The LEVENSHTEIN routine compares two strings by measuring the difference using the LEVENSHTEIN distance algorithm. The Levenshtein distance is calculated as the minimum number of edits required to transform one string into the other, with the allowable edit operations being insertion, deletion, or substitution of a single character.
To run the LEVENSHTEIN routine with the Data Comparison Calculator
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Enter strings in the Record 1, Field 1 and Record 2, Field 1 text boxes.
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(Optional) Select one or multiple modifiers in the Routine Modifiers list. The following table describes the valid modifiers.
Modifier Description ANCHOR Finds a match of one string (String 1) within another string (String 2) by making a SUBSTRNG-like comparison from the beginning or the end of String 2. DAMERAU Enables scoring according to the Damerau algorithm. The Damerau algorithm allows adjacent transpositions in addition to insertions, deletions, and substitutions. EXACT Specifies the number of exact characters to match at the start or the end of the string. RECIPROCAL Makes an additional comparison by reversing the order of strings, and takes the higher score of the two comparisons. TOLERANCE Specifies error tolerance by limiting the number of edit distance allowed for certain length of strings. For the ANCHOR, EXACT, and TOLERANCE modifiers, enter the values of the modifier in the Additional Routine Modifier box. See each modifier for details on how to specify these values.
To choose more than one modifiers, hold down the
Ctrlkey while you make your selections after entering the values of the modifiers.
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If you want to change multiple modifiers, select Edit Multiple Routine Modifier and manually enter the change in the Routine Modifier box.
