# Edit cells by hand Shape / rows change individual cells by hand, insert or delete specific rows Page: ## Status Runs as a SQL step. arcform carries it as a `sql:` step today. ## The DuckDB step hand edits held as a patch table It reads the `orders` table the proofs share. Create it first: ```sql CREATE TABLE orders AS SELECT * FROM (VALUES (1, 'Alice Ng', 'north', DATE '2026-01-03', 120.00, 'widget', 'a|b', '{"channel":"web","items":[1,2]}'), (2, 'alice ng', 'north', DATE '2026-01-05', 80.50, 'gadget', 'b', '{"channel":"shop","items":[3]}'), (3, 'Bob Okafor', 'south', DATE '2026-01-05', 300.00, 'widget', 'a|c', '{"channel":"web","items":[4,5,6]}'), (4, 'Carla Díaz', 'east', DATE '2026-01-09', NULL, 'gizmo', NULL, '{"channel":"web","items":[]}'), (5, 'Bob Okafor', 'south', DATE '2026-01-12', 45.25, 'gadget', 'c', '{"channel":"phone","items":[7]}'), (6, 'Dev Patel', 'west', DATE '2026-01-12', 510.00, 'widget', 'a', '{"channel":"web","items":[8,9]}'), (7, 'Carla Diaz', 'east', DATE '2026-01-20', 99.99, 'gizmo', 'b|c', '{"channel":"shop","items":[10]}'), (8, 'Dev Patel', 'west', DATE '2026-02-02', 510.00, 'widget', 'a', '{"channel":"web","items":[8,9]}'), (9, 'Eve Larsen', NULL, DATE '2026-02-03', 15.00, 'gadget', NULL, '{"channel":"web","items":[11]}'), (10, 'Alice Ng', 'north', DATE '2026-02-10', 220.00, 'gizmo', 'a|b|c', '{"channel":"phone","items":[12,13]}') ) t(order_id, customer, region, order_date, amount, product, tags, meta); ``` Then run the statement: ```sql CREATE TEMP TABLE result AS WITH patch(order_id, amount) AS (VALUES (4, 75.00)) SELECT o.* REPLACE (coalesce(p.amount, o.amount) AS amount) FROM orders o LEFT JOIN patch p USING (order_id); SELECT * FROM result; SELECT CASE WHEN ((SELECT max(amount) FILTER (WHERE order_id = 4) = 75 AND sum(amount) FILTER (WHERE order_id <> 4) = 1900.74 FROM result)) THEN 'as expected' ELSE error('the patch did not change order 4 alone') END AS verdict; ``` It needs nothing installed beyond DuckDB itself. ## Variants - Cut, copy and paste cells or rows: Move cell values or rows through a clipboard into other cells or positions. - Delete chosen rows: Remove specific rows, picked by hand or by a condition. - Change cell values by hand: Type or set a new value over chosen cells, keeping every row. - [Insert rows](https://meridian.online/operations/edit-cells-by-hand/insert-rows): Add blank, constant or supplied rows at a chosen position. - Other hand edits: Annotate highlighted rows, shift cells sideways or restructure outline rows by hand. - Replace whole rows: Swap matching rows, or a range of rows, for supplied replacement rows. ## What other tools call it Meridian's classification; an independent blind rating agreed on 86.2% of 312 rows (exact class, version 2). - DuckDB: [`DELETE`](https://duckdb.org/docs/current/sql/statements/delete) (read 2026-09-27) - DuckDB: [`UPDATE`](https://duckdb.org/docs/current/sql/statements/update) (read 2026-09-27) - KNIME Analytics Platform: [`Cell Updater`](https://api.hub.knime.com/nodes/*hXXFiDo1u_NOQ28t?details=full) (read 2026-09-27) - KNIME Analytics Platform: [`Constant Value Row Appender`](https://api.hub.knime.com/nodes/*k4Q1HIlGwZupSTmt?details=full) (read 2026-09-27) - KNIME Analytics Platform: [`Interactive HiLite Collector`](https://api.hub.knime.com/nodes/*ECOnjA_2n00PG80y?details=full) (read 2026-09-27) - KNIME Analytics Platform: [`Table Editor (JavaScript) (legacy)`](https://api.hub.knime.com/nodes/*HULBKvmIGFoAlt8y?details=full) (read 2026-09-27) - OpenRefine: [`Add blank rows`](https://github.com/OpenRefine/OpenRefine/blob/master/main/webapp/modules/core/scripts/views/data-table/data-table-view.js) (read 2026-09-27) - OpenRefine: [`Edit one cell at a time`](https://openrefine.org/docs/manual/cellediting#edit-one-cell-at-a-time) (read 2026-09-27) - Polars: [`DataFrame.__setitem__`](https://docs.pola.rs/api/python/stable/reference/dataframe/modify_select.html) (read 2026-09-27) - Power Query M: [`Table.InsertRows`](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/powerquery-m/table-functions#row-operations) (read 2026-09-27) - Power Query M: [`Table.ReplaceMatchingRows`](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/powerquery-m/table-functions#membership) (read 2026-09-27) - Power Query M: [`Table.ReplaceRows`](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/powerquery-m/table-functions#row-operations) (read 2026-09-27) - RapidMiner Studio: [`Set Data`](https://docs.rapidminer.com/latest/studio/operators/blending/values/set_data.html) (read 2026-09-27) - Tableau Prep: [`Edit Value`](https://help.tableau.com/current/prep/en-us/prep_clean.htm) (read 2026-09-27) - VisiData: [`add-row`](https://github.com/saulpw/visidata/blob/7609212ec2febafa9caba7183cbebfaf49627909/visidata/modify.py#L357) (read 2026-09-23) - VisiData: [`add-rows`](https://github.com/saulpw/visidata/blob/7609212ec2febafa9caba7183cbebfaf49627909/visidata/modify.py#L358) (read 2026-09-23) - VisiData: [`autoedit-N`](https://github.com/saulpw/visidata/blob/7609212ec2febafa9caba7183cbebfaf49627909/visidata/experimental/digit_autoedit.py#L6) (read 2026-09-23) - VisiData: [`combine-selected`](https://github.com/saulpw/visidata/blob/7609212ec2febafa9caba7183cbebfaf49627909/visidata/loaders/orgmode.py#L420) (read 2026-09-23) - VisiData: [`copy-cell`](https://github.com/saulpw/visidata/blob/7609212ec2febafa9caba7183cbebfaf49627909/visidata/clipboard.py#L202) (read 2026-09-23) - VisiData: [`copy-cells`](https://github.com/saulpw/visidata/blob/7609212ec2febafa9caba7183cbebfaf49627909/visidata/clipboard.py#L216) (read 2026-09-23) - VisiData: [`copy-row`](https://github.com/saulpw/visidata/blob/7609212ec2febafa9caba7183cbebfaf49627909/visidata/clipboard.py#L195) (read 2026-09-23) - VisiData: [`copy-selected`](https://github.com/saulpw/visidata/blob/7609212ec2febafa9caba7183cbebfaf49627909/visidata/clipboard.py#L200) (read 2026-09-23) - VisiData: [`cut-cell`](https://github.com/saulpw/visidata/blob/7609212ec2febafa9caba7183cbebfaf49627909/visidata/clipboard.py#L228) (read 2026-09-23) - VisiData: [`cut-cells`](https://github.com/saulpw/visidata/blob/7609212ec2febafa9caba7183cbebfaf49627909/visidata/clipboard.py#L229) (read 2026-09-23) - VisiData: [`cut-row`](https://github.com/saulpw/visidata/blob/7609212ec2febafa9caba7183cbebfaf49627909/visidata/clipboard.py#L226) (read 2026-09-23) - VisiData: [`cut-selected`](https://github.com/saulpw/visidata/blob/7609212ec2febafa9caba7183cbebfaf49627909/visidata/clipboard.py#L227) (read 2026-09-23) - VisiData: [`delete-row`](https://github.com/saulpw/visidata/blob/7609212ec2febafa9caba7183cbebfaf49627909/visidata/clipboard.py#L205) (read 2026-09-23) - VisiData: [`edit-cell`](https://github.com/saulpw/visidata/blob/7609212ec2febafa9caba7183cbebfaf49627909/visidata/sheets.py#L1296) (read 2026-09-23) - VisiData: [`paste-after`](https://github.com/saulpw/visidata/blob/7609212ec2febafa9caba7183cbebfaf49627909/visidata/clipboard.py#L197) (read 2026-09-23) - VisiData: [`paste-before`](https://github.com/saulpw/visidata/blob/7609212ec2febafa9caba7183cbebfaf49627909/visidata/clipboard.py#L198) (read 2026-09-23) - VisiData: [`paste-cell`](https://github.com/saulpw/visidata/blob/7609212ec2febafa9caba7183cbebfaf49627909/visidata/clipboard.py#L203) (read 2026-09-23) - VisiData: [`paste-data`](https://github.com/saulpw/visidata/blob/7609212ec2febafa9caba7183cbebfaf49627909/visidata/loaders/orgmode.py#L422) (read 2026-09-23) - VisiData: [`paste-sections`](https://github.com/saulpw/visidata/blob/7609212ec2febafa9caba7183cbebfaf49627909/visidata/loaders/orgmode.py#L423) (read 2026-09-23) - VisiData: [`setcol-clipboard`](https://github.com/saulpw/visidata/blob/7609212ec2febafa9caba7183cbebfaf49627909/visidata/clipboard.py#L217) (read 2026-09-23) - VisiData: [`setcol-input`](https://github.com/saulpw/visidata/blob/7609212ec2febafa9caba7183cbebfaf49627909/visidata/sheets.py#L1297) (read 2026-09-23) - VisiData: [`slide-cells-right`](https://github.com/saulpw/visidata/blob/7609212ec2febafa9caba7183cbebfaf49627909/visidata/experimental/slide_cells.py#L20) (read 2026-09-23) - VisiData: [`sysedit-cell`](https://github.com/saulpw/visidata/blob/7609212ec2febafa9caba7183cbebfaf49627909/visidata/features/sysedit.py#L51) (read 2026-09-23) - VisiData: [`sysedit-selected`](https://github.com/saulpw/visidata/blob/7609212ec2febafa9caba7183cbebfaf49627909/visidata/features/sysedit.py#L52) (read 2026-09-23) - VisiData: [`syspaste-cells`](https://github.com/saulpw/visidata/blob/7609212ec2febafa9caba7183cbebfaf49627909/visidata/clipboard.py#L211) (read 2026-09-23) - VisiData: [`syspaste-cells-selected`](https://github.com/saulpw/visidata/blob/7609212ec2febafa9caba7183cbebfaf49627909/visidata/clipboard.py#L214) (read 2026-09-23)