to not be able to provide a better answer here. I will circle with the team to see if they have any ideas on good workarounds. Gabe
Gabe E.
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Hi there, a teammate circled back and recommended the following: I'd handle this directly in Google Sheets using an Apps Script OR the lookup / update Google Sheet action. Fix ideas: Either use the Lookup, Add, or Update Row from Google Sheet OR ** Send the data to Google Sheets as usual ** Include a created at date column ** Use AI to help write a dedupe script based on that date (might take 3–4 minutes of adjusting) ** Set the script to run on updates or on a daily schedule This way, he keeps only the latest version of each row without manual cleanup.
Gabe E.
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Please let me know if you think this will work for you! Gabe

Channeled
APP
·
·
Currently, Clay's auto-dedupe feature only retains the oldest row when detecting duplicates in a specified column. The system automatically deletes newer duplicate entries. There's no built-in setting to keep the newest data instead. You can access auto-dedupe settings by clicking the Auto-dedupe icon at the bottom right of your table and selecting "Enable automatic deduplication." If you need to retain newer data when deduplicating, you might need to use a different approach or request this as a feature enhancement.
Sources: Table management settings | Documentation | Clay University Auto-update and Auto-dedupe Table
Derek R.
·
·
Is there any work around, like adjusting table settings so new data is added to the top of the sheet?
Muhammad S.
·
·
No unfortunately, it will still delete the latest entry regardless of sorting
Muhammad S.
·
·
whats the usecase?
Owen C.
·
·
Hey there, thanks for reaching out! Being able to customize your auto-dedupe to delete either the newest or oldest record found is something our team is working on implementing! Would love to hear your use case as well so we could try and come up with an alternative in the meantime! :)
Derek R.
·
·
I’m using API to pull in email out reach campaign names and data. Then I’m exporting from Clay to a Google Excel spreadsheet. This process runs daily, and the most recent information is at the bottom of the sheet. The process runs fine since the excel sheet only received data from NEW cells, but I would prefer to have a cleaner Clay sheet and not have many duplicates being entered daily.
Bo (.
·
·
You can use AutoDedupe to automatically remove duplicates and keep your Clay table clean. Alternatively, the Prevent Duplicates (loom) method tags each row with an identifier, so only new rows get processed. Here’s a guide to help: 📘 https://docs.clay.com/en/articles/9642165-auto-update-and-auto-dedupe-table 🎥 https://www.loom.com/share/a39a4569d95244b7886026f3c70812c7 Let me know if you want help setting it up.
Derek R.
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·
Bo both of these options only work on the first instance of data and not applicable to my use case. I’m wanting to update new duplicate data that’s added and remove the initial duplicate(s).
Gabe E.
·
·
To confirm I'm understanding right, you don't want to prevent new duplicate data from coming in. You want this new duplicate data to replace the old data of the same information? Can you give me a little more context on the use case here so I can better troubleshoot?
Derek R.
·
·
Gabe E. yes that’s correct. I explained above what the use case is, here it is again: I’m using API to pull in email out reach campaign names and data. Then I’m exporting from Clay to a Google Excel spreadsheet. This process runs daily, and the most recent information is at the bottom of the sheet, while the previous information is out of date.
Gabe E.
·
·
Hi there, unfortunately the deduplication to replace old data is in the backlog but not available yet. Is there any other way I can help to unblock you/keep you building? Sorry to not be able to provide a better answer here. I will circle with the team to see if they have any ideas on good workarounds. Gabe
Gabe E.
·
·
Hi there, a teammate circled back and recommended the following: I'd handle this directly in Google Sheets using an Apps Script OR the lookup / update Google Sheet action. Fix ideas: Either use the Lookup, Add, or Update Row from Google Sheet OR ** Send the data to Google Sheets as usual ** Include a created at date column ** Use AI to help write a dedupe script based on that date (might take 3–4 minutes of adjusting) ** Set the script to run on updates or on a daily schedule This way, he keeps only the latest version of each row without manual cleanup.
Gabe E.
·
·
Please let me know if you think this will work for you! Gabe