Why database searches go wrong

[Mart 'n' Al]

This article is a bit technical in places, but it helps you understand how search errors happen.  They might not be yours.

https://www.kalzumeus.com/2010/06/17/falsehoods-programmers-believe-about-names/

"Part of a continuing series including falsehoods about dates, times, places, street addresses, gender, relations, phone numbers, taxes, and amounts of money. "

Martin

[jc26red]

Hyphenated names are the ones I find searches have problems with.

A program is only as good as the person/people who wrote it. Many are not tested to the hilt before being let loose on the general public. As a user, if you have no technical background it can be frustrating trying to find the right search terms. Terms entered are weighted, hence you might have to go to page 2 or 3 before finding the person you are looking for.

Ancestry place names frustrate the life out of me when you enter something like London and you get London in every other country first before the Uk. They have clearly not been weighted correctly.

[Mart 'n' Al]

And then we have different levels of fuzziness when you choose that sort of option!

Martin

[pinefamily]

Why database searches go wrong: let me count the ways......

[CarolA3]

It's not always the program's fault though.

Some years ago a friend (IT contractor) was involved in setting up a patient database for an NHS trust.  Data entry was done elsewhere because of patient confidentiality.

The NHS client had a major issue.  Staff were struggling to find the right records because so many female patients had the same name; it was Begum.

Carol

[jc26red]

It's not always the program's fault though.

Some years ago a friend (IT contractor) was involved in setting up a patient database for an NHS trust.  Data entry was done elsewhere because of patient confidentiality.

The NHS client had a major issue.  Staff were struggling to find the right records because so many female patients had the same name; it was Begum.

Carol

It is the proprammers fault if they don’t allow a combination search. Ie name + dob or name + post code etc

Although adequate operator training would help

[KGarrad]

Ancestry place names frustrate the life out of me when you enter something like London and you get London in every other country first before the Uk. They have clearly not been weighted correctly.

Ancestry is a US company - so obviously weighted in favour of US place names

Also, try entering "London, England" or "London, UK".

Any database search may suffer if insufficient information is entered

[RJ_Paton]

Any database search may suffer if insufficient information is entered

I agree but this is one of those occasions where the opposite is also true - too much information confuses the poor beasts 

[GrahamH]

It will only be the programmer's fault if the program has not been written to match the specification.
More likely it is either a matter of inadequate analysis of requirements (which means the specification will be incomplete) and/or inadequate testing to ensure that the results meet the specification.
Both of those are inevitably the fault of a CEO/Board of Directors more interested in cost savings than ensuring that the product works properly.