The filter.xml File (Understanding Sun Master Index Configuration Options)

Understanding Sun Master Index Configuration Options

The filter.xml File

The filter.xml file provides a template from which you can define filters for the SBR, blocking query, or match process. The default version of the file does not define any exclusions, so you do not need to modify the file if you do not use the filter capability.

The following topics provide information about the filter.xml file.

Modifying filter.xml

You can modify filter.xml using the XML editor. The possible modifications to this file are restricted by the schema definition, so be sure to validate the file after making any changes. When you modify this file, you must regenerate the application and redeploy the project for the changes to take effect.

filter.xml File Structure

filter.xml consists primarily of a list of fields, each with their own filter definitions. Each field is defined within a field element and the filters are defined within a value element. The following table describes the elements and attributes of filter.xml.

Element	Attribute	Description
field		A filter definition for one field. The definition includes the following elements and attributes. You can define multiple filter definitions, and each can define filters for the SBR, blocking, matching, or any combination of the three.
	sbr	An indicator of whether to apply the filter to the SBR. Specify `true` to apply the filter to the SBR; otherwise specify `false`.
	matching	An indicator of whether to apply the filter to the blocking query. Specify `true` to apply the filter to the blocking query; otherwise specify `false`.
	blocking	An indicator of whether to apply the filter to the matching process. Specify `true` to apply the filter to the matching process; otherwise specify `false`.
name		The qualified name for the field; for example, Person.SSN or Person.Address.PostalCode. For more information about qualified field names, see Qualified Field Name Notation.
value		A list of `field-value` elements that specify the values to filter.
field-value		A value to filter from the SBR, blocking query, or matching process. You can define multiple field values. To use values listed in a flat file, define a `file` element instead of a `field-value` element.
file		A definition of the file that contains the list of values to filter.
	delimiter	The character that delimits the values listed in the exclusion list flat file.
file-name		The path and name of a file that contains the list of values to filter. Be sure the values in this file are delimited by the character specified above.

filter.xml Example

The following example defines a filter for the SSN field for the SBR only, filtering out the values “999–99–9999” and “000–00–0000”. When the survivor calculator determines that the field value for the SBR should be “999–99–9999” or ”000–00–0000”, the survivor calculator ignores that value and either chooses a different value or ignores the field altogether, depending on how survivorship is defined.

<field sbr="true" matching="false" blocking="false">
  <name>Person.SSN</name>
  <value>
    <field-value>"999-99-9999"</field-value>
    <field-value>"000-00-0000"</field-value>
  </value>
</field>

The following example defines an exclusion list for matching and blocking, but not for the SBR. When a blocking query executes a query block that includes the DOB, it checks the values in the exclusion list and ignores any records where the DOB matches one of the values. When match weights are being generated, DOB fields that contain values found in the exclusion list are ignored.

<field sbr="false" matching="true" blocking="true">
  <name>Person.DOB</name>
  <value>
    <file delimter=";">
      <file-name>"./filters/DOB.txt"</file-name>
    </file>
  </value>
</field>

The exclusion list file for the above example would look similar to the following:

0000000000;2222222222;3333333333;...