System and method for analyzing and correcting retail data

Abstract

A computer system and method is disclosed that analyzes and corrects retail data. The system and method includes several client workstations and one or more servers coupled together over a network. A database stores various data used by the system. A business logic server uses competitive and complementary fusion to analyze and correct some of the data sources stored in database server. The data fusion process itself is an iterative one—utilizing both competitive and complementary fusion methods. In competitive fusion, two or more data sources that provide overlapping attributes are compared against each other. More accurate/reliable sources are used to correct less accurate/reliable sources. In complementary fusion, relationships modeled where data sources overlap are projected to areas of the data framework in which fewer sources exist—enhancing the accuracy/reliability of those fewer sources even in the absence of the other sources upon which the models were based.

1 . A method comprising:
 identifying a plurality of data sources, wherein at least a first data source is more accurate than a second data source;   identifying a plurality of overlapping attribute segments to use for comparing the data sources;   calculating a factor as a function of each of the plurality of overlapping attribute segments; and   using the factors to update a first group of values in the second data source to reduce bias.