Resolving database entity information

• US 9,846,731 B2
• Filed: 11/22/2016
• Issued: 12/19/2017
• 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): DAYE, CHELCIE L
• Application Number:
  US15/359,287
• Publication Number:
  US 20170075970A1
• Time in Patent Office: 392 Days
• Field of Search: 707602, 707748
• 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 of matching a plurality of imported data entities to a plurality of existing data entities in a database comprising:

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 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 that is different than the first matching technique and to use as part of the second matching criteria;

receiving third input specifying a particular one of the imported data entities and signaling a request to resolve that particular one of the imported data entities in relation to the existing data entities;

matching the particular one 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 particular one 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 display of a first result of matching the particular one imported data entity to the first subset of the existing data entities and a second result of matching the particular one imported data entity to the second subset of the existing data entities;

receiving, in response to the display, a selection of one or more of continuing resolving the particular one imported data entity, resolving others of the imported data entities, and consolidating the particular one imported data entity into the existing data entities, the consolidating comprising adding at least one value from the particular one imported data entity to one of the first subset of the existing data entities or one of the second subset of the existing data entities;

performing further resolution or consolidation based on the selection,

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

2. The method of claim 1, the selection being consolidating the particular one imported data entity into the existing data entities.

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 performing a method of matching a plurality of imported data entities to a plurality of existing data entities in a database comprising:

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 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 that is different than the first matching technique and to use as part of the second matching criteria;

receiving third input specifying a particular one of the imported data entities and signaling a request to resolve that particular one of the imported data entities in relation to the existing data entities;

matching the particular one 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 particular one 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 display of a first result of matching the particular one imported data entity to the first subset of the existing data entities and a second result of matching the particular one imported data entity to the second subset of the existing data entities;

receiving, in response to the display, a selection of one or more of continuing resolving the particular one imported data entity, resolving others of the imported data entities, and consolidating the particular one imported data entity into the existing data entities, the consolidating comprising adding at least one value from the particular one imported data entity to one of the first subset of the existing data entities or one of the second subset of the existing data entities;

performing further resolution or consolidation based on the selection.

12. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable storage media of claim 11, the selection being consolidating the particular one imported data entity into the existing data entities.

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.