Name Navigator Database
A Culturally-Aware Database Solution for Personalized Client Interactions
La Monte Henry Piggy Yarroll, Christopher A. Murphy, Patrick Le, Oluwaseyi Olufemi Durosinmi-Etti
Summer Term, 2024
Project Overview
The Name Navigator database was designed to provide a culturally inclusive name personalization system that could integrate into CRM or HR software to allow for nuanced handling of multilingual and multi-format names. This project focused on demonstrating how thoughtful database structure can improve inclusion, reduce bias, and enhance client trust.
The project is owned and led by fellow student collaborator La Monte Henry Piggy Yarroll.
Problem Statement
Traditional CRM systems often force clients into rigid name formats, misrepresenting or ignoring local naming conventions (e.g., Eastern vs. Western order), Preferred names vs. legal names, honorifics, and pronunciation instructions.
Methods
ERD for Person/Name/Honorific/Locale/Particle with referential integrity and many-to-one names per person; supports preferred and legacy (“dead”) names plus IPA pronunciation.
SQL database deployment script (names.sql)
SQL CRM queries (e.g., preferred vs. legal name, honorific/greeting, locale-aware formatting) to answer business needs.
Key Learnings
Names are multifaceted data structures, not simple strings — treating them as such can unlock personalization and build trust with clients.
Embedding cultural intelligence into databases is technically feasible and socially impactful.
Visualizations
Competencies Employed
SQL Coding
Querying and manipulating structured data using SQL to extract insights, join datasets, and support analysis in relational database systems.
Strategy & Decisions
Developing alternative strategies based on the data analysis.
Database Administration
Managing database systems, including configuration, security, backups, user access, and performance tuning.
Data Engineering
Designing and implementing systems for data collection, storage, and access.
Database Management
Overseeing the organization, integrity, and optimization of databases to ensure performance, availability, and scalability.
Communication
Succinctly communicate complicated technical concepts.
Information Retrieval
Extracting relevant information from unstructured sources like documents or text corpora.
Database Deployment
Deploying database systems to production environments, including version control, migration scripts, and integration with applications.
Visual Analytics
Designing interactive tools that allow users to explore and analyze data visually.
Data Management
Managing structured and unstructured data using databases and data warehouses.
Database Scripting
Writing SQL or procedural scripts to automate database tasks such as data loading, transformation, querying, and maintenance operations.
Database Design
Structuring relational or NoSQL databases by defining schemas, relationships, and normalization strategies to support efficient data storage and retrieval.
Additional Technical Information
Data Model
The system was built using a normalized relational schema. Key entities include:
Person: Core profile with identity metadata
Name: Stores full name, preferred name, legal name, and dead names
Particle: Represents name components (e.g., family name, given name)
Particle Order: Tracks particle position per locale
Honorific: Optional prefixes based on cultural norms
Locale: Language + country combinations to define naming structure
Results Summary
CRM-ready schema (names.sql): enables dynamic, culturally correct personalization.
Stored SQL Queries for monitoring usage of data personalization features.
Future Improvements
Use speech models to generate IPA or audio pronunciation from name strings.
Surface IPA, honorific suggestions, and formatting logic in a usable interface.
Add dashboards for name override usage trends, personalization metrics, and % completion tracking for IPA tagging.