Entity resolution: Managing mappings

Mapping is a required step before running any Entity Resolution process. A mapping defines how the properties in your dataset should be compared by the Entity Resolution engine to identify potential duplicates.

ℹ️ Note: Only Admins and Source Managers can create, view, edit, or delete mappings.

Accessing the mapping tab

• Open the Entity Resolution section from the wheel menu.
• You will land on the Mapping tab, which proposes you to Map an Entity if you have not created one yet.

In case mappings already exist, they will be listed in this tab. See Viewing Saved Mappings section.

ℹ️ Note: If you see that Entity Resolution is unavailable, please refer to the Troubleshooting section to understand why.

Creating a new mapping

• Click on the Map an Entity button (or Create Mapping if you already have some).
• A step-by-step form opens with two steps:
  • Step 1: Select Entity Type and Central Node Category
  • Step 2: Attribute-Property Mapping

Step 1: Select the "Entity Type" and "Node Category"

• Entity Type: Choose between PERSON or ORGANIZATION
• Central Node Category: Select a node category from your dataset (e.g., Person, Company)
  • Node categories created by Entity Resolution, such as ResolvedPersonEntity, are excluded

Once both values are selected, click SET to unlock Step 2.

Step 2: Map attributes to properties

⬅️ On the left: Choose Attributes required by Entity Resolution (e.g., NAME, ADDRESS, DOB)

• Select an Attribute from the list, or search for its name by typing it directly.

➡️ On the right: Select the corresponding Property from your graph schema

• Select a Property from the list, or search for its name by typing it directly.
• This includes:
  • Properties from the selected central node category
  • Properties from neighbor node categories, clearly labeled with an icon and grouped by category

🔁 Repeat this on next lines to map more attributes, and clicking Map a new attribute to add more lines.

Step 3: Save your mapping

• Click Save Mapping to create it.
• You are returned to the Mapping tab where the new mapping is listed.

Mapping tips ✨

• We encourage you to map at least three different attributes to encourage better resolution quality.
• You can differentiate some attributes by choosing its type. For example:
  • If a person has two Addresses registered, one for home and another for work, choose Address - Full (home) for the first attribute, then Address - Full (Work) for the second one.
  • The same goes for Names (Primary, Alias) and Phone number (Primary, Home, Work, Mobile, Fax, Other)
• If you don't know which attribute to choose, click on ℹ️ Attributes info to understand more about Senzing's attributes, what they stand for, and how they work.

Mapping rules 📜

• You must map at least one attribute-property pair to save
• A property can only be mapped once
• You may map multiple properties to a single attribute or choose different attribute types (Primary, Secondary, Home, Work, Other...)
• If an Entity Resolution process is currently running, the following mapping actions are disabled:
  • Create
  • Edit
  • Delete

Viewing saved mappings

• Each row in the Mapping tab shows:
  • The Central Node Category
  • The Entity Type
  • The Number of mapped attributes
  • Options to ✏️Edit or 🗑️Delete
• Click a mapping label to open a detail panel showing:
  • The mapped attributes and their associated properties
  • Options to ✏️Edit or 🗑️Delete

Editing a mapping

• Click the ✏️Edit icon from the table, or the Edit button from the side panel
• You are redirected to Step 2 with all previously mapped values pre-filled
• ⚠️ A warning reminds you that editing may affect existing resolved entities

• You can also click Edit right under Step 1 to change the entity type or node category.
• ⚠️ If the change impacts Step 2, only the relevant parts of your mapping will reset.

Deleting a mapping

• Click the 🗑️Delete icon from the table or Delete in the side panel
• A confirmation popup appears with a warning asking you to type in the word delete to confirm
• Enter delete and Confirm to delete the mapping, or Cancel to keep it.