Resolving database entity information

• US 9,501,552 B2
• Filed: 08/29/2013
• Issued: 11/22/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 10/18/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Palantir Technologies Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Palantir Technologies Incorporated
• Inventors: McGrew, Robert, Cohen, Stephen
• Primary Examiner(s): Leroux, Etienne
• Assistant Examiner(s): DAYE, CHELCIE L
• Application Number:
  US14/014,313
• Publication Number:
  US 20140006404A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,181 Days
• Field of Search: 707/602, 707/748
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/215 Improving data quality; Data cleansing, e.g. de-duplication, removing invalid entries or correcting typographical errors
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/219 Managing data history or versioning querying versioned data G06F16/2474; querying temporal data G06F16/2477
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/2365 Ensuring data consistency and integrity
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/24556 Aggregation; Duplicate elimination
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/252 between a Database Management System and a front-end application
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/258 Data format conversion from or to a database
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/285 Clustering or classification

Abstract

Entity resolution in a database comprises receiving imported data comprising imported data entities each having properties each having values; receiving first user input that selects the imported data entities for resolution to existing data entities in a database; receiving second user input that specifies matching criteria for matching the imported data entities to the existing data entities, wherein each of the matching criteria comprises a matching technique; matching the imported data entities to the existing data entities using the matching criteria, resulting in creating and storing matched entity information, wherein the matched entity information is organized in matched entity data sets associated with subsets of the matching criteria that were matched; consolidating the imported data entities into the existing data entities; storing the first user input and second user input as a named criteria set for use in subsequent entity resolution operations.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

matching imported data entities to existing data entities in a database using matching criteria at least in part by performing;

receiving first input specifying a first matching criteria that is based at least in part on a first subset of one or more properties of the imported data entities, and specifying a first matching technique, from among a plurality of different matching techniques, to use as part of the first matching criteria;

receiving second input specifying a second matching criteria that is different from the first matching criteria and that is based at least in part on a second subset of the one or more properties of the imported data entities, wherein the second subset of the one or more properties is different than the first subset of one or more properties, and specifying a second matching technique, from among the plurality of matching techniques, that is different than the first matching technique and to use as part of the second matching criteria;

matching the first subset of the imported data entities to a first subset of the existing data entities using the first matching criteria and using the first matching technique;

matching the second subset of the imported data entities to a second subset of the existing data entities using the second matching criteria and using the second matching technique;

causing displaying a resolved entities listing that lists;

two or more different entities from among the imported data entities;

two or more of the existing entities that matched the two or more different entities from among the imported data entities, in rows corresponding to the two or more different entities from among the imported data entities; and

for each particular imported data entity in the rows of the resolved entities listing, all criteria of that particular imported data entity that matched a corresponding existing entity in the same rows;

consolidating a first selected matched entity from the first subset of the imported data entities at least in part by adding at least one value from the first selected matched entity to a first existing entity of the first subset of the existing data entities;

consolidating a second selected matched entity from the second subset of the imported data entities at least in part by adding at least one value from the second selected matched entity to a second existing entity of the second subset of the existing data entities;

wherein the method is performed by one or more computing devices.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the first selected matched entity and the second selected matched entity are determined at least in part by receiving input selecting, for consolidation, at least a first matched entity from the first subset of the imported data entities and at least a second matched entity from the second subset of the imported data entities;

wherein the input selects, for consolidation, fewer than all of the imported data entities that are matched.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the first matching criteria checks for an exact match between the first subset of one or more properties and a first corresponding subset of one or more properties of the existing data entities, and wherein the second matching criteria checks for an exact match between the second subset of one or more properties and a second corresponding subset of one or more properties of the existing data entities.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the first matching criteria does not allow any conflicts between the first subset of one or more properties and a first corresponding subset of one or more properties of the existing data entities, and wherein the second matching criteria does allow at least some conflicts between the first subset of one or more properties of the imported data entities and the first corresponding subset of one or more properties of the existing data entities.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the first matching criteria does not allow missing information in the first subset of one or more properties, and wherein the second matching criteria does allow missing information in the first subset of one or more properties.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the first subset and the second subset each have two or more properties.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the first matching criteria checks for an exact match, and wherein the second matching criteria checks for a fuzzy match.

8. The method of claim 1, comprising storing the first matching criteria and the second matching criteria for use in subsequent entity resolution operations.

9. The method of claim 1, comprising:

receiving input that specifies one or more names of stored matching criteria;

loading the stored matching criteria based at least in part on the input;

automatically matching imported data entities to existing data entities using the loaded matching criteria.

10. The method of claim 1, comprising:

determining that the imported data entities comprise one or more unresolved data entities, and, in response;

matching the one or more unresolved data entities to a third subset of the existing data entities using at least a third matching criteria that is different from the first matching criteria and the second matching criteria;

consolidating a third selected matched entity from the one or more unresolved data entities with a third existing entity of the third subset of the existing data entities.

11. One or more non-transitory computer-readable storage media comprising stored instructions which, when executed by one or more processors, cause:

matching imported data entities to existing data entities in a database using matching criteria at least in part by causing performance of;

receiving first input specifying a first matching criteria that is based at least in part on a first subset of one or more properties of the imported data entities, and specifying a first matching technique, from among a plurality of different matching techniques, to use as part of the first matching criteria;

receiving second input specifying a second matching criteria that is different from the first matching criteria and that is based at least in part on a second subset of the one or more properties of the imported data entities, wherein the second subset of the one or more properties is different than the first subset of one or more properties, and specifying a second matching technique, from among the plurality of matching techniques, that is different than the first matching technique and to use as part of the second matching criteria;

matching the first subset of the imported data entities to a first subset of the existing data entities using the first matching criteria and using the first matching technique;

matching the second subset of the imported data entities to a second subset of the existing data entities using the second matching criteria and using the second matching technique;

causing displaying a resolved entities listing that lists;

two or more different entities from among the imported data entities;

two or more of the existing entities that matched the two or more different entities from among the imported data entities, in rows corresponding to the two or more different entities from among the imported data entities; and

for each particular imported data entity in the rows of the resolved entities listing, all criteria of that particular imported data entity that matched a corresponding existing entity in the same rows;

consolidating a first selected matched entity from the first subset of the imported data entities at least in part by adding at least one value from the first selected matched entity to a first existing entity of the first subset of the existing data entities;

consolidating a second selected matched entity from the second subset of the imported data entities at least in part by adding at least one value from the second selected matched entity to a second existing entity of the second subset of the existing data entities.

12. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable storage media of claim 11, comprising instructions which when executed cause determining the first selected matched entity and the second selected matched entity at least in part by receiving input selecting, for consolidation, at least a first matched entity from the first subset of the imported data entities and at least a second matched entity from the second subset of the imported data entities;

comprising instructions which when executed cause receiving input that selects, for consolidation, fewer than all of the imported data entities that are matched.

13. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable storage media of claim 11, comprising instructions which when executed cause using the first matching criteria to check for an exact match between the first subset of one or more properties and a first corresponding subset of one or more properties of the existing data entities, and comprising instructions which when executed cause using the second matching criteria to check for an exact match between the second subset of one or more properties and a second corresponding subset of one or more properties of the existing data entities.

14. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable storage media of claim 11, comprising instructions which when executed cause the first matching criteria not allowing any conflicts between the first subset of one or more properties and a first corresponding subset of one or more properties of the existing data entities, and comprising instructions which when executed cause the second matching criteria allowing at least some conflicts between the first subset of one or more properties of the imported data entities and the first corresponding subset of one or more properties of the existing data entities.

15. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable storage media of claim 11, comprising instructions which when executed cause the first matching criteria not allowing missing information in the first subset of one or more properties, and comprising instructions which when executed cause the second matching criteria allowing missing information in the first subset of one or more properties.

16. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable storage media of claim 11, wherein the first subset and the second subset each have two or more properties.

17. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable storage media of claim 11, comprising instructions which when executed cause the first matching criteria checking for an exact match and the second matching criteria checking for a fuzzy match.

18. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable storage media of claim 11, wherein the instructions when executed cause storing the first matching criteria and the second matching criteria for use in subsequent entity resolution operations.

19. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable storage media of claim 11, wherein the instructions when executed cause:

receiving input that specifies one or more names of stored matching criteria;

loading the stored matching criteria based at least in part on the input;

automatically matching imported data entities to existing data entities using the loaded matching criteria.

20. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable storage media of claim 11, comprising instructions which when executed cause:

determining that the imported data entities comprise one or more unresolved data entities, and, in response;

matching the one or more unresolved data entities to a third subset of the existing data entities using at least a third matching criteria that is different from the first matching criteria and the second matching criteria;

consolidating a third selected matched entity from the one or more unresolved data entities with a third existing entity of the third subset of the existing data entities.