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

Citation

Cook, M. (2003), "Practical International Data Management: A Guide to Working with Global Names and Addresses", Journal of Documentation, Vol. 59 No. 3, pp. 363-364. https://doi.org/10.1108/00220410310472545

This is a practical manual for constructing a database of international names and addresses (primarily) for marketing purposes. It is written from the point of view of the marketing manager or people hoping to use the database; it does not deal with programming or database technicalities. This is the great virtue of the book. It should be read with the same author's Global Sourcebook of Address Data Management: A Guide to Address Formats and Data in 194 Countries (Rhind, 1999).

The book gives clear and detailed instruction on: the structure of the database; how the international character of the data might affect it; international standardisation; how to deal with language transliteration; the structure of personal names in different cultures; the structure of addresses in different systems; dates, times and numbers; methods of reducing duplication; and general advice on using international name data.

The author is an enthusiast as well as being expert. His enthusiasm shows through the writing, and makes what might easily be an extremely dull technical manual readable and interesting. The structure of names in different languages and cultures is indeed an interesting and significant matter, on which it is difficult to get good information.

Graham Rhind will guide you well through this thicket. Some of the information and advice will be modified by international standards still in the pipeline. Meanwhile this must be the definitive guide.