Method and system for indexing, relating and managing information about entities

• US 20090089317A1
• Filed: 09/28/2007
• Published: 04/02/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 09/28/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Grashel, Richard Gray II, Schumacher, Scott, Wilkinson, David, Ford, Aaron Dea
• Granted Patent: US 8,713,434 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• 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 system for associating data records, comprising:

one or more information sources;

a master entity index system 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 for associated with the entity types, 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 first data record and the candidate data record comprise information on a first entity of the entity type; and

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

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 representations representing a 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.

2. 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 for associated with the entity types, 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 first data record and the candidate data record comprise information on an entity of the entity type; and

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

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

4. The method of claim 3, further comprising establishing a relationship between the first entity and a second entity.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the relationship is of a first relationship type.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the first relationship type is defined to be between entities of the first entity type.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the relationship type is defined as unidirectional or bidirectional.

8. A system for associating data records, comprising:

one or more information sources; and

a master entity index system 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 for associated with the entity types, 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 first data record and the candidate data record comprise information on an entity of the entity type; and

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

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

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the master entity index system is further operable for establishing a relationship between the first entity and a second entity.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the relationship is of a first relationship type.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the first relationship type is defined to be between entities of the first entity type.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the relationship type is defined as unidirectional or bidirectional.

14. A method for displaying and configuring associations between data records, comprising:

presenting a user with an interface for use with a system, wherein the system is operable to associate data records as entities according to a set of entity types and establish relationships between the entities and the relationships are defined according to a set of relationship types, the interface operable to;

search for a first entity using one or more search criteria; and

display a first entity representation corresponding to the first entity.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the interface is operable to display one or more second entity representations, each second entity representation representing an entity having a relationship with the first entity.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the interface is operable to display a set of relationship representations, each relationship representation representing a relationship between the first entity and one of the one or more second entities.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the interface is operable to:

allow a user to select the first entity representation and one of the second entity representations;

offer a set of possible relationships based upon the selection; and

allow a user to select one of the set of possible relationships, wherein the system establishes a first relationship between the entity represented by the first entity and the selected second entity representation based upon the selected possible relationship.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the set of possible relationships are determined based upon a first entity type associated with the first entity representation and a second entity type associated with the second entity representation.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the interface is operable to allow a user to select a second relationship representation for deletion, wherein the system deletes a second relationship represented by the second relationship representation.

25. The computer readable medium of claim 18, wherein the interface is operable to allow a user to select a second relationship representation for deletion, wherein the system deletes a second relationship represented by the second relationship representation.

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

presenting a user with an interface for use with a system, wherein the system is operable to associate data records as entities according to a set of entity types and establish relationships between the entities and the relationships are defined according to a set of relationship types, the interface operable to;

search for a first entity using one or more search criteria; and

display a first entity representation corresponding to the first entity.

21. The computer readable medium of claim 20, wherein the interface is operable to display one or more second entity representations, each second entity representation representing an entity having a relationship with the first entity.

22. The computer readable medium of claim 21, wherein the interface is operable to display a set of relationship representations, each relationship representation representing a relationship between the first entity and one of the one or more second entities.

23. The computer readable medium of claim 22, wherein the interface is operable to:

allow a user to select the first entity representation and one of the second entity representations;

offer a set of possible relationships based upon the selection; and

allow a user to select one of the set of possible relationships, wherein the system establishes a first relationship between the entity represented by the first entity and the selected second entity representation based upon the selected possible relationship.

24. The computer readable medium of claim 23, wherein the set of possible relationships are determined based upon a first entity type associated with the first entity representation and a second entity type associated with the second entity representation.