Indexing, relating and managing information about entities

• US 8,713,434 B2
• Filed: 09/28/2007
• Issued: 04/29/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 09/28/2007
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Ford, Aaron Dea, Grashel, Richard Gray II, Schumacher, Scott, Wilkinson, David
• Primary Examiner(s): ABDUL-ALI, OMAR R
• Application Number:
  US11/904,750
• Publication Number:
  US 20090089317A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,405 Days
• Field of Search: 707/100, 707/102, 707/802, 707/803, 707/E17.048, 707/999.1, 707/748, 707/758, 715/700
• US Class Current: 715/700
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/285 Clustering or classification
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/288 Entity relationship models

Abstract

Systems and methods for use in association with a master entity index system may allow data records to be grouped together into various entities, where each of the entities may represent a logical or physical item. These entities may also be associated with one another in a manner such that relationships between entities may likewise be represented. In one embodiment, an interface may be provided for use in conjunction with the master entity index system such that these various entities and relationships may be better managed, manipulated or visualized. This interface may allow a user to search for or otherwise obtain an entity, where a representation of this entity and one or more associated entities may be presented to the user along with representations of the relationships between these entities.

Claims

1. A method for associating data records, comprising:

receiving a data record;

identifying an entity type associated with the data record;

identifying a set of candidate data records associated with the entity type, where each of the set of candidate data records is based on a comparison between a set of existing data records and the received data record;

scoring each of the set of candidate data records, wherein a score generated for each of the candidate data records corresponds to a likelihood that the received data record and the candidate data record comprise information on an entity of the entity type;

associating the received data record and a first candidate record of the set of candidate data records with a first entity of the entity type if the score associated with the first candidate record is greater than a first threshold; and

establishing a relationship between the first entity and a second different entity, wherein the first entity is associated with a first set of data records including information pertaining to that first entity and the second entity is associated with a second different set of data records including information pertaining to that second entity, and wherein the relationship provides a link to enable retrieval of the second entity based on the first entity.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the scoring of each of the candidate data records is based upon an algorithm associated with the entity type.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the relationship is of a first relationship type.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the first relationship type is defined to be between entities of the first entity type.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the relationship type is defined as unidirectional or bidirectional.

6. The method of claim 1, further including:

searching for the first entity using one or more search criteria;

displaying a first entity representation corresponding to the first entity;

displaying a second entity representation representing the second entity having a relationship with the first entity; and

displaying a relationship representation representing the relationship between the first entity and the second entity.

7. A system for associating data records, comprising:

one or more information sources, each information source comprising a computer readable medium; and

a master entity index system comprising a processor and operable for;

receiving a data record from an information source;

identifying an entity type associated with the data record;

identifying a set of candidate data records associated with the entity type, where each of the set of candidate data records is based on a comparison between a set of existing data records and the received data record;

scoring each of the set of candidate data records, wherein a score generated for each of the candidate data records corresponds to a likelihood that the received data record and the candidate data record comprise information on an entity of the entity type;

associating the received data record and a first candidate record of the set of candidate data records with a first entity of the entity type if the score associated with the first candidate record is greater than a first threshold; and

establishing a relationship between the first entity and a second different entity, wherein the first entity is associated with a first set of data records including information pertaining to that first entity and the second entity is associated with a second different set of data records including information pertaining to that second entity, and wherein the relationship provides a link to enable retrieval of the second entity based on the first entity.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein the scoring of each of the candidate data records is based upon an algorithm associated with the entity type.

9. The system of claim 7, wherein the relationship is of a first relationship type.

10. The system of claim 9 wherein the first relationship type is defined to be between entities of the first entity type.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the relationship type is defined as unidirectional or bidirectional.

12. The system of claim 7, further including:

an interface for use with the master entity index system operable to;

search for the first entity using one or more search criteria;

display a first entity representation corresponding to the first entity;

display a second entity representation representing the second entity having a relationship with the first entity; and

display a relationship representation representing the relationship between the first entity and the second entity.

13. A computer readable medium for associating data records, comprising instructions translatable for:

receiving a data record;

identifying an entity type associated with the data record;

identifying a set of candidate data records associated with the entity type, where each of the set of candidate data records is based on a comparison between a set of existing data records and the received data record;

scoring each of the set of candidate data records, wherein a score generated for each of the candidate data records corresponds to a likelihood that the received data record and the candidate data record comprise information on an entity of the entity type;

associating the received data record and a first candidate record of the set of candidate data records with a first entity of the entity type if the score associated with the first candidate record is greater than a first threshold; and

establishing a relationship between the first entity and a second different entity, wherein the first entity is associated with a first set of data records including information pertaining to that first entity and the second entity is associated with a second different set of data records including information pertaining to that second entity, and wherein the relationship provides a link to enable retrieval of the second entity based on the first entity.

14. The computer readable medium of claim 13, wherein the scoring of each of the candidate data records is based upon an algorithm associated with the entity type.

15. The computer readable medium of claim 13, wherein the relationship is of a first relationship type.

16. The computer readable medium of claim 15, wherein the first relationship type is defined to be between entities of the first entity type.

17. The computer readable medium of claim 16, wherein the relationship type is defined as unidirectional or bidirectional.

18. The computer readable medium of claim 13, further including instructions translatable to provide an interface operable to:

search for the first entity using one or more search criteria;

display a first entity representation corresponding to the first entity;

display a second entity representation representing the second entity having a relationship with the first entity; and

display a relationship representation representing the relationship between the first entity and the second entity.