Match Types and Standardization Types

For each field that will be used for matching in the master index application, you can select a match type in the wizard. When you select a match type for a field, Sun Master Index automatically adds that field to the match string in the mefa.xml file and, in many cases, generates additional fields in the object structure that are not visible on the wizard. These fields are used for searching and matching and they should not be modified.

If new fields are generated, they are automatically incorporated into the configuration files and the database script that creates the master index tables. These fields store standardized, normalized, or phonetic versions of the field, depending on the type of matching you choose. In addition, these fields are assigned a match type in the match string in the mefa.xml file. They might also be defined for standardization in the mefa.xml file, in which case they will also be assigned a standardization type. The types described in this appendix pertain to the Sun Match Engine only.

The match types specified in the mefa.xml file for the fields in the match string are not always the same as the match types you specify in the wizard. The match types you can specify from the Configuration Editor more closely match those that are shown in the mefs.xml file. This discussion pertains more to the match types on the wizard. For more information, see Master Index Match Engine Reference.