Frequently asked questions

Queries in the API can define the set of entities that are considered as possible results using a variety of scoping methods. The returned entities (sent to the API client, and also used as the basis for scoring decisions), however, are always the same: they include information from the full set of sources indexed in the API.

This helps to improve match precision in cases where one country's watchlist may not include all identifying details relevant for a qualified match decision (such as a person's middle name, date of birth, nationality). For example, the scoring system can pick the most detailed form of a name as a basis for comparison, and reduce false positives on that basis (eg: matching Vladimir Vladimirovitch Putin instead of Vladimir Putin will avoid a hit for Vladimir Borisovich Putin).

Accessing lineage data via the API

In order to trace whether a given aspect of an entity profile is actually derived from a specific data source, we suggest that users rely on the statement-based data model which provides full lineage for each property in the database (example). When using the hosted API, this can be accessed using the /statements API endpoint like this:

/statements?canonical_id=<id>&limit=1000

Other available query filters include dataset and prop. The endpoint is not subject to payment/metering.

Using custom data collections

The set of statements included in entity profiles is determined by the data collection used to build the API. Users of the on-premise version of the yente API can make use of a custom manifest in order to index a more limited set of entities.