Configuring the Match String for a Master Index Application

The MatchingConfig section of mefa.xml determines which fields are passed to the Master Index Match Engine for matching (the match string). The match types specified in this section help the match engine determine the algorithm and custom logic to use for matching on each field.

If you are matching on fields parsed from a free-form text field, define each individual parsed field you want to use for matching in the Master Index Wizard or Configuration Editor. The match types you can use for each field in this section are defined in the first column of the match configuration file (matchConfigFile.cfg). Make sure the match type you specify has the correct matching logic defined in the match configuration file. See Master Index Match Engine Match Types for more information.

The following topics provide more information about matching on different types of data:

• Configuring the Match String for Person Data

• Configuring the Match String for Address Data

• Configuring the Match String for Business Names

Configuring the Match String for Person Data

When matching on person data, you can include any field stored in the database for matching. To configure the match string, follow the instructions under Defining the Master Index Match String in Sun Master Index Configuration Guide. For the Master Index Match Engine, each data type has a different match type (specified by the match-type element in the matching configuration file). The FirstName, LastName, SSN, Gender, and DOB match types are specific to person matching. You can specify any of the other match types defined in the match configuration file as well. For more information, see Master Index Match Engine Match Types.

A sample match string for person matching is shown below. This sample matches on first and last names, date of birth, social security number, gender, and the street name of the address.

<match-system-object>
   <object-name>Person</object-name>
   <match-columns>
      <match-column>
         <column-name>
            Enterprise.SystemSBR.Person.FirstName_Std
         </column-name>
         <match-type>FirstName</match-type>
      </match-column>
      <match-column>
         <column-name>Enterprise.SystemSBR.Person.LastName_Std
         </column-name>
         <match-type>LastName</match-type>
      </match-column>
      <match-column>
         <column-name>Enterprise.SystemSBR.Person.SSN
         </column-name>
         <match-type>SSN</match-type>
      </match-column>
      <match-column>
         <column-name>Enterprise.SystemSBR.Person.DOB
         </column-name>
         <match-type>DateDays</match-type>
      </match-column>
      <match-column>
         <column-name>Enterprise.SystemSBR.Person.Gender
         </column-name>
         <match-type>Char</match-type>
      </match-column>
      <match-column>
         <column-name>Enterprise.SystemSBR.Person.Address.StreetName
         </column-name>
         <match-type>StreetName</match-type>
      </match-column>
   </match-columns>
</match-system-object>

Configuring the Match String for Address Data

For matching on street address fields, make sure the match string you specify in the MatchingConfig section of mefa.xml contains all or a subset of the fields that contain the standardized data (the original text in street address fields is generally too inconsistent to use for matching). You can include additional fields for matching, such as the city name or postal code.

To configure the match string, follow the instructions under Defining the Master Index Match String in Sun Master Index Configuration Guide. For the Master Index Match Engine, each component of a street address has a different match type (specified by the match-type element in the matching configuration file). The default match types for addresses are StreetName, HouseNumber, StreetDir, and StreetType. You can specify any of the other match types defined in the match configuration file, as well. For more information, see Master Index Match Engine Match Types.

A sample match string for address matching is shown below.

<match-system-object>
   <object-name>Person</object-name>
   <match-columns>
      <match-column>
         <column-name>Enterprise.SystemSBR.Person.Address.StreetName
         </column-name>
         <match-type>StreetName</match-type>
      </match-column>
      <match-column>
         <column-name>Enterprise.SystemSBR.Person.Address.HouseNumber
         </column-name>
         <match-type>HouseNumber</match-type>
      </match-column>
      <match-column>
         <column-name>Enterprise.SystemSBR.Person.Address.StreetDir
         </column-name>
         <match-type>StreetDir</match-type>
      </match-column>
      <match-column>
         <column-name>Enterprise.SystemSBR.Person.Address.StreetType
         </column-name>
         <match-type>StreetType</match-type>
   </match-column>
   </match-columns>
</match-system-object>

Configuring the Match String for Business Names

For matching on business name fields, make sure the match string you specify in the MatchingConfig section of mefa.xml contains all or a subset of the fields that contain the standardized data (the unparsed business names are typically too inconsistent for matching). You can include additional fields for matching if required.

To configure the match string, follow the instructions under Defining the Master Index Match String in Sun Master Index Configuration Guide. For the Master Index Match Engine, each data type has a different match type (specified by the match-type element of the matching configuration file). The PrimaryName, OrgTypeKeyword, AssocTypeKeyword, IndustrySectorList, IndustryTypeKeyword, and Url match types are specific to business name matching. You can specify any of the other match types defined in the match configuration file, as well. For more information, see Master Index Match Engine Match Types.

A sample match string for business name matching is shown below. This sample matches on the company name, the organization type, and the sector.

<match-system-object>
   <object-name>Company/object-name>
   <match-columns>
      <match-column>
         <column-name>Enterprise.SystemSBR.Company.Name_PrimaryName
         </column-name>
         <match-type>PrimaryName</match-type>
      </match-column>
      <match-column>
         <column-name>Enterprise.SystemSBR.Company.Name_OrgType
         </column-name>
         <match-type>OrgTypeKeyword</match-type>
      </match-column>
      <match-column>
         <column-name>Enterprise.SystemSBR.Company.Name_Sector
         </column-name>
         <match-type>IndustryTypeKeyword</match-type>
      </match-column>
   </match-columns>
</match-system-object>