Looking for words when the dataset contains numbers is an impossible task that always results in errors. Yet, search errors due to a lack of understanding of dataset content are a common occurrence even with the best search engines.
Humans make assumptions about dataset content that cause algorithms to fail. Consequently, the better you can see and understand the content through structured formatting, the easier it becomes to perform algorithm-based tasks successfully.
However, even looking at the content is often error prone when dealing with humans and computers. For example, if you attempt to search for a number formatted as a string when the dataset contains the numbers formatted as integers, the search will fail.Computers don't automatically translate between strings and integers as humans do. In fact, computers see everything as numbers, and strings are only an interpretation imposed on the numbers by a programmer. Therefore, when searching for "1" (the string), the computer sees it as a request for the number 49 when using ASCII characters. To find the numeric value 1, you must search for a 1 as an integer value.
Structure also enables you to discover nuanced data details. For example, a telephone number can appear in the form (555)555-1212. If you perform a search or other algorithm task using the form 1(555)555-1212, the search might fail because of the addition of a 1 at the beginning of the search term. These sorts of issues cause significant problems because most people see the two forms as equal, but the computer doesn't. The computer sees two completely different forms and even sees them as being two different lengths. Trying to impose form on humans rarely works and generally results in frustration that makes using the algorithm even harder, so structure imposed through data manipulation becomes even more important.
