Patent ID: 8280847

Claim:
An apparatus comprising: a storage device for storing first and second data tables, each table having one or more fields of which at least some are populated with data entries, both data tables having one or more mutually similar fields and at least one of the data tables having one or more dissimilar fields that are dissimilar to fields of the other data table; and a processing device in communication with said storage device, said processing device being configured to modify the first and second data tables so as to synchronize the similar fields of the first and second data tables; wherein said processing device is further configured to determine a priority between respective differing data entries from similar fields of the first and second data tables and to modify both of the first and second data tables so as to synchronize the similar fields of the first and second data tables by replacing each differing data entry of lower priority with the corresponding differing data entry of higher priority; and further wherein said storage device includes an intermediate data table having intermediate data table fields corresponding to the mutually similar fields of the first and second data tables, at least some of the intermediate data table fields being populated with previously stored intermediate data table entries, and wherein said processing device is configured to determine a priority and generate a dissimilarity indicator by using data entries of the first and second data tables to respectively replace corresponding inconsistent intermediate data table entries and subsequently using intermediate data table entries to respectively replace corresponding inconsistent first and second data table entries.