Help Centre › Building Processes
This article describes the RPA Excel functionality to find the closest matching value in a column.
For a full list of available functions, please read EXCEL functions.
Description
The Find closest match function searches a column for the value that most closely matches a given search term, using fuzzy case-insensitive matching. This is useful when data contains slight variations in spelling, abbreviations, or typos – for example matching "Jhon Smith" to "John Smith".
Setting it up
To use the Find closest match function, follow these instructions:
{{popups:rpas/add:action=excel-closest-match}}
Once on a process map:
- Navigate to the process where you would like to add the function
- Click on the green button's drop-down
- Click on "+ Activity"
- Select the EXCEL Find closest match option
- Click "Add" once you are done
Input parameters
| Parameter | Required | Type | Default | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sheet | Yes | Text | - | The name of the sheet to search in |
| Column | Yes | Text | - | The column letter or name to search in |
| Search value | Yes | Text | - | The text to match against |
| Minimum confidence | No | Text | 0.8 | Minimum match score between 0 and 1 (e.g. 0.8 = 80% match) |
| Variable | No | Text | result | Name of the variable to store the closest match in |
Output variables
| Variable | Type | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Variable | String | The closest matching value, or empty if no match meets the confidence threshold |
Errors
| Error | Description |
|---|---|
| File not open | The Excel file must be open |
| Sheet not found | The specified sheet does not exist |
| Column not found | The specified column does not exist |
Tips
- Lower the confidence threshold (e.g. 0.6) if matches are too strict, or raise it (e.g. 0.95) if you need near-exact matches
- This function is ideal for reconciliation tasks where names or references may have slight variations
- The comparison is case-insensitive – "ACME Corp" will match "acme corp"