Address Pattern File Components (Understanding the Sun Match Engine)

Understanding the Sun Match Engine

Address Pattern File Components

The address patterns files use pattern type tokens, pattern classes, pattern modifies, and priority indicators to process and parse address data. Before modifying any of the patterns files, you must have a good understanding of these file components.

Address Type Tokens

The address pattern and clues files use tokens to denote different components in a street address, such as street type, house number, street names, and so on. These files use one set of tokens for input fields and another set for output fields. You can use only the predefined tokens to represent address components; the Sun Match Engine does not recognize custom tokens.

Table 20 lists and describes each input token; Table 21 lists and describes each output token.

Table 20 Input Address Pattern Type Tokens


Token	Description
A1	Alphabetic value, one character in length
AM	Ampersand
AU	Generic word
BP	Building property
BU	Building unit
BX	Post office box
DA	Dash (as a starting character)
DR	Street direction
EI	Extra information
EX	Extension
FC	Numeric fraction
HR	Highway route
MP	Mile posts
NL	Common words, such as “of”, “the”, and so on
NU	Numeric value
OT	Ordinal type
PT	Prefix type
RR	Rural route
SA	State abbreviation
TY	Street type
WD	Descriptor within the structure
WI	Identifier within the structure

Table 21 lists and describes each output token.

Table 21 Output Address Pattern Tokens


Token	Description
1P	Building number prefix
2P	Second building number prefix
BD	Property or building directional suffix
BI	Structure (building) identifier
BN	Property or building name
BS	Building number suffix
BT	Property or building type suffix
BX	Post office box descriptor
BY	Structure (building) descriptor
DB	Property or building directional prefix
EI	Extra information
EX	Extension index
H1	First house number (the actual number)
H2	Second house number (house number suffix)
HN	House number
HS	House number suffix
N2	Second street name
NA	Street name
NB	Building number
NL	Conjunctions that connect words or phrases in one component type (usually the street name)
P1	House number prefix
P2	Second house number prefix
PD	Directional prefix to the street name
PT	Street type prefix to the street name
RR	Rural route descriptor
RN	Rural route identifier
S2	Street type suffix to the second street name
SD	Directional suffix to the street name
ST	Street type suffix to the street name
TB	Property or building type prefix
WI	Identifier within the structure
WD	Descriptor within the structure
XN	Post office box identifier

Pattern Classes

Each pattern defined in the address patterns file must have an associated pattern class. The pattern class indicates a portion of the input pattern or the type of address data that is represented by the pattern. You can specify any of the following pattern classes.

H - the address pattern represents a house
B - the address pattern represents a building
W - the address pattern represents a unit within a structure, such as an apartment or suite number
T - the address pattern represents a street type or direction
R - the address pattern represents a rural route
P - the address pattern represents a Post Office box
N - the address pattern is mostly numeric

These classes are also specified as usage flags in the patterns file and the master clues file.

Pattern Modifiers

Each pattern type must be followed by a pattern modifier that indicates how to handle cases where one or more defined patterns is found to be a sub-pattern of a larger input pattern. In this case, the Sun Match Engine must know how to prioritize each defined pattern that is a part of the larger pattern. There are two pattern modifiers.

* - An asterisk indicates that the priority weight for the matching pattern is averaged down equally with the other matching sub-patterns.
+ - A plus sign indicates that the priority weight for the matching pattern is not averaged down equally with the other matching sub-patterns.

Priority Indicators

The priority indicator is a numeric value following the pattern modifier that indicates the priority weight of the pattern. These values work best when defined as a multiple of five between and including 35 and 95. If a pattern is assigned a priority of 90 or 95 and the pattern matches, or is a sub-pattern of, the input pattern, the match engine stops searching for additional matching patterns and uses the high-priority matching pattern.