Master Index Match Engine Matching Weight Formulation

The Master Index Match Engine determines the matching weight between two records by comparing the match string fields between the two records using the rules defined in the match configuration file and taking into account the matching logic specified for each field. The Master Index Match Engine can use either matching (m) and unmatching (u) conditional probabilities or agreement and disagreement weight ranges to fine-tune the match process. It uses the underlying algorithm to arrive at a match weight for each match string field. The weight generated for each field in the match string indicates the level of match between each field. The weights assigned to each field are then summed together for a total, composite matching weight between the two records. Agreement and disagreement weight ranges or m-probabilities and u-probabilities are defined in the match configuration file.

m-probabilities and u-probabilities are expressed as double values between one and zero (excluding one and zero) and can have up to 16 decimal points. Agreement and disagreement weights are expressed as double values and can have up to 16 decimal points. When using agreement and disagreement weights, the Master Index Match Engine assigns a matching weight to each field that falls between the agreement and disagreement weights specified for the field. Thus, the maximum agreement weight between two records is the sum of the defined agreement weights for each field. The minimum disagreement weight is the sum of the defined disagreement weights for each field. For more information about weight calculation, see Determining the Weight Range.