Hello all, In theory, how do applications such as a "matchmaker" web site handle the matching routines? I see sites every day that compare numerous variables across hundreds or thousands of records, returning a weighted (or scored) list, and do it very quickly. For example, if a person's profile has 80 'checkbox' style answers, how are those 80 answers matched across thousands of other profiles to find a good match? I can't seem to wrap my brain around a SQL query that could handle this efficiently, especially when most of these systems build the requirements dynamically (ie, end-user's choice of matching items). I was thinking of how the old BBSs handled security assignments (bit shifting over an aggregate of security assignments - the matrix that allows a given number to only match a certain set of security options). Could something like this be put to use? A user's answers would be aggregated into a single number that could then be matched with a fairly simple algorithym. "Aggregated" might not be the correct term.. I can't remember my bit manipulation classes :-) Someone once responded to a similar question concerning bit-shifting and security - are you still out there? TIA! Jeff Beer Senior Programming Architect Hydrogen Media, Inc. www.hydrogenmedia.com ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Archives: http://www.mail-archive.com/[email protected]/ To Unsubscribe visit http://www.houseoffusion.com/index.cfm?sidebar=lists&body=lists/cf_talk or send a message to [EMAIL PROTECTED] with 'unsubscribe' in the body.
