Re: How to perform fuzzy search on varchar columns?

frank_ratzlow_at_hotmail.com schreef:
> Hi folks,
>
> I would like to perform queries on a varchar column that finds not
> only exactly spelled words but also words that sound similar and
> tolerates minor typos.
> E.g. I have a column "surname" and search for "Meyer" I also want to
> have returned "Meier", "Maier" and so on.
> I have read a bit about Oracle Text, but this seems to big for what we
> require. Especially we don't need searching within uploaded files!
> Could anyone be so kind to give me a hint, whether we have to install
> an additional package or if Oracle delivers it out of the box. What
> would a sample query look like?
>
> TIA
>
> Frank
> frank_ratzlow_at_nojunk.hotmail.com
> P.S. Oracle 9iR2
>

Use the soundex function, then. Has it's limitations, though.

A text index is probably what you want; not sure about license issues for 9i Rel2, thought it was included.
And such an index is not hard to set up, just make sure to familiarize with the subject to make the right decision about the type of index.

-- 
Regards,
Frank van Bortel

Top-posting is one way to shut me up...