1.3.4.9.4 Match Transformation: Convert Number to String

The Convert Number to String transformation converts identifiers with a Number data type into String values for the purpose of clustering values when matching.

This works in the same way as the main Convert Number to String processor. This help page gives an example of using the transformation when clustering.

Note that Convert Number to String cannot be used within Comparisons.

Use the Convert Number to String transformation if you require a String representation of a number value, for example so that you can trim the number down to use the last few, or first few, characters and use that as a cluster key.

The most common use of this is when clustering values using a part of the number only. For example, if your source data has telephone numbers stored in a number attribute, the number might first be converted to a String format, the last few characters extracted using a Last N Characters transformation, and then these last few characters used as a cluster key.

Options

None.

Example

In this example, the Convert Number to String is used to convert a Tel_number attribute to a String type, with a view to extracting the last few digits using a Last N Characters transformation, as part of a cluster key.

Example transformations:

Table 1-76 Example Transformations for Convert Number to String

Value	Transformed Value
3543643	3543643
210671	210671
987103.4	987103.4
1223210671	1223210671