If you receive a "duplicate fields" error message when attempting to load data, this is a fairly common issue. This error typically indicates that there are two or more columns in the data file that contain the same label or header.
To resolve this, you'll need to thoroughly review the data file and identify which column headers contain the same label. If the duplicate columns contain the same data, you can simply delete one of the columns. However, if the duplicate columns contain different data sets, you should relabel one of the columns so that it accurately identifies the data.
Excel provides a convenient way to locate duplicate header columns. Follow these steps:
- Open the data file and highlight the top row (the column headers).
- Click the "Home" tab and select "Conditional Formatting."
- Hover the cursor over "Highlight Cell Rules" and select "Duplicate Values."
- Click "OK."
This procedure will highlight every column header that contains duplicate labels, making it easy to identify and address the issue. By taking these steps, you can quickly fix the "duplicate fields" error and successfully load your data.