Matching text fields

[jimmytich]

I have a very simple database that uses a last name to match two tables of information together. For some reason I can't get the match to work. I know the data is good because I can copy a name from one table and search for it in another -- I will find a hit on the search. I have tried changing the search on in the text field to unicode rather than English but that doesn't work. No idea what I am doing wrong - makes no sense to me that if Filemaker can find a name from one table in another table, then using those fields to define a relationship should work, if for nothing else but at least those records where the searched names are matching. I'm sure I am doing something stupid but I seem to have tried every permutation! Any help would very much be appreciated.

j

[jimmytich]

Figured it out for myself -- I had trailing spaces on the names in the second table -- applied a trim function to all that field in all records and everything came together.

Anyway, thanks anyway for any thoughts of helping :-)

j

[Vaughan]

I hope this last name match isn't being used as the primary relationship for the database: as you've discovered such things aren't reliable. It gets worse when names have to change. An auto-entered serial number should be used instead.

If you want to make a "match by name" system where matches are listed in a portal, then using last name is good. In this case, look at using the >= operator in the relationship, it will allow partial matches to work.