Date:         Thu, 7 Jul 2005 17:06:42 -0700
Reply-To:     DavidL Cassell <davidlcassell@MSN.COM>
Sender:       "SAS(r) Discussion" <SAS-L@LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
From:         DavidL Cassell <davidlcassell@MSN.COM>
Subject:      Re: fuzzy string search
In-Reply-To:  <MC9-F10rxTjtRpeVPOE000a4ad0@mc9-f10.hotmail.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; format=flowed

Jennifer_Lin@CHIRON.COM replied:
>I think you may want to look into using regular expressions.  There are SAS
>RX functions available in SAS V8.1: RXPARSE, RXMATCH, etc...
>
>Apparently there are now also new Perl regular expression functions
>available in SAS V9.  Look up functions PRXPARSE,
>PRXMATCH, PRXCHANGE, and PRXPOSN.
>
>PRX Function Reference:
>http://support.sas.com/rnd/base/topics/datastep/perl_regexp/regexp2.html
>
>These seem rather complicated unless you are already a PERL user, and I've
>never used them, but they seem powerful enough to use for even the most
>complicated fuzzy string searches.

No, they're really a piece of cake!  Trust me!

Just because people keep saying Perl is a write-once/read-never language...
:-)

Seriously, the PRX... functions are easier to learn than the RX...
functions,
because there is a lot more in the way of resources for the Perl regular
expressions.  You can go on the internet and I'll guess that you could
search for and find a dozen free Perl regex tutorials in seconds.

Plus, the Perl regexen are relatively intuitive (at least for me), with
basic
rules like

    /Jen/       matches any string with 'Jen' in it
    /(Jen|Jennifer)/     matches any string with 'Jen' or 'Jennifer'

If you're used to using () to group stuff in SAS, and | as a logical OR,
then you're already halfway there.

HTCT (Happy To Cause Trouble),
David
--
David L. Cassell
mathematical statistician
Design Pathways
3115 NW Norwood Pl.
Corvallis OR 97330

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