1. A computer-based method for objectively comparing two data strings in a database comprising: with a computer running program code defining a pre-processing routine, pre-processing the two input strings including storing the two data strings in local buffers of memory accessible by the computer; and with the computer running program code defining a pattern search processing loop, comparing the contents of the local buffers using a walk-forward scanning algorithm, wherein the comparing comprises providing a pair of search pointers for each of the data strings pointing to two characters in each of the data strings, performing a comparison loop using the two characters in each of the data strings to search for one of a set of character patterns, and exiting the comparison loop when the search fails to identify one of the set of character patterns, whereby the comparing of the two data strings uses a look ahead that does not exceed two locations to enhance computing, wherein the set of character patterns comprise a character equality pattern, a transposition character pattern, an insertion character pattern, an elision character pattern, and a substitution character pattern and wherein the comparing is performed sequentially with the character equality pattern being performed before the substitution character pattern and the substitution character pattern being performed before the transposition pattern.