COMPARE TEXT
Overview
The Compare Text tool calculates the percentage similarity between two columns of text using advanced fuzzy matching algorithms. It's an essential tool for identifying near-duplicates, measuring the consistency of your data or verifying how closely two sets of strings match before performing a merge.
To begin, open the tool by navigating to Extensions > Flookup Data Wrangler > Matching and Analysis > Compare data by percentage in your Google Sheets menu.
How to Use the Compare Text Tool
- Select the comparison mode
Choose between Compare entries on a character-level (for finding spelling variations) or Compare entries on a word-level (for variations in word order). - Configure the Primary range
Highlight the first column of values you wish to compare and click Grab selected range. - Configure the Secondary range
Highlight the second column or range of values you wish to compare against and click Grab selected range. - Specify the column indexes
Set the Left_column index (from the primary range) and the Right_column index (from the secondary range) to be analysed. - Specify the output location
Click an empty cell in your spreadsheet to mark the starting position where the similarity scores should be displayed. - Calculate similarities
Click the Get percentage similarities button to finish.
Notes on Comparing Text
- Character-level comparison: This algorithm is ideal for finding typos or slight misspellings in single words or short phrases.
- Word-level comparison: This mode is best for longer strings where the same words might appear in a different order or with extra words in between.
- Output results: Similarity scores are written as decimal values between 0.0 (no match) and 1.0 (exact match) starting from your specified output location.
- Processing power: The tool processes your data and writes results directly into the sheet, ensuring high performance even for larger datasets.
Visual Learning Resources
Labels might differ slightly but the steps remain the same.