# Remove Records from One Record Set That Are In Another Record Set
**URL:** https://forum.innovativeusers.org/t/remove-records-from-one-record-set-that-are-in-another-record-set/2974
**Category:** Polaris
**Created:** [June 25, 2026, 5:52pm UTC](https://forum.innovativeusers.org/t/remove-records-from-one-record-set-that-are-in-another-record-set/2974 "2026-06-25T17:52:34Z")
**Posts on this page:** 4
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@Phil\_Agnew](https://forum.innovativeusers.org/u/Phil_Agnew)
#### Post date: [June 25, 2026, 5:52pm UTC](https://forum.innovativeusers.org/t/remove-records-from-one-record-set-that-are-in-another-record-set/2974/1 "2026-06-25T17:52:34Z")
So, there was an Idea exchange entry for this that I’ve tried to comment on multiple times and it keeps getting lost in the ether somewhere… As frustrating as that is, I figure I should be able to at least post something here. I’ll go ahead an plug the original Idea Exchange post as well:
> **[Remove records from one record set that are in another record set or in an...](https://ideas.iii.com/forums/951742-ils-polaris/suggestions/51376609-remove-records-from-one-record-set-that-are-in-ano)**
>
> It's great being able to bulk-add records to a record set, but it would also be helpful to be able to bulk-remove records from a record set based on either another record set, or an Excel file.
>
> Today in larger record sets it can be a pain to remove...
Even if the need is a little niche, I agree that this would be useful functionality to have baked into Polaris. In the meantime, I wanted to share how staff can achieve essentially the same outcome with current tools… and by current tools I mean SQL 😉
This isn’t complicated, but you do need to be have permission to run SQL searches and create new record sets from their results… but if you’re already trying to work on some sort of Record Set exclusion, you **probably** already have those permissions. Anyway, you need to start by creating your initial Record Set (or opening one you already have) and jot down the Record Set ID in the top right hand corner:
Once you’ve got that, create/open another Record Set of Items/Bibs you want to exclude (note: your original Record Set and exclusion Record Set **must** be the same type!) and get the Record Set ID from that one. Now all we need to do is make a SQL query to get all of the Items/Bibs from the original Record Set that are **not** in the exclusion Record Set. If you’re working with Item Record Sets, it should look something like this:
```sql
SELECT [ItemRecordID]
FROM [Polaris].[Polaris].[ItemRecordSets]
WHERE [RecordSetID] = --Starting RecordSetID
AND [ItemRecordID] NOT IN (
SELECT [ItemRecordID]
FROM [Polaris].[Polaris].[ItemRecordSets]
WHERE [RecordSetID] = --RecordSetID of Items to exclude
)
```
If you’re working with Bibliographic Record Sets, your query will look like this:
```sql
SELECT [BibliographicRecordID]
FROM [Polaris].[Polaris].[BibRecordSets]
WHERE [RecordSetID] = --Starting RecordSetID
AND [BibliographicRecordID] NOT IN (
SELECT [BibliographicRecordID]
FROM [Polaris].[Polaris].[BibRecordSets]
WHERE [RecordSetID] = --RecordSetID of Items to exclude
)
```
Really simple queries that almost anyone can follow, even without markup 😝 Anyway, plug it into your SQL Search, create a new Record Set based on the results and voila! You have successfully excluded Items/Bibs on one Record Set from another!
Again, I think this should be implemented in a less convoluted way, so please visit/vote on the existing Idea Exchange entry. I just wanted to offer an alternative for folks frustrated by their current workflows. If you have other thoughts, questions, or notice something incorrect, please let me know!
---
### Author:  [@wesochuck](https://forum.innovativeusers.org/u/wesochuck)
#### Post date: [June 25, 2026, 6:03pm UTC](https://forum.innovativeusers.org/t/remove-records-from-one-record-set-that-are-in-another-record-set/2974/2 "2026-06-25T18:03:50Z")
Nice workaround!
> [@Phil\_Agnew](#):
>
> So, there was an Idea exchange entry for this that I’ve tried to comment on multiple times and it keeps getting lost in the ether somewhere
Enter this in as a ticket; I’ve had to have them do stuff to my user voice account in the past to unlock it as well. Though I will say if you’re adding SQL into the comments, it will likely reject those, the same with adding links sometimes no matter what.
---
### Author:  [@Phil\_Agnew](https://forum.innovativeusers.org/u/Phil_Agnew)
#### Post date: [June 25, 2026, 6:17pm UTC](https://forum.innovativeusers.org/t/remove-records-from-one-record-set-that-are-in-another-record-set/2974/3 "2026-06-25T18:17:34Z")
Yeah… I had a feeling it might not like SQL being entered into the comment… Bit of a shame since I’m not sure if Margaret or Erin will be able to see this post… I did have a ticket open with Clarivate, but then they told me the Idea Exchange was “owned and maintained by IUG - the user’s group, it is not under the purview of Clarivate Support”… Seemed like an unusual way to pass the buck, but clearly I moved on…
---
### Author:  [@wesochuck](https://forum.innovativeusers.org/u/wesochuck)
#### Post date: [June 25, 2026, 6:23pm UTC](https://forum.innovativeusers.org/t/remove-records-from-one-record-set-that-are-in-another-record-set/2974/4 "2026-06-25T18:23:56Z")
> [@Phil\_Agnew](#):
>
> “owned and maintained by IUG - the user’s group, it is not under the purview of Clarivate Support”
Nope. They forced IUG to use that User Voice platform. I’m DM you some additional contact information.