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SOUNDEX

Generates the Soundex code for a string.

  • A Soundex code consists of a letter followed by three numerical digits. Databend's implementation returns more than 4 digits, but you can SUBSTR the result to get a standard Soundex code.
  • All non-alphabetic characters in the string are ignored.
  • All international alphabetic characters outside the A-Z range are ignored unless they're the first letter.
What is Soundex?

Soundex converts an alphanumeric string to a four-character code that is based on how the string sounds when spoken in English. For more information, see https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soundex

See also: SOUNDS LIKE

Syntax​

SOUNDEX(<str>)

Arguments​

ArgumentsDescription
strThe string.

Return Type​

Returns a code of type VARCHAR or a NULL value.

Examples​

SELECT SOUNDEX('Databend');

---
D153

-- All non-alphabetic characters in the string are ignored.
SELECT SOUNDEX('Databend!');;

---
D153

-- All international alphabetic characters outside the A-Z range are ignored unless they're the first letter.
SELECT SOUNDEX('Databend，你好');

---
D153

SELECT SOUNDEX('你好，Databend');

---
你3153

-- SUBSTR the result to get a standard Soundex code.
SELECT SOUNDEX('Databend Cloud'),SUBSTR(SOUNDEX('Databend Cloud'),1,4);

soundex('databend cloud')|substring(soundex('databend cloud') from 1 for 4)|
-------------------------+-------------------------------------------------+
D153243                  |D153                                             |

SELECT SOUNDEX(NULL);
+-------------------------------------+
| `SOUNDEX(NULL)`                     |
+-------------------------------------+
| <null>                              |
+-------------------------------------+