[<<Previous Entry]
[^^Up^^]
[Next Entry>>]
[Menu]
[About The Guide]
SOUNDEX()
Convert a character string to "soundex" form
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Syntax
SOUNDEX(<cString>) --> cSoundexString
Arguments
<cString> is the character string to convert.
Returns
SOUNDEX() returns a four-digit character string in the form A999.
Description
SOUNDEX() is a character function that indexes and searches for sound-
alike or phonetic matches. It is used in applications where the precise
spelling of character keys is not known or where there is a high
probability of misspelled names. Misspelling is common in real-time
transaction systems where the data entry operator is receiving
information over the telephone. SOUNDEX() works by bringing
sound-alikes together under the same key value. Note, however, the
soundex method is not absolute. Keys that are quite different can
result in the same soundex value.
Examples
. This example builds an index using SOUNDEX() to create the key
values. It then searches for a value found in the Salesman field:
USE Sales
INDEX ON SOUNDEX(Salesman) TO Salesman
SEEK SOUNDEX("Smith")
? FOUND(), Salesman // Result: .T. Smith
. Here, a search is made for the same key as above but with a
different spelling:
SEEK SOUNDEX("Smythe")
? FOUND(), Salesman // Result: .T. Smith
Files Library is EXTEND.LIB, source file is SOURCE\SAMPLE\SOUNDEX.C.
See Also:
INDEX
LOCATE
SEEK
SET SOFTSEEK
This page created by ng2html v1.05, the Norton guide to HTML conversion utility.
Written by Dave Pearson