Fuzzy Search

Owned by Jeremy W.
Last updated: Apr 21, 2024 by Gillian JavetskiVersion comment
2 min read

Fuzzy search is an improved case list search tool. It can help find cases based on the values of properties that are close to, but do not exactly match the search terms. For example, if you are searching for Christy, you could type Chrsty, or Kristy, or Christine and still find Christy. 

How it Works

When a field in the Case List is included in the list of Sort Fields in the case list in CommCare HQ, fuzzy matching is enabled.  For more information on setting up fields to sort by see Case List and Case Detail Configuration.

You should expect that in CommCare mobile when you have a field that is applicable for fuzzy matching that after you type more than 3 characters CommCare should identify words that are very close to whatever is typed into the search box.

Exact matches are shown in green, while fuzzy matches are in yellow.

How to Configure Fuzzy Search

It is active by default and can be turned off by going to Application Settings → Advanced Settings → Android Settings section. Fuzzy search is available in CommCare for Android on versions 2.15 and higher, for applications built in CommCare version 2.15 or higher.

As noted above you must include the case property you want to use fuzzy search for in your Case List and Case Detail Configuration.

Notes

  • This feature works for multiple languages, including those in non-Roman scripts like Hindi.

  • The fuzzy search match algorithm incorporates industry standard methods such as Levenshtein distance and diacritic normalization