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Comparison: Absolute Difference

The Absolute Difference comparison determines how close two number values are to each other, in order to allow two numbers that are close to each other to be considered as matches, or possible matches.

Use

Use the Absolute Difference comparison to match number values that are nearly, but not exactly, the same. Note that it is also possible to use the Absolute Value transformation function with this comparison if you wish to match numbers irrespective of their sign (for example, to match -0.5 with 0.5).

This comparison supports the use of result bands.

Options

Option

Type

Purpose

Default Value

Match No Data pairs?

Yes/No

This option determines the result of a comparison when it compares two No Data (Null, or containing only whitespace characters) values for an identifier.

If set to No, the comparison will give a 'no data' result when comparing a No Data value against another No Data value.

If set to Yes, the comparison will give a full match (an Absolute Difference of 0) when comparing a No Data value against another No Data value. A 'no data' result will only be returned if a No Data value is compared against a populated value.

Example

The Absolute Difference comparison might be used to identify numbers that are approximately the same. For example, when finding orders for the same product by a single currency value (where the orders are converted from multiple currencies), a business might consider the orders to be possible matches if the order amount is within £5.00 (to allow for differences in exchange rates).

In this case, the Match No Data pairs? option is set to No.

Example results

The following table illustrates some example comparison results using the above configuration:

Value A	Value B	Comparison result (Absolute Difference)
0.465	0.465	0
57	57	0
57.25	57.24	0.01
100904	100866	38
1.5	3.8	2.3
58.26387442	58.26387440	0.00000002
456.20	452.30	3.90