Patent ID: 8745728

Claim:
A method for positively identifying business associates accessing multiple business applications within a business using different associate identifiers, the method comprising: determining, via a computing device processor, that an associate of the business accessing a first business application using a first application-specific associate identifier is the same associate as the associate accessing a second business application when using a second different application-specific associate identifier, wherein the determination includes, accessing a first system of record associated with the first business application based on the first application-specific associate identifier, wherein the first system of record includes first data items associated with the associate, accessing a second system of record associated with the second business application based on the second application-specific associate identifier, wherein the second system of record includes second data items associated with the associate, identifying one or more data item matches between the first data items in the first system of record and the second data items in the second system of record, wherein data item matches include same or similar data, applying a weighting factor to each of the one or more data item matches, wherein the weighting factor is based on similarity of the data and a significance that the data item match may indicate that the associate accessing the first business application is the same as the associate accessing the second business application, calculating a total for the weighted one or more data item matches and comparing the calculated total to a predetermined threshold to determine if the associate accessing the first business application is the same as the associate accessing the second business application; generating, via a computing device processor, a different and unique federated identifier for the associate based on the determination that the associate accessing the first business application is the same as the associate accessing the second business application; implementing the federated identifier to access the plurality of systems of record to determine a plurality of application-specific associate identifiers associated with the associate and identifying associates of the business that have previously accessed a business application based on the determined plurality of application-specific identifiers, and storing, in computing device memory, the federated identifier for the associate in a plurality of systems of record, wherein each system of record is associated with the associate and with a business application implemented by the business.