The final three characters of both forms of the ACR code provide the validation match score. This is a percentage score calculated by comparing the standardized data (in component format) with the suggested postal match returned from the Global Datastore.
For each component field, a score is calculated by comparing the standardized input component data with the corresponding field in the match found in the postal table. The overall validation match score is then calculated by combining these individual scores into an average score, taking into account the match score weighting options.
Only components that contribute to the validation level are used. For example, if the validation level is 3 (country, city and postcode / zip code validated), then only the country, city and postcode / zip code fields will be used to calculate the validation match score.
Example 1:
Input Data |
Standardized Data |
Postal Match Output |
|---|---|---|
AddressLine1: 11 High Street City: Anytown Country: UK |
Premise: 11 Street: High Street City: Anytown
|
Premise: 11 Street: High Street City: Anytown Postcode: ZZ9 9ZZ |
Comparing the Standardized Data to the Postal Match Output, individual field scores are calculated:
Premise / house number: 100% match
Street: 100% match
City: 100% match
Postcode / zip code: not used, because empty on input
Combining the individual field scores produces an overall validation match score of 100%.
Example 2:
Input Data |
Standardized Data |
Postal Match Output |
|---|---|---|
AddressLine1: bergerstrasse 12 AddressLine2: munich AddressLine3: 80124 Country: Germany |
Premise: 12 Street: Bergerstr. City: München Postcode: 80124 |
Premise: 12 Street: Burgerstr. City: München Postcode: 80142 |
Comparing the Standardized Data to the Postal Match Output, individual field scores are calculated:
Premise / house number: 100% match
Street: 90% match (the actual figure is determined by a textual comparison)
City: 100% match
Postcode / zip code: 80% match (because the numbers are transposed)
Combining the individual field scores produces an overall validation match score of 92%, if the match score weighting options are all set to 1.
Increasing the match score weighting option for postcode will decrease the validation match score, because the postcode component score (80%) will be made more important in the calculation. Increasing the match score weighting option for city will increase the validation match score, because the city component score (100%) will be made more important in the calculation.