In my previous posts, I discussed common issues encountered when deploying with Sitecore CLI, specifically focusing on avoiding and resolving duplicate items. I proposed two solutions:

1. Identifying Duplicates with Sitecore PowerShell: This method, while effective, is slow and resource-intensive.
2. Running a Database Query to Find Duplicates: This approach is very fast but requires direct access to the database.

Each method has its own drawbacks. Today, I am introducing a superior solution that integrates the strengths of both approaches, providing an efficient and comprehensive method to identify and resolve duplicate items without needing direct database access or suffering from slow performance.

This method involves running the previously mentioned SQL command via Sitecore PowerShell, combining the speed of direct database queries with the convenience and accessibility of PowerShell scripting.

By integrating these approaches, this new method offers the best of both worlds, ensuring a streamlined and effective deployment process in Sitecore.

$sql = @"
    USE [{0}]
    SELECT Name, ParentID, COUNT(*) as count
    FROM Items GROUP BY Name, ParentID
    HAVING COUNT(*) > 1
    order by ParentID
"@

Import-Function Invoke-SqlCommand

$connection = [Sitecore.Configuration.Settings]::GetConnectionString("master")
$builder = New-Object System.Data.SqlClient.SqlConnectionStringBuilder $connection
$dbName = $builder.InitialCatalog
$query = [string]::Format($sql, $dbName)

Invoke-SqlCommand -Connection $connection -Query $query

Keywords: Sitecore CLI, Sitecore PowerShell, duplicate items, deployment issues, database queries, SQL commands, Sitecore development, efficient solutions, Sitecore optimization, PowerShell scripting.