AN_INTERVAL comparison
Compares a single number from a data source to an interval or range of numbers from a reference source by using an alphanumeric odd-even interval comparison.
Frequency information is not taken into account when this match comparison is used but a two-source match requires four input streams. If you use this match comparison with a Two-source Match stage job, create two dummy file inputs instead of files that contain frequency information.
Required Columns
The following data source and reference source columns are required:
- Data. A column from the data source that contains the numeric value.
- Reference. The reference column that contains the beginning value of the interval.
- Reference. The reference column that contains the ending value of the interval.
Example
The numbers for comparison can contain alphanumeric suffixes or prefixes. The number must agree in parity with the low range of the interval. For example, an interval such as 123A to 123C is valid and contains the numbers 123A, 123B, and 123C.
A single number on the data source is compared to an interval on the reference source. If the number on the data source is odd, the beginning number of the range on the reference source must also be odd to be considered a match. Similarly, if the number on the data source is even, the beginning number of the range on the reference source must be even to be considered a match.
Interval match comparisons are primarily used for geocoding applications, such as postal address matching. For example, suppose you are matching 123A Main St to the range 121 to 123C Main St. The single number on the data source must be within the interval, inclusive of the end points, to be considered a match.
The beginning number of the interval can be higher than the ending number and still match. The files have a high address in the FROM column and a low address in the TO column. For example, 153 matches both the range 200-100 and the range 100-200.