Fuzzy Searching

Fuzzy Searching is a type of search which can be used to find close matches in situations where finding an exact match is unlikely.

For example, this is often used when trying to set up a production line for a specific type of product - you might want to search for a previous setup for a similar product.

The Match option in the capture list allows you to perform a fuzzy search.

Simply enter the values you're looking for - you can leave any items blank if they aren't relevant.

You'll then be taken to the nearest match, based on the scoring criteria.

It's called 'Fuzzy Searching' because it searches for a match based on a score rather than hard rules.

This allows the search to be customised to prioritise some attributes above others and deal with the differences in scale between search parameters. For example, you might have four different criteria when baking a cupcake…

• Size
• Weight
• Toppings
• Ambient Temperature

When you search for an ideal match, you'd like to find as close a match to all four of these as possible. But they are not equal.

You'd much rather get a close size match than an ambient temperature match, and toppings don't matter anywhere near as much as weight.

Using fuzzy search, your ARDI administrator can customise the search to balance how important a match is for each of these key variables.