HOW TO USE SEMANTIC MATCHING

Introduction to Semantic Matching

Semantic matching allows you to compare text based on its meaning rather than just its surface-level similarity. This is useful for finding matches between texts that are conceptually similar but use different wording.

Compare Text by Semantic Similarity

Open the sidebar
Go to Extensions > Flookup Data Wrangler > Text comparison functions > By meaning in your Google Sheets menu.
Select the range containing the lookup value
Highlight a single column and click Grab selected range.
Select a second range to compare
Highlight another single column and click Grab selected range.
Specify output location
Click an empty cell to mark where the results should appear.
Get fuzzy matches
Click the Get semantic similarities button.

Notes on Comparing Text by Semantic Similarity

Matches reflect meaning, not just surface similarity e.g. “I love dogs” vs. “I adore canines”.
Only the first column of each selected range is used; ensure relevant text is in that column.
A monthly limit of 10,000 calls applies; excess calls return an error until the next month.

Fuzzy Match by Semantic Similarity

Open the sidebar
Extensions > Flookup Data Wrangler > Transformation functions > Fuzzy match data > By meaning in your spreadsheet menu.
Select the range containing the lookup value
Highlight a single column of data and click Grab selected range to read it into Primary range.
Select the range where the lookup is potentially located
Highlight a separate range of one or more columns and click Grab selected range to read it into Secondary range.
Specify the lookup column
Enter the index of the column in Secondary range to compare with values in Primary range.
Specify the return column
Enter the index of the column in Secondary range from which you want values to be returned.
Specify output location
Click an empty cell within the spreadsheet to mark the position where the results should be displayed.
Get fuzzy matches
Click the Get semantic matches button to finish.

Notes on Fuzzy Matching by Semantic Similarity

Lookup_column only processes one column. If you select more than one, only the leftmost will be analysed.
For best results, correct spelling errors before running this function.
Head to Tools > Spelling > Spell check in the spreadsheet menu.

Benefits of Semantic Matching

Semantic matching helps you discover underlying relationships in your data that are not apparent from simple text comparisons. This feature allows you to clean, standardize and enrich your datasets with improved accuracy and efficiency. Get started with Flookup Data Wrangler to enhance your data analysis.