David McAfee
DMcAfee at haascnc.com
Tue Oct 21 20:51:49 CDT 2003
The users aren't the bad ones...its the managers at my location that are bad. One gives you a deadline, then calls you back in 5 minutes later to have you work on a new full day project then asks where you are at the next day on project #1 ?!?!?! Another manager like to break functioning systems to justify his existence, by now requiring system changes to work with his new design, which in fact worked better the way it was before. Yet another manager like to put in preventions such as: "Can you write some code that will check to see if that PO# has already been entered by that distributor?" I answer yes, and make it work. He comes back with "your system didn't prevent this duplicate order from being processed", after looking at the two different Purchase Order Numbers, I see that the entry person transposed two numbers. He now wants me to put in prevention for that...hey...that sounds a lot like your mess ;) D -----Original Message----- From: accessd-bounces at databaseadvisors.com [mailto:accessd-bounces at databaseadvisors.com]On Behalf Of John Colby Sent: Tuesday, October 21, 2003 6:06 PM To: Access Developers discussion and problem solving Subject: RE: [AccessD] "fuzzy logic" search In the end, they want to be able to type garbage in and have the database figure out what they mean. I assume you have never actually talked to users? ;-) John W. Colby www.colbyconsulting.com -----Original Message----- From: accessd-bounces at databaseadvisors.com [mailto:accessd-bounces at databaseadvisors.com]On Behalf Of David McAfee Sent: Tuesday, October 21, 2003 8:33 PM To: 'Access Developers discussion and problem solving' Subject: RE: [AccessD] "fuzzy logic" search I was going to recommend soundex on the names as well. Soundex is pretty cool, but also makes some matches that are not that close. It sounds like someone is using natural keys where they shouldn't be? :P (that might start a war) Maybe they can search for duplicate claims for a given address, name or type of injury and name? David -----Original Message----- From: accessd-bounces at databaseadvisors.com [mailto:accessd-bounces at databaseadvisors.com]On Behalf Of Charlotte Foust Sent: Tuesday, October 21, 2003 5:20 PM To: Access Developers discussion and problem solving Subject: RE: [AccessD] "fuzzy logic" search John, I've received this kind of request before and I looked into it once. The fuzzy logic math was way, way beyond my grasp, so I settled for offering alternatives like soundex on the names. I created a customized soundex that used a number for leading vowels rather than the standard "vowel followed by number" pattern, so that if they misspelled a name with a leading vowel, there were still possible matches. But SSN? I mean, think of it. If a SSN has 9 digits, any one of which can repeat, how do you determine a mismatch by up to 2 characters? WHICH 2 characters? Charlotte Foust -----Original Message----- From: John Colby [mailto:jcolby at colbyconsulting.com] Sent: Tuesday, October 21, 2003 4:06 PM To: AccessD Subject: [AccessD] "fuzzy logic" search My client is having difficulties where the data input people are entering duplicate claims because wrong names or SSNs are entered. He's asked how difficult it would be to do a search for the names entered (seems irrelevant if it is wrong) but then has asked how difficult it would be to do a "fuzzy logic" search for SSNs that are different by up to 2 characters. I don't even have a clue how to attack something like that. Any ideas (other than "out the door, no parachute")? John W. Colby www.colbyconsulting.com _______________________________________________ AccessD mailing list AccessD at databaseadvisors.com http://databaseadvisors.com/mailman/listinfo/accessd Website: http://www.databaseadvisors.com _______________________________________________ AccessD mailing list AccessD at databaseadvisors.com http://databaseadvisors.com/mailman/listinfo/accessd Website: http://www.databaseadvisors.com _______________________________________________ AccessD mailing list AccessD at databaseadvisors.com http://databaseadvisors.com/mailman/listinfo/accessd Website: http://www.databaseadvisors.com