String Matching Algorithms for Database Data Consistency
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Solution Overview
Problem
Manual data entry in databases often results in human errors and inconsistencies, such as spelling mistakes and different syntaxes, which complicates string matching and data upload processes.
Innovation Solution
Implementing a system that uses a sequence of string matching algorithms, including abbreviation matching, trigram matching, and edit distance algorithms, with a dynamic threshold function to compare and match character strings, optimizing performance for both short and long strings and improving accuracy in handling misspellings and variations.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If multiple string matching algorithms are used to improve matching accuracy, then the reliability of string matching is improved, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies segmentation by dividing the string matching process into multiple independent algorithmic stages (abbreviation matching, trigram matching, edit distance matching). Each algorithm handles specific types of string variations, and they are executed in sequence to progressively refine matching accuracy without requiring a single complex algorithm to handle all cases simultaneously.
2Ease of operation
If manual data entry is used to add new data to the database, then the ease of operation is improved, but the manufacturing precision of data quality deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements feedback by using the multiple string matching algorithms to compare newly entered data against existing database entries. The system provides feedback in the form of similarity scores and match recommendations, allowing users to review and confirm whether the entered data should be added, updated, or rejected based on its similarity to existing records, thereby maintaining data consistency while preserving manual entry flexibility.
Data Source
AI summary
Techniques for comparing character strings include identifying a first character string having a first string length, and a second character string having a second string length greater than the first string length; parsing the first character string into one or more first sub-groups of characters; parsing the second character string into one or more second sub-groups of characters; comparing each of the one or more first sub-groups of characters against the one or more second sub-groups of characters; determining a ratio of a number of characters in the one or more first sub-groups of characters that match the one or more second sub-groups of characters and the second string length; and based on the ratio being greater or equal to a threshold, preparing at least one of the first or second character strings for display, the threshold including a variable value based on the first string length.