# Fuzzy Search
On SAP HANA you can match strings tolerantly — typos, missing letters, transposed characters — with the `CONTAINS` SQL function in fuzzy mode. The score is a value between `0.0` (no match) and `1.0` (exact match); pass a threshold to `FUZZY( )` and HANA filters out rows below it.
Wire it to a UI5 `search_field` in the table toolbar and you get an ALV-style search that forgives the user's typing.
## Minimal Example
```abap
CLASS z2ui5_cl_sample_fuzzy DEFINITION PUBLIC.
PUBLIC SECTION.
INTERFACES z2ui5_if_app.
TYPES:
BEGIN OF ty_customer,
kunnr TYPE kna1-kunnr,
name1 TYPE kna1-name1,
ort01 TYPE kna1-ort01,
END OF ty_customer.
DATA mt_customers TYPE STANDARD TABLE OF ty_customer WITH EMPTY KEY.
DATA mv_search TYPE string.
PROTECTED SECTION.
PRIVATE SECTION.
ENDCLASS.
CLASS z2ui5_cl_sample_fuzzy IMPLEMENTATION.
METHOD z2ui5_if_app~main.
CASE abap_true.
WHEN client->check_on_init( ).
load_data( ).
render( ).
WHEN client->check_on_event( `SEARCH` ).
load_data( ).
ENDCASE.
ENDMETHOD.
METHOD load_data.
"CONTAINS(, , FUZZY()) — only available on HANA.
"Threshold 0.8 ≈ tolerates one or two typos in a short word.
SELECT FROM kna1
FIELDS kunnr, name1, ort01
WHERE @mv_search = ''
OR contains( ( name1, ort01 ), @mv_search, 'FUZZY(0.8)' ) = 1
INTO TABLE @mt_customers
UP TO 100 ROWS.
ENDMETHOD.
METHOD render.
DATA(view) = z2ui5_cl_ui5_view_builder=>factory(
)->ele( n = `View` ns = `mvc`
)->a( n = `xmlns` v = `sap.m`
)->a( n = `xmlns:mvc` v = `sap.ui.core.mvc`
)->ele( `Shell`
)->ele( `Page`
)->a( n = `title` v = `Customers`
)->ele( `Table`
)->a( n = `items` v = client->_bind( mt_customers )
)->a( n = `growing` b = abap_true
)->ele( `headerToolbar`
)->ele( `OverflowToolbar`
)->tag( `Title`
)->a( n = `text` v = `Customer List`
)->tag( `ToolbarSpacer`
)->tag( `SearchField`
)->a( n = `value` v = client->_bind( mv_search )
)->a( n = `width` v = `20rem`
)->a( n = `placeholder` v = `try a misspelled name…`
)->a( n = `search` v = client->_event( `SEARCH` )
)->end(
)->end(
)->ele( `columns`
)->ele( `Column`
)->tag( `Text`
)->a( n = `text` v = `Customer`
)->end(
)->ele( `Column`
)->tag( `Text`
)->a( n = `text` v = `Name`
)->end(
)->ele( `Column`
)->tag( `Text`
)->a( n = `text` v = `City`
)->end(
)->end(
)->ele( `items`
)->ele( `ColumnListItem`
)->ele( `cells`
)->tag( `Text`
)->a( n = `text` v = `{KUNNR}`
)->tag( `Text`
)->a( n = `text` v = `{NAME1}`
)->tag( `Text`
)->a( n = `text` v = `{ORT01}` ).
client->view_display( view->stringify( ) ).
ENDMETHOD.
ENDCLASS.
```
Typing `Muller` matches `Müller`, `Hambrug` matches `Hamburg` — the lower the threshold, the more lenient (and the noisier) the result.
## Tuning the Threshold
| Threshold | Behavior |
| --------- | ------------------------------------------------------ |
| `1.0` | Exact match only — same as `LIKE` without wildcards |
| `0.9` | Very strict — only tiny variations |
| `0.8` | Default sweet spot — tolerates one or two typos |
| `0.7` | Lenient — short words start matching unrelated rows |
| `< 0.7` | Mostly noise on real data |
## Multiple Columns
Pass a list of columns to search several fields at once — HANA returns the best score across them:
```abap
WHERE contains( ( name1, ort01, stras ), @mv_search, 'FUZZY(0.8)' ) = 1
```
## Returning the Score
To order rows by relevance, expose the fuzzy score with `SCORE( )` and sort on it:
```abap
SELECT FROM kna1
FIELDS kunnr, name1, ort01,
score( ) AS rank
WHERE contains( ( name1, ort01 ), @mv_search, 'FUZZY(0.8)' ) = 1
ORDER BY rank DESCENDING
INTO TABLE @mt_customers
UP TO 100 ROWS.
```
::: warning
`CONTAINS … FUZZY( )` is HANA-only. On non-HANA databases the statement raises an SQL error — guard it behind a release check or fall back to `LIKE` if your code may run elsewhere.
:::
::: tip
For the full set of options — `textsearch`, `similarcalculationmode`, `spellcheck` — see the [SAP HANA fuzzy search guide](https://help.sap.com/docs/SAP_HANA_PLATFORM/691cb949c1034198800afde3e5be6570/ee08fb15621c4cb98ce8acaef8b3a48d.html).
:::