User talk:AllyD

This is a follow-up to a brief Talk page exchange with Stinglehammer last autumn. James nayler is real was also involved, and LydiaPintscher was pinged, so I am re-pinging all on this note.

This is triggered by my Mastodon bot, which uses Wikidata/SPARQL, and this morning generated a post about people accused of witchcraft in Ayr in 1618. It named two individuals as Janet M'Allexander and Janet McAlexander. These are two distinct entries on the Survey of Scottish Witchcraft database, A/LA/3036 and A/JO/2748 respectively, though almost certainly a single individual entangled in Kirk Session and judicial processes. I have submitted a form to the Survey project, but note that the project appears to be closed.

In other circumstances, I would be inclined to merge items Q43396093 and Q43395578, were it not for their distinct external database references under P4478. It does make me wonder, though, about what processes exist - or are needed - for dealing with situations where

• Wikidata and a referenced external database both remain open to updating without ongoing update refresh, so are susceptible to emerging contradictions;

or

• Wikidata was loaded and referenced to an external database in a one-off exercise, but the external database is no longer actively updated;

or worse

• Wikidata was loaded and referenced to an external database, but the external database ceases to exist altogether, for whatever reason.

AllyD (talk) 10:51, 14 August 2023 (UTC)[reply]