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Duplicate detection for activities

Former Member over 15 years ago

I have found that a hundred or so activities have ended up with duplicates (named "Untitled", with activity type of "Uncategorized") since the start of the year. I've read the posts where activities with map data are mentioned, but these aren't like that ; they differ in minor details like some cadence values (or some speed values). eg.

303c303
< <Cadence>75</Cadence>
---
> <Cadence>76</Cadence>
321c321
< <Cadence>75</Cadence>
---
> <Cadence>76</Cadence>
1436,1438c1436,1438
< <Name>EDGE705 JHL SYSBLD Jul 12 2007 16:11:30 1.23</Name>
< <UnitId>0</UnitId>
< <ProductID>1</ProductID>
---
> <Name>Garmin Edge 705</Name>
> <UnitId>3415200069</UnitId>
> <ProductID>625</ProductID>

I don't really care at present how the duplication occurred. My problem is more that detecting and deleting them is a pain as I can't search for Untitled or Uncategorized in my activities list. Instead I've had to resort to screen-scraping and build some scripts (along with some manual massaging of data) to download all the activities and grep for activities listing the same time.

Since GC staff appear to feel that allowing us to search for any (including Untitled) activities violates some special understanding they have of the way searching should work (and good riddance to decades of search tools that can show all data), perhaps they could expose some functionality to show which activities duplicate other ones - since they obviously can't (or don't care to?) prevent duplicates from being created. That way users can more easily correct problems caused by faulty GC software.

Even better, perhaps they would consider following Google's Data Liberation lead and allow a mass export of a user's data so that we can have a backup in the case that GC has a catastrophic failure, which is starting to feel more and more likely to me.

0 Former Member over 15 years ago

Yes - give us our data!

The Garmin Connect site sounds great - until you have to work with it.

I come with a long history of using Polar devices with direct download and storage on local PC. I like knowing where my data is and being able to access it quickly at anytime.

I chose the 310XT because I liked the idea of a single device rather than Polars add-on GPS unit. The 310XT is brilliant . . . . . . . . . . . . but data management via GC website is letting the side down in a big way.

I've just returned from an active week of walking and running with no access to downloading - device memory still only 10% full - phenomenal.:cool:
However, it has uploaded some files and ignored others.:confused:

So, I deleted the uploaded activities from my XT and asked the website to upload New Activities. It talks to my XT for a while to get the new data (or so you believe) and then duplicates all the existing data . . . . . and still I have activities in the XT but not on the website.

If I try to delete a duplicated activity from the calendar - it takes me to the activities list - and waits quite a while. 5 minutes later I can get back to the Calendar and find that both the versions of the activity are still sat there.

I have no confidence in Garmins ability to maintain my data and I can't get it into my safekeeping.:(
I cannot get quick access to my data as swapping between views on the website is always slow (yes, I have a decent broadband connection - this is a web-based issue).

I should have stuck with Polar.
310XT is a great device, but data management is not what I'm used to.
I'm just glad I only use the 310XT for extra activities and not my main training.

0 seilogramp over 15 years ago

Are you using Training Center? It's a good way to store activities locally.

0 Former Member over 15 years ago

No, what is Training Centre?
I only use the Garmin Connect site for this data at present.

I use Polar Software and Training Peaks WKO+ for analysing power meter data/ managing TSS etc. (also importing Tacx or Computrainer 3D workout files).

If I can have my data locally then I'd be happy.
If I could import it into Training Peaks WKO+ then I'd be thrilled. (Sad but true - analysing training data is sometimes more fun than training!)

0 Former Member over 15 years ago

Thanks for guidance

No, what is Training Centre?

OK - now I have training centre.
Looks like it will make me a happier bunny with local access to data.:)

Still some data sat in my 310XT that doesn't want to come out and play just yet - but I'll keep playing.

I could become a Garmin convert yet !? ;)

0 Former Member over 15 years ago

Are you using Training Center? It's a good way to store activities locally.

I gave up on TC ages ago. It''s windows only, which is a pain for me as I'm primarily a linux user (although I have to use windows - in virtualbox - to upload to GC).

Reasons I stopped: I have a couple of bikes and TC couldn't (still can't?) handle multiple profiles from the 305 or 705; it crashed at one point and took all the data I had with it. That's when I first noticed that Garmin support was less than useful in helping with data recovery and I was so glad that MotionBased was not Garmin at the time.

Primarily now, I use MyTourBook locally. If SportsTracks's move into cross-platform support through Mono starts working for me, I might start playing wit that too.

On the topic of duplicates, I noticed that I must have started setting names and activity types to some of my Untitled activities, not realising that they were duplicates. Having downloaded everything now, I think the duplications have all been identified and purged but it was an annoying process that should have been unncessary. My guess is that data imported from MotionBased was not checked for date uniqueness with existing data in GC, which is a serious flaw in the process if true.