Earlier this month, Sypherlink, Inc., received a U.S. patent on a database correlating apparatus, computer readable medium, and system regarding its database merging technology. U.S. Patent No. 7,039,650 ("System and method for making multiple databases appear as a single database"), issued on May 2nd, claims, in part, “A database correlating apparatus that is configured to merge distinct databases such that the databases appear to an accessor as a single database.” The apparatus as claimed comprises “a database pair generator that creates an initial database pair from a first non-merged database,” a “probe set generator that creates a database probe set from a second non-merged database,” a comparator communicating with the two generators (to determine correlations), and an identifier to identify correlations “between said database pair and said database probe set so that correlating data from said first database and said second database can be accessed if there is a correlation such that data from the first and second non-merged databases are accessibly simultaneously.” This patent states that it solves the then-existing need “to automate the development of field level relationships established between two or more databases, tables, and files, and with domain knowledge somewhat less than that of the level of expert” regarding database integration or conversion projects. According to Steven Adams, the Chief Software Architect of Sypherlink, "[t]his technology is the only solution available which automates the mapping process by analyzing data for metadata, structure and content.”

U.S. Patent No. 7,039,650: LINK
Sypherlink Press Release: LINK
Sypherlink’s Solutions Web Page: LINK