SELECT DISTINCT on one column, while returning the other columns?

I have a query which uses three lookup tables to get all the information I need. I need to have DISTINCT values for one column, however I also need the rest of the data associated with it.

My SQL code:

SELECT acss_lookup.ID AS acss_lookupID,
   acss_lookup.product_lookupID AS acssproduct_lookupID,
   acss_lookup.region_lookupID AS acssregion_lookupID,
   acss_lookup.document_lookupID AS acssdocument_lookupID,
   product.ID AS product_ID,
   product.parent_productID AS productparent_product_ID,
   product.label AS product_label,
   product.displayheading AS product_displayheading,
   product.displayorder AS product_displayorder,
   product.display AS product_display,
   product.ignorenewupdate AS product_ignorenewupdate,
   product.directlink AS product_directlink,
   product.directlinkURL AS product_directlinkURL,
   product.shortdescription AS product_shortdescription,
   product.logo AS product_logo,
   product.thumbnail AS product_thumbnail,
   product.content AS product_content,
   product.pdf AS product_pdf,
   product.language_lookupID AS product_language_lookupID,
   document.ID AS document_ID,
   document.shortdescription AS document_shortdescription,
   document.language_lookupID AS document_language_lookupID,
   document.document_note AS document_document_note,
   document.displayheading AS document_displayheading
FROM acss_lookup
     INNER JOIN product ON (acss_lookup.product_lookupID = product.ID)
     INNER JOIN document ON (acss_lookup.document_lookupID = document.ID)
ORDER BY product_displayheading ASC;

I want to get all the products from this query but I only want to get them once because I'm populating a drop down menu for a search application. I want the user to be able to select from the products that are in that table (that's why I only need them once).

Is this too complicated? Should I use a more simplified approach?

One more approach not mentioned yet is to use window functions, for instance row_number:

SELECT * FROM  
   (
   SELECT acss_lookup.ID AS acss_lookupID, 
   ROW_NUMBER() OVER 
   (PARTITION BY your_distinct_column ORDER BY any_column_you_think_is_appropriate)
   as num,
   acss_lookup.product_lookupID AS acssproduct_lookupID,
   acss_lookup.region_lookupID AS acssregion_lookupID,
   acss_lookup.document_lookupID AS acssdocument_lookupID,
   product.ID AS product_ID,
   product.parent_productID AS productparent_product_ID,
   product.label AS product_label,
   product.displayheading AS product_displayheading,
   product.displayorder AS product_displayorder,
   product.display AS product_display,
   product.ignorenewupdate AS product_ignorenewupdate,
   product.directlink AS product_directlink,
   product.directlinkURL AS product_directlinkURL,
   product.shortdescription AS product_shortdescription,
   product.logo AS product_logo,
   product.thumbnail AS product_thumbnail,
   product.content AS product_content,
   product.pdf AS product_pdf,
   product.language_lookupID AS product_language_lookupID,
   document.ID AS document_ID,
   document.shortdescription AS document_shortdescription,
   document.language_lookupID AS document_language_lookupID,
   document.document_note AS document_document_note,
   document.displayheading AS document_displayheading
   FROM acss_lookup
     INNER JOIN product ON (acss_lookup.product_lookupID = product.ID)
     INNER JOIN document ON (acss_lookup.document_lookupID = document.ID)
   )a
   WHERE a.num = 1
   ORDER BY product_displayheading ASC;

StackExchange Database Administrators Q#22189, answer score: 7