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title: "DIFFERENCE (Transact-SQL) | Microsoft Docs" ms.custom: "" ms.date: "03/03/2017" ms.prod: "sql" ms.prod_service: "database-engine, sql-database, sql-data-warehouse, pdw" ms.service: "" ms.component: "t-sql|functions" ms.reviewer: "" ms.suite: "sql" ms.technology:

  • "database-engine" ms.tgt_pltfrm: "" ms.topic: "language-reference" f1_keywords:
  • "DIFFERENCE"
  • "DIFFERENCE_TSQL" dev_langs:
  • "TSQL" helpviewer_keywords:
  • "DIFFERENCE function"
  • "comparing SOUNDEX values"
  • "SOUNDEX values" ms.assetid: c58ca25d-d6ea-48fa-93bb-c9374b0b2a2b caps.latest.revision: 27 author: "edmacauley" ms.author: "edmaca" manager: "craigg" ms.workload: "Active" monikerRange: ">= aps-pdw-2016 || = azuresqldb-current || = azure-sqldw-latest || >= sql-server-2016 || = sqlallproducts-allversions"

DIFFERENCE (Transact-SQL)

[!INCLUDEtsql-appliesto-ss2008-all-md]

Returns an integer value that indicates the difference between the SOUNDEX values of two character expressions.

Topic link icon Transact-SQL Syntax Conventions

Syntax

DIFFERENCE ( character_expression , character_expression )

Arguments

character_expression
Is an alphanumeric expression of character data. character_expression can be a constant, variable, or column.

Return Types

int

Remarks

The integer returned is the number of characters in the SOUNDEX values that are the same. The return value ranges from 0 through 4: 0 indicates weak or no similarity, and 4 indicates strong similarity or the same values.

DIFFERENCE and SOUNDEX are collation sensitive.

Examples

In the first part of the following example, the SOUNDEX values of two very similar strings are compared. For a Latin1_General collation DIFFERENCE returns a value of 4. In the second part of the following example, the SOUNDEX values for two very different strings are compared, and for a Latin1_General collation DIFFERENCE returns a value of 0.

-- Returns a DIFFERENCE value of 4, the least possible difference.  
SELECT SOUNDEX('Green'), SOUNDEX('Greene'), DIFFERENCE('Green','Greene');  
GO  
-- Returns a DIFFERENCE value of 0, the highest possible difference.  
SELECT SOUNDEX('Blotchet-Halls'), SOUNDEX('Greene'), DIFFERENCE('Blotchet-Halls', 'Greene');  
GO

[!INCLUDEssResult]

----- ----- -----------   
G650  G650  4             
  
(1 row(s) affected)  
  
----- ----- -----------   
B432  G650  0             
  
(1 row(s) affected)

See Also

SOUNDEX (Transact-SQL)
String Functions (Transact-SQL)