Content Component 26.1
Content Component Help

# BIASVAL

The `BIASVAL` field specifier (case sensitive) allows you to bias the score of result documents by a specified percentage, based on whether they include a specific value in the specified field.

NOTE: You can optimize the speed of this field specifier by restricting the field to one of the following configuration options:

- MatchType

- ParametricType , when the ParametricNumericMapping configuration parameter is set to `True`.

## Format

    FieldText=BIASVAL{fieldValue,percentage,fuzzydistance}:fieldName

`fieldValue` | The value that the specified field must contain to increase or decrease the weight by the `percentage`. You can leave this value empty to apply a score change to any result document that does not have the specified field, or that has the field with an empty value.
`percentage` | A percentage in the range -100 to 100. The percentage (positive or negative) by which to boost the relevance of documents that have the value `fieldValue` in the field `fieldName`. (The boosted relevance score cannot be greater than 100% or less than -100%.) When you set AbsWeight to `True`, this is the absolute value by which to boost the weight and it is then not limited by +/- 100.
`fuzzydistance` | (Optional) An integer that determines a fuzzy matching distance. If you set a fuzzy distance, Knowledge Discovery applies a scaled weighting boost to documents where the field value for the hit document is within this fuzzy distance of the query value. The fuzzy distance corresponds to the `DREFUZZY` tolerance (see Fuzzy Search). OpenText recommends that you use a maximum value of 6.
`fieldName` | The name of the field that must be present (and must contain the proper value) for the document relevance to be boosted.

NOTE: `BIASVAL` requires two arguments. `BIASVAL{percentBoost}:fieldName` is not valid syntax.

## Examples

    FieldText=BIASVAL{Cambridge,10}:TOWN

A document whose `TOWN` field value is `Cambridge` has its weighting increased by 10% (although the weighting cannot go over 100%).

    FieldText=BIASVAL{Cambridge,10}:TOWN+BIASVAL{London,-10}:TOWN

A document whose `TOWN` field value is `Cambridge` has its weighting increased by 10%, and a document whose `TOWN` field value is `London` has its weighting decreased by 10%. This example shows that biases can be negative as well as positive, and that you can include more than one set of parameters with the specifier.

    FieldText=BIASVAL{,-10}:COLOUR

A document that does not have the `COLOUR` field, or that has a `COLOUR` field with an empty value, has its weighting decreased by 10%.

    FieldText=BIASVAL{Cambridge,10,2}:TOWN

A document whose `TOWN` field value is `Cambridge` has its weighting increased by 10% (although the weighting cannot go over 100%). If the `TOWN` field value contains a value that is similar to `Cambridge` (within a fuzzy distance of 2), a reduced weighting boost is applied.

## See Also

- MatchType configuration parameter

- ParametricType configuration parameter

- ParametricNumericMapping configuration parameter

Copyright 2025 Open Text
Version 26.1 | Last updated January 2026

Send documentation feedback

Close

Send documentation feedback

To send feedback using your default email client, open an email window.

Otherwise, send your feedback and the information below to MFI-swpdl.idoldocsfeedback@opentext.com.

We appreciate your feedback!

Product: Knowledge Discovery Content Component 26.1

Topic Title: BIASVAL