Version: 25.10 (Latest)

Matching Elements Reference

Overview

Matching Elements are the components that perform pattern recognition and content analysis to identify sensitive data. They work in conjunction with Policy Elements to create comprehensive detection rules that can identify various types of sensitive information with high accuracy.

Element Categories

Keyword Matching Elements

Keyword elements match specific terms or phrases within content.

Keyword Element Structure

<Keyword id="keyword-identifier">
  <Group matchStyle="word">
    <Term>keyword1</Term>
    <Term>keyword2</Term>
    <Term>keyword3</Term>
  </Group>
</Keyword>

Keyword Attributes

Attribute	Type	Description	Required	Values
`id`	String	Unique identifier for the keyword list	Yes	Must be unique within rule pack

Group Attributes

Attribute	Type	Description	Required	Default	Values
`matchStyle`	String	How keywords should be matched	No	`word`	`word`, `string`, `regex`

Match Styles

Style	Description	Example	Use Case
`word`	Match whole words only	"account" matches "account number" but not "accountability"	Precise term matching
`string`	Match substring anywhere	"account" matches "accountability"	Broader pattern matching
`regex`	Treat terms as regular expressions	`\baccount\b` for word boundaries	Complex pattern matching

Keyword Examples

Financial Terms:

<Keyword id="financial-keywords">
  <Group matchStyle="word">
    <Term>account</Term>
    <Term>balance</Term>
    <Term>payment</Term>
    <Term>transaction</Term>
    <Term>routing</Term>
    <Term>deposit</Term>
  </Group>
</Keyword>

Personal Information:

<Keyword id="personal-keywords">
  <Group matchStyle="word">
    <Term>social security</Term>
    <Term>SSN</Term>
    <Term>date of birth</Term>
    <Term>DOB</Term>
    <Term>driver license</Term>
  </Group>
</Keyword>

Regular Expression Elements

Regular expression elements provide powerful pattern matching capabilities for structured data.

Regex Element Structure

<Regex id="regex-identifier">
  <Pattern>regular-expression-pattern</Pattern>
</Regex>

Common Regex Patterns

Social Security Numbers:

<Regex id="ssn-pattern">
  <Pattern>\b\d{3}-?\d{2}-?\d{4}\b</Pattern>
</Regex>

Credit Card Numbers:

<Regex id="credit-card-pattern">
  <Pattern>\b(?:\d{4}[-\s]?){3}\d{4}\b</Pattern>
</Regex>

Phone Numbers:

<Regex id="phone-pattern">
  <Pattern>\b(?:\+?1[-.\s]?)?\(?[0-9]{3}\)?[-.\s]?[0-9]{3}[-.\s]?[0-9]{4}\b</Pattern>
</Regex>

Email Addresses:

<Regex id="email-pattern">
  <Pattern>\b[A-Za-z0-9._%+-]+@[A-Za-z0-9.-]+\.[A-Z|a-z]{2,}\b</Pattern>
</Regex>

IP Addresses:

<Regex id="ip-address-pattern">
  <Pattern>\b(?:(?:25[0-5]|2[0-4][0-9]|[01]?[0-9][0-9]?)\.){3}(?:25[0-5]|2[0-4][0-9]|[01]?[0-9][0-9]?)\b</Pattern>
</Regex>

Built-in Function Elements

Built-in functions provide validated pattern matching with additional verification logic.

Available Functions

Function Name	Description	Validation Method
`Func_credit_card_formatted`	Credit card numbers with formatting	Luhn algorithm + format check
`Func_credit_card_unformatted`	Credit card numbers without formatting	Luhn algorithm
`Func_ssn_formatted`	SSN with dashes (XXX-XX-XXXX)	Format validation
`Func_ssn_unformatted`	SSN without formatting (XXXXXXXXX)	Format validation
`Func_us_phone_formatted`	US phone with formatting	Format validation
`Func_us_phone_unformatted`	US phone without formatting	Format validation
`Func_email_address`	Email addresses	RFC 5322 validation
`Func_ip_address`	IP addresses	IPv4/IPv6 validation

Function Usage

<!-- Credit card with Luhn validation -->
<IdMatch idRef="Func_credit_card_formatted"/>

<!-- SSN with format validation -->
<IdMatch idRef="Func_ssn_formatted"/>

<!-- Email with RFC validation -->
<IdMatch idRef="Func_email_address"/>

Localized String Elements

Localized strings provide language-specific keyword matching.

LocalizedStrings Structure

<LocalizedStrings>
  <Resource idRef="financial-terms">
    <Name default="true" langcode="en">Financial Terms</Name>
    <Name langcode="es">Términos Financieros</Name>
    <Description default="true" langcode="en">Common financial terminology</Description>
    <Description langcode="es">Terminología financiera común</Description>
  </Resource>
</LocalizedStrings>

Localized Keywords

<Keyword id="payment-terms-localized">
  <Group matchStyle="word" langcode="en">
    <Term>payment</Term>
    <Term>invoice</Term>
    <Term>bill</Term>
  </Group>
  <Group matchStyle="word" langcode="es">
    <Term>pago</Term>
    <Term>factura</Term>
    <Term>cuenta</Term>
  </Group>
  <Group matchStyle="word" langcode="fr">
    <Term>paiement</Term>
    <Term>facture</Term>
    <Term>compte</Term>
  </Group>
</Keyword>

Advanced Matching Techniques

Proximity-Based Matching

Elements can be configured to work together within specified distances.

<Entity id="credit-card-with-context" patternsProximity="300">
  <Pattern confidenceLevel="90">
    <IdMatch idRef="Func_credit_card_formatted"/>
    <Match idRef="credit-card-keywords"/>
  </Pattern>
</Entity>

Conditional Matching

Use logical operators to create complex matching conditions.

Any Element

Match any of several patterns:

<Any minMatches="2">
  <Match idRef="financial-keywords"/>
  <Match idRef="payment-keywords"/>
  <Match idRef="banking-keywords"/>
</Any>

All Element

Require all patterns to match:

<All>
  <Match idRef="ssn-pattern"/>
  <Match idRef="personal-keywords"/>
  <Match idRef="government-keywords"/>
</All>

Not Element

Exclude certain patterns:

<Pattern confidenceLevel="80">
  <IdMatch idRef="ssn-pattern"/>
  <Match idRef="personal-context"/>
  <Not>
    <Match idRef="test-data-keywords"/>
  </Not>
</Pattern>

Case Sensitivity

Control case sensitivity for string matching:

<Keyword id="case-sensitive-terms">
  <Group matchStyle="string" caseSensitive="true">
    <Term>API</Term>
    <Term>SQL</Term>
    <Term>XML</Term>
  </Group>
</Keyword>

<Keyword id="case-insensitive-terms">
  <Group matchStyle="word" caseSensitive="false">
    <Term>confidential</Term>
    <Term>secret</Term>
    <Term>private</Term>
  </Group>
</Keyword>

Pattern Validation

Format Validation

Built-in functions provide format validation for common data types:

<!-- Validates credit card format and Luhn checksum -->
<IdMatch idRef="Func_credit_card_formatted"/>

<!-- Validates SSN format (XXX-XX-XXXX) -->
<IdMatch idRef="Func_ssn_formatted"/>

<!-- Validates email format per RFC 5322 -->
<IdMatch idRef="Func_email_address"/>

Custom Validation

Create custom validation using regex with specific constraints:

<!-- US ZIP code validation -->
<Regex id="us-zip-code">
  <Pattern>\b\d{5}(?:-\d{4})?\b</Pattern>
</Regex>

<!-- Canadian postal code validation -->
<Regex id="canadian-postal-code">
  <Pattern>\b[A-Za-z]\d[A-Za-z][-\s]?\d[A-Za-z]\d\b</Pattern>
</Regex>

Performance Optimization

Keyword Optimization

Use Specific Terms: Prefer specific over generic keywords
Limit List Size: Keep keyword lists under 1000 terms
Group Related Terms: Organize keywords logically
Use Word Matching: Prefer word matching over string matching

Regex Optimization

Anchor Patterns: Use \b for word boundaries
Avoid Backtracking: Use non-capturing groups (?:)
Limit Quantifiers: Avoid excessive * and + operators
Test Performance: Validate regex performance with large content

Pattern Ordering

Order patterns by selectivity (most specific first):

<Entity id="optimized-detection">
  <!-- Most specific pattern first -->
  <Pattern confidenceLevel="95">
    <IdMatch idRef="Func_credit_card_formatted"/>
    <Match idRef="specific-keywords"/>
  </Pattern>
  <!-- Less specific patterns follow -->
  <Pattern confidenceLevel="75">
    <IdMatch idRef="credit-card-regex"/>
    <Any minMatches="2">
      <Match idRef="general-keywords"/>
      <Match idRef="context-keywords"/>
    </Any>
  </Pattern>
</Entity>

Common Patterns Library

Financial Data Patterns

<!-- Credit Card Numbers -->
<Regex id="visa-pattern">
  <Pattern>\b4\d{3}[-\s]?\d{4}[-\s]?\d{4}[-\s]?\d{4}\b</Pattern>
</Regex>

<Regex id="mastercard-pattern">
  <Pattern>\b5[1-5]\d{2}[-\s]?\d{4}[-\s]?\d{4}[-\s]?\d{4}\b</Pattern>
</Regex>

<Regex id="amex-pattern">
  <Pattern>\b3[47]\d{2}[-\s]?\d{6}[-\s]?\d{5}\b</Pattern>
</Regex>

<!-- Bank Account Numbers -->
<Regex id="bank-account-pattern">
  <Pattern>\b\d{8,17}\b</Pattern>
</Regex>

<!-- Routing Numbers -->
<Regex id="routing-number-pattern">
  <Pattern>\b[0-9]{9}\b</Pattern>
</Regex>

Personal Information Patterns

<!-- Driver License Numbers -->
<Regex id="drivers-license-pattern">
  <Pattern>\b[A-Z]{1,2}\d{6,8}\b</Pattern>
</Regex>

<!-- Passport Numbers -->
<Regex id="passport-pattern">
  <Pattern>\b[A-Z]{2}\d{7}\b</Pattern>
</Regex>

<!-- Medical Record Numbers -->
<Regex id="medical-record-pattern">
  <Pattern>\bMRN[-\s]?\d{6,10}\b</Pattern>
</Regex>

Technical Patterns

<!-- API Keys -->
<Regex id="api-key-pattern">
  <Pattern>\b[A-Za-z0-9]{32,64}\b</Pattern>
</Regex>

<!-- Database Connection Strings -->
<Regex id="connection-string-pattern">
  <Pattern>(?i)(?:server|data source|host)=.+?(?:;|$)</Pattern>
</Regex>

<!-- File Paths -->
<Regex id="file-path-pattern">
  <Pattern>(?:[A-Za-z]:\\|/)(?:[^\\/:*?"<>|\r\n]+[\\\/])*[^\\/:*?"<>|\r\n]*</Pattern>
</Regex>

Testing and Validation

Pattern Testing

Positive Tests: Verify patterns match intended content
Negative Tests: Ensure patterns don't match unintended content
Edge Cases: Test boundary conditions and special characters
Performance Tests: Measure execution time with large content

Validation Checklist

Regex patterns are syntactically correct
Keyword lists contain relevant terms
Match styles are appropriate for use case
Case sensitivity settings are correct
Proximity values are reasonable
Performance is acceptable with test content

Best Practices

Design Guidelines

Start Simple: Begin with basic patterns, add complexity gradually
Use Built-ins: Prefer built-in functions over custom regex when available
Test Thoroughly: Validate with representative content samples
Document Patterns: Include comments explaining complex regex patterns

Performance Guidelines

Optimize Regex: Use efficient regex patterns
Limit Scope: Use appropriate proximity values
Order Elements: Place most selective patterns first
Monitor Performance: Track execution times and resource usage

Maintenance Guidelines

Version Control: Track pattern changes over time
Regular Review: Periodically assess pattern effectiveness
Update Keywords: Keep keyword lists current with evolving terminology
Performance Monitoring: Watch for degradation over time

Overview​

Element Categories​

Keyword Matching Elements​

Keyword Element Structure​

Keyword Attributes​

Group Attributes​

Match Styles​

Keyword Examples​

Regular Expression Elements​

Regex Element Structure​

Common Regex Patterns​

Built-in Function Elements​

Available Functions​

Function Usage​

Localized String Elements​

LocalizedStrings Structure​

Localized Keywords​

Advanced Matching Techniques​

Proximity-Based Matching​

Conditional Matching​

Any Element​

All Element​

Not Element​

Case Sensitivity​

Pattern Validation​

Format Validation​

Custom Validation​

Performance Optimization​

Keyword Optimization​

Regex Optimization​

Pattern Ordering​

Common Patterns Library​

Financial Data Patterns​

Personal Information Patterns​

Technical Patterns​

Testing and Validation​

Pattern Testing​

Validation Checklist​

Best Practices​

Design Guidelines​

Performance Guidelines​

Maintenance Guidelines​