Practical International Data Management: A Guide to Working With Global Names and Addresses

New data collection methods (such as the Internet), the globalization of economies and improving computer hardware and software are allowing companies to collect information about their customers and prospects in ever greater numbers and from increasingly further afield. Managing this data brings with it a whole range of practical issues of which most companies are unaware and which, if ignored, are expensive and time-consuming to correct. This book details the problems that a company is likely to encounter and suggests, where available, solutions and ways of preventing the problems arising. It tackles data management from the point of view of the data and the reason for creating the database, rather than approaching it as a technical issue. Topics covered include database structure and data format, data cleaning and standardization, language issues, personal name and address component management, and de-duplication.