About autocoding

Autocoding (or automatic coding) uses the predefined set of steps from a coding algorithm together with a dictionary, synonym list, and stopword list to find an unambiguous response to a coding request.

When the Oracle Central Coding application receives a coding request from a source application, it first determines if it is able to autocode the verbatim. To perform the autocoding, the application attempts to match the verbatim against:

  • Previously interactively coded terms.
  • Dictionary terms.
  • A defined synonym list.

If no match is found, the application removes punctuation or stopwords from the verbatim, and resumes the matching.

If autocoding succeeds, the Oracle Central Coding application stores the coding information in the database and returns the coded data to the source application. If autocoding fails, a coder must interactively code the request.