Match similar text in Excel

A new feature from Microsoft allows you to match similar text in Excel. This extends to any words that could be similar or sound the same (sounds like) including names, addresses etc. We have included this feature in our Advanced Excel Training program.

So for example if a list contained different variations of my name e.g.

– Adrian Miric,
– Miric Adrian,
– A Miric,
– AP Miric,
– Miric AP etc

I could get Excel to match the similar items in a list.

As would be expected with this type of tool, the matches will not be 100% but at least I will have identified the most likely matches. Once I have this match I can work through the reduced list and eliminate any mistakes, link the databases and continue with the analysis work.

This feature is ideal in areas involving data cleanup and matching of items where, for whatever reason, the matches are not exact.

You can get the add in direct from Microsoft but it only works on Excel 2010 and Excel 2013 at the moment.

As mentioned above our Advanced Excel courses show you the best ways to use Excel to save you time at work and include many other useful tips and tricks. Send an email to adrian@AuditExcel.co.za to find out more.