Patent ID: 8359339

Claim:
A method for configuring an association of data records, comprising: providing a system having an identity hub coupled to a set of data sources and a set of operator computers via a network, wherein the identity hub is configured to store a link between one or more data records in the set of data sources and for transforming a data record from a native data format to a standard data format; presenting a user with an interface at an operator computer, wherein the interface comprises software tools with which the user is able to manipulate a graphical representation of an algorithm for a configuration of the identity hub for associating data records from the set of data sources, the interface is configured to display a set of attributes and allow the user to select a representation of an attribute and to display a set of bucketing functions associated with the identity hub, allow the user to select a representation of a bucketing function, allow the user to create a representation of a bucketing group and associate the representation of the bucketing group with the representation of the bucketing function and the attribute and the interface is further configured to display a set of standardization functions associated with the identity hub, allow the user to select a representation of a standardization function and associate the representation of the attribute with the representation of the standardization function; and creating or modifying the algorithm according to the graphical representation of the algorithm as manipulated by the user utilizing the interface, wherein the identity hub is correspondingly configured to associate data records by: receiving a data record; identifying a set of candidate data records, wherein identifying a set of candidate data records is done by comparing the data record to a set of existing data records according to the algorithm; and scoring each of the set of candidate data records, wherein a score of each of the set of candidate data records is calculated by comparing the data record to the candidate data record according to the algorithm and the score represents a probability of a match between the candidate data record and the received data record.