Patent ID: 6970880

Claim:
A method for maintaining records in a database comprising: (a) receiving at least a collection of first data items and a collection of second data items; (b) disposing the first data items in a plurality of fields arranged in a predetermined format to form a first assemblage; (c) disposing the second data items in a plurality of fields arranged in the predetermined format to form a second assemblage; (d) performing a normalization process to modify selected ones of the first data items and the second data items to conform to predetermined nomenclature, the normalization process being a function of time; (e) associating a time of the normalization process with the first assemblage and second assemblage to facilitate renormalization of the first assemblage and second assemblage based on the time; (f) maintaining a record, in the database, having a plurality of fields arranged in the predetermined format; (g) determining whether a first particular data item in the predetermined nomenclature in a selected field of the first assemblage is identical to a second particular data item in the predetermined nomenclature in a field of the second assemblage corresponding to the selected field; and (h) if it is determined that the first particular data item in the predetermined nomenclature is identical to the second particular data item in the predetermined nomenclature, including in a field in the record a selected one of (1) the first data items in the predetermined nomenclature and (2) the second data items in the predetermined nomenclature.