Thanks you for your prompt reply!
Luck of the Irish, I guess. This is another reason
to test your systems on your client's platform, not
your own. My client's target the Latin American
population, so let's try this again with a more
representative data sample.
Note that I had an error in my sql syntax in
addition to my error in basic understanding of
soundex.
INSERT INTO sound (name) VALUES ('Gonzales');
select id from sound where soundex(name) =
soundex('Gonzalez');
returns 1 records
select id from sound where soundex(name) =
soundex('Gonsallez');
returns 1 records
select id from sound where soundex(name) =
soundex('Gimsallez');
returns 1 records
And, of course,
select id from sound where soundex(name) =
soundex('Calighim');
returns 1 records
select id from sound where soundex(name) =
soundex('Callahan');
returns 0 records
Also, soundex has a known problem with first
characters:
select id from sound where soundex(name) =
soundex('Kallaghan');
returns 0 records
> I hate to be the one to break this to you, but
> soundex('Callaghan') != soundex('Callahan')
>
> It's just the sad truth: the algorithm thinks they
are pronounced
> differently, so it doesn't consider them to match.
>
> soundex() is certainly better than nothing, but in
many cases not much
> better. I'm not sure whether even MetaPhone (a
more robust soundex variant)
> would get this case right, and all the
mis-spelling systems I've ever
> implemented have been suplemented with a set of
heuristics (like searching
> for all single-letter drops, adds, and
transpositions) and often a
> mis-spelling database in an attempt to find
suggested alternatives.
>
> -rob
>
> On 7/6/02 at 11:39 pm, Dave Callaghan
<[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
>
> > I want to use SOUNDEX for name queries, but I
don't
> > seem to be doing it correctly.
> >
> > As a test, I made a small table and popluated it
> > with my name. My goal is to be able to find my
name
> > 'Callaghan', with its most common misspelling
> > 'Callahan'.
> >
> > I've read the MySQL doc, so I know how to
actually
> > invoke soundex at the mysql prompt. I read an
> > article that said soundex queries move more
quickly
> > if you add a column for the soundex.
> >
> > Thus:
> >
> > CREATE TABLE sound (
> > id tinyint(3) NOT NULL auto_increment,
> > name varchar(100) default NULL,
> > sound varchar(100) default NULL,
> > PRIMARY KEY (id)
> > ) TYPE=MyISAM;
> >
> > select soundex('Callaghan');
> > result = C425
> >
> > INSERT INTO sound VALUES (1, 'Callaghan',
'C425');
> >
> > Simple enough. Now, I expected all three of the
> > following queries to return a value.
> >
> > select id from sound where sound =
> > soundex('Callaghan');
> > returns 1 records
> >
> > select id from sound where sound =
> > soundex('Callahan');
> > returns 0 records
> >
> > select id from sound where name =
> > soundex('Callaghan');
> > returns 0 records
> >
> > I'm missing something obvious here, but I've
read
> > the doc and I'm not sure what's wrong.
> >
> > --
> > Get your free email from www.linuxmail.org
> >
> >
> > Powered by Outblaze
> >
> >
---------------------------------------------------------------------
> > Before posting, please check:
> > http://www.mysql.com/manual.php (the manual)
> > http://lists.mysql.com/ (the list
archive)
> >
> > To request this thread, e-mail
<[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
> > To unsubscribe, e-mail
<[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
> > Trouble unsubscribing? Try:
http://lists.mysql.com/php/unsubscribe.php
> >
> >
>
>
--
Get your free email from www.linuxmail.org
Powered by Outblaze
---------------------------------------------------------------------
Before posting, please check:
http://www.mysql.com/manual.php (the manual)
http://lists.mysql.com/ (the list archive)
To request this thread, e-mail <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
To unsubscribe, e-mail <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Trouble unsubscribing? Try: http://lists.mysql.com/php/unsubscribe.php
