Identifying consuming entity behavior across domains

1. A system, comprising:

at least one computing device;

a plurality of identity records stored in a memory, each of the identity records comprising at least one attribute, and the identity records originating from a plurality of domains; and

an application executable in the at least one computing device, the application comprising:

logic that determines whether a set of attributes of a first one of the identity records meets at least one attribute standard, the at least one attribute standard defining a plurality of optional attributes and a minimum quantity of the optional attributes that are required to be present in the set of attributes;

logic that determines whether the first one of the identity records is associated with a consumption entity in response to determining that the set of attributes meets the at least one attribute standard, wherein a second one of the identity records is associated with the consumption entity, and wherein the first and the second ones of the identity records originate from separate ones of the domains; and

logic that associates the first one of the identity records with a persistent key if the first one of the identity records is determined to be associated with the consumption entity, where the persistent key is associated with the consumption entity;

wherein the minimum quantity of the plurality of optional attributes is at least one, but less than a total number of the plurality of optional attributes;

wherein the logic that determines whether the first one of the identity records is associated with the consumption entity further comprises logic that identifies at least one attribute match between the first and second ones of the identity records;

wherein the logic that determines whether the first one of the identity records is associated with the consumption entity further comprises logic that generates a score for the at least one attribute match, the score indicating a degree of reliability of the at least one attribute match, the score being based on a plurality of sub-scores for the plurality of optional attributes, respectively; and

wherein logic that determines whether the first one of the identity records is associated with the consumption entity further comprises logic that implements a tie breaker process between the first one of the identity records and the second one of the identity records by merging the first and second ones of the identity records based on scores associated with the first and second ones of the identity records, respectively.

2. The system of claim 1 , wherein the first one of the identity records is determined to be associated with the consumption entity if the score is greater than a predefined match threshold.

3. The system of claim 1 , wherein the second one of the identity records was associated with the persistent key prior to implementing the logic that determines whether the first one of the identity records is associated with the consumption entity.

4. The system of claim 1 , wherein the application further comprises:

logic that generates the persistent key if neither of the first and second ones of the identity records is associated with a previously existing persistent key, and the first one of the identity records is determined to be associated with the consumption entity; and

logic that associates the second one of the identity records with the persistent key.

5. The system of claim 1 , wherein a commercial activity of the consumption entity is associated with the first and second identity records.

6. The system of claim 1 , wherein the logic that determines whether a set of attributes of a first one of the identity records meets at least one attribute standard further comprises:

logic that determines whether the first one of the identity records meets a first attribute standard; and

logic that determines whether the first one of the identity records meets a second attribute standard if the first one of the identity records does not meet the first attribute standard, where the first and second attribute standards each specify a set of attributes required to be present, and the first attribute standard is more restrictive than the second attribute standard.

7. The system of claim 6 , wherein the first attribute standard specifies a plurality of mandatory attributes.

8. The system of claim 6 , wherein the second attribute standard specifies at least one mandatory attribute.

9. The system of claim 1 , wherein the consumption entity is one of a plurality of consumption entities, and the application further comprises logic that determines whether a persistent key is to be generated for the first one of the identity records when no association between any one of the consumption entities and the first one of the records can be identified.

10. The system of claim 9 , wherein the logic that determines whether the persistent key is to be generated for the first one of the identity records further comprises:

logic that generates the persistent key if the set of attributes of the first one of the identity records meets the at least one attribute standard.

11. The system of claim 1 , wherein the application further comprises:

logic that generates data encoding a user interface that facilitates specification of the at least one attribute standard, the user interface including a corresponding component for designating each of a set of attribute types as being mandatory and a corresponding component for designating each of the set of attribute types as being optional;

logic that sends the data encoding the user interface to a client; and

logic that obtains the specification of the at least one attribute standard from the client.

12. The system of claim 11 , wherein the user interface includes a component for specifying the minimum quantity of the optional attributes.

13. The system of claim 11 , wherein the client is associated with one of the domains, the one of the domains originating the first one of the identity records.

14. A method, comprising:

storing a plurality of identity records in a memory accessible to a computing system, each of the identity records comprising at least one attribute, and the identity records originating from a plurality of domains;

determining, in the computing system, whether a set of attributes of a first one of the identity records meets at least one attribute standard, the at least one attribute standard defining a plurality of optional attributes and a minimum quantity of the optional attributes that are required to be present in the set of attributes;

responsive to determining that the set of attributes meets the at least one attribute standard, determining, in the computing system, whether the first one of the identity records identifies a consumption entity that is identified by a second one of the identity records, and wherein the first and the second ones of the identity records originate from separate ones of the domains, wherein the second one of the identity records is associated with a persistent key, the persistent key being associated with the consumption entity; and

associating, in the computer system, the first one of the identity records with the persistent key if the first one of the identity records is determined to identify the consumption entity;

wherein the minimum quantity of the plurality of optional attributes is at least one, but less than a total number of the plurality of optional attributes;

wherein determining, in the computing system, whether the first one of the identity records identifies the consumption entity that is identified by the second one of the identity records further comprises identifying at least one attribute match between the first and second ones of the identity records;

wherein determining, in the computing system, whether the first one of the identity records identifies the consumption entity that is identified by the second one of the identity records further comprises generating a score indicating a degree of reliability of the at least one attribute match, the score being based on a plurality of sub-scores for the plurality of optional attributes, respectively; and

wherein determining, in the computer system, whether the first one of the identity records is associated with the consumption entity further comprises implementing a tie breaker process between the first one of the identity records and the second one of the identity records by merging the first and second ones of the identity records based on scores associated with the first and second ones of the identity records, respectively.

15. The method of claim 14 , wherein the first one of the identity records is determined to identify the consumption entity that is identified by the second one of the identity records if the score is greater than a predefined match threshold.

16. A system, comprising:

a plurality of identity records stored in a memory, each of the identity records comprising at least one attribute, and the identity records originating from a plurality of domains;

means for determining whether a set of attributes of a first one of the identity records meets at least one attribute standard, the at least one attribute standard defining a plurality of optional attributes and a minimum quantity of the optional attributes that are required to be present in the set of attributes;

means for determining whether the first one of the identity records identifies a consumption entity that is identified by a second one of the identity records responsive to determining that the set of attributes meets the at least one attribute standard, wherein the first and the second ones of the identity records originate from separate ones of the domains; and

means for associating the first one of the identity records with a persistent key if the first one of the identity records is determined to identify the consumption entity, wherein the second one of the identity records is associated with the persistent key, and the persistent key being associated with the consumption entity;

wherein the minimum quantity of the plurality of optional attributes is at least one, but less than a total number of the plurality of optional attributes;

wherein the means for determining whether the first one of the identity records is associated with the consumption entity further comprises means for identifying at least one attribute match between the first and second ones of the identity records;

wherein the means for determining whether the first one of the identity records is associated with the consumption entity further comprises means for generating a score for the at least one attribute match, the score indicating a degree of reliability of the at least one attribute match, the score being based on a plurality of sub-scores for the plurality of optional attributes, respectively; and

wherein the means for determining whether the first one of the identity records is associated with the consumption entity further comprises means for implementing a tie breaker process between the first one of the identity and the second one of the identity records by merging the first and second ones of the identity records based on scores associated with the first and second ones of the identity records, respectively.