Customers and products are the heart of any business, and corporations collect more data about them every year. However, just because you have data doesn't mean you can use it effectively. If not properly integrated, data can actually encourage false conclusions that result in bad decisions and lost opportunities. Entity Resolution (ER) is a powerful tool for transforming data into accurate, value-added information. Using entity resolution methods and techniques, you can identify equivalent records from multiple sources corresponding to the same real-world person, place, or thing. This emerging area of data management is clearly explained throughout the book. It teaches you the process of locating and linking information about the same entity - eliminating duplications - and making crucial business decisions based on the results. This book is an authoritative, vendor-independent technical reference for researchers, graduate students and practitioners, including architects, technical analysts, and solution developers. In short, Entity Resolution and Information Quality gives you the applied level know-how you need to aggregate data from disparate sources and form accurate customer and product profiles that support effective marketing and sales. It is an invaluable guide for succeeding in today's info-centric environment. First authoritative reference explaining entity resolution and how to use it effectively Provides practical system design advice to help you get a competitive advantage Includes a companion site with synthetic customer data for applicatory exercises, and access to a Java-based Entity Resolution program.