[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


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