Algorithm used in Excel Fuzzy Lookup

Question

I was working on matching company names of two sets. I was trying to code it in Python with Levenstien's distance. I was having issues with short names of companies, and their trailing part like Pvt,Ltd. I have ran the same set with Excel Fuzzy lookup and was getting good results. I there a way that i can see how excel fuzzy lookup is coded and use the same implementation in python.

Answer 1

There are two data sets that must be matched. The personnel list is in columns A and B. The names of the employees who completed a mandatory form are listed in columns D and E. You'll need to figure out who hasn't returned the paperwork yet. Because column A utilises a "last name, first name" format, and column D contains a nickname and last name, a VLOOKUP or XLOOKUP won't function. The fuzzy matching option can be used to match these two data sets.

The fuzzy match will use the translation table in columns G and H to help match full first names with nicknames. Two columns, called "From" and "To," are required in the translation table. Because they share several letters, the fuzzy match will most likely match Kris and Kristy, but it will require an entry in the translation table for Bill and William or Nathan and Nate.

Before you can execute the match, you must first convert each of the three data ranges to a table by selecting each range and pressing Ctrl+T. Then rename each table as follows: In a table, select one cell. Type a meaningful name in the Table Tools tab of the Ribbon, such as "Census," "Forms," or "Nicknames."