diff --git a/sgschema/schema.py b/sgschema/schema.py
index 081046e..fdf86d0 100644
--- a/sgschema/schema.py
+++ b/sgschema/schema.py
@@ -162,6 +162,78 @@ def load(self, input_):
             else:
                 raise ValueError('unknown complex field %s' % key)
 
+    def resolve(self, entity_spec, field_spec=None, auto_prefix=True, implicit_aliases=True, strict=False):
+
+        if field_spec is None: # We are resolving an entity.
+
+            m = re.match(r'^([!#$]?)([\w:-]+)$', entity_spec)
+            if not m:
+                raise ValueError('%r cannot be an entity' % entity_spec)
+            operation, entity_spec = m.groups()
+
+            if operation == '!':
+                return [entity_spec]
+            if operation == '#':
+                return list(self.entity_tags.get(entity_spec, ()))
+            if operation == '$':
+                try:
+                    return [self.entity_aliases[entity_spec]]
+                except KeyError:
+                    return []
+
+            if entity_spec in self.entities:
+                return [entity_spec]
+
+            if implicit_aliases and entity_spec in self.entity_aliases:
+                return [self.entity_aliases[entity_spec]]
+
+            if strict:
+                raise ValueError('%r is not an entity' % entity_spec)
+
+            return [entity_spec]
+
+        # When resolving a field, the entity must exist.
+        try:
+            entity = self.entities[entity_spec]
+        except KeyError:
+            raise ValueError('%r is not an entity' % entity_spec)
+
+        m = re.match(r'^([!#$]?)([\w:-]+)$', field_spec)
+        if not m:
+            raise ValueError('%r cannot be a field' % field_spec)
+        operation, field_spec = m.groups()
+
+        if operation == '!':
+            return [field_spec]
+        if operation == '#':
+            return list(entity.field_tags.get(field_spec, ()))
+        if operation == '$':
+            try:
+                return [entity.field_aliases[field_spec]]
+            except KeyError:
+                return []
+
+        if field_spec in entity.fields:
+            return [field_spec]
+
+        if auto_prefix:
+            prefixed = 'sg_' + field_spec
+            if prefixed in entity.fields:
+                return [prefixed]
+
+        if implicit_aliases and field_spec in entity.field_aliases:
+            return [entity.field_aliases[field_spec]]
+
+        if strict:
+            raise ValueError('%r is not a field of %s' % (field_spec, entity_spec))
+
+        return [field_spec]
+
+
+
+
+
+
 
 
 if __name__ == '__main__':
diff --git a/tests/test_resolve.py b/tests/test_resolve.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..737edc3
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/test_resolve.py
@@ -0,0 +1,108 @@
+from . import *
+
+
+class TestResolveEntities(TestCase):
+
+    def setUp(self):
+
+        self.s = s = Schema()
+        s.load({
+            'entities': {
+                'Entity': {
+                    'aliases': ['A', 'with:Namespace'],
+                    'tags': ['X'],
+                }
+            },
+            'entity_aliases': {
+                'B': 'Entity',
+            },
+            'entity_tags': {
+                'Y': ['Entity'],
+            }
+        })
+
+    def test_explicit(self):
+        self.assertEqual(self.s.resolve('!Entity'), ['Entity'])
+        self.assertEqual(self.s.resolve('$A'), ['Entity'])
+        self.assertEqual(self.s.resolve('$B'), ['Entity'])
+        self.assertEqual(self.s.resolve('#X'), ['Entity'])
+        self.assertEqual(self.s.resolve('#Y'), ['Entity'])
+
+    def test_namespace(self):
+        self.assertEqual(self.s.resolve('$with:Namespace'), ['Entity'])
+
+    def test_implicit(self):
+        self.assertEqual(self.s.resolve('Entity'), ['Entity'])
+        self.assertEqual(self.s.resolve('A'), ['Entity'])
+        self.assertEqual(self.s.resolve('B'), ['Entity'])
+
+    def test_missing(self):
+        self.assertEqual(self.s.resolve('#Missing'), [])
+        self.assertEqual(self.s.resolve('$Missing'), [])
+        self.assertEqual(self.s.resolve('!Missing'), ['Missing'])
+        self.assertEqual(self.s.resolve('Missing'), ['Missing'])
+        self.assertRaises(ValueError, self.s.resolve, 'Missing', strict=True)
+
+class TestResolveFields(TestCase):
+
+    def setUp(self):
+
+        self.s = s = Schema()
+        s.load({
+            'entities': {
+                'Entity': {
+                    'fields': {
+                        'attr': {
+                            'aliases': ['a', 'with:namespace'],
+                            'tags': ['x'],
+
+                        },
+                        'sg_type': {},
+                        'name': {},
+                        'sg_name': {},
+                    },
+                    'field_aliases': {
+                        'b': 'attr',
+                    },
+                    'field_tags': {
+                        'y': ['attr'],
+                    }
+                }
+            },
+        })
+
+    def test_explicit(self):
+        self.assertEqual(self.s.resolve('Entity', '!attr'), ['attr'])
+        self.assertEqual(self.s.resolve('Entity', '$a'), ['attr'])
+        self.assertEqual(self.s.resolve('Entity', '$b'), ['attr'])
+        self.assertEqual(self.s.resolve('Entity', '#x'), ['attr'])
+        self.assertEqual(self.s.resolve('Entity', '#y'), ['attr'])
+
+    def test_namespace(self):
+        self.assertEqual(self.s.resolve('Entity', '$with:namespace'), ['attr'])
+        self.assertEqual(self.s.resolve('Entity', 'with:namespace'), ['attr'])
+
+    def test_implicit(self):
+        self.assertEqual(self.s.resolve('Entity', 'attr'), ['attr'])
+        self.assertEqual(self.s.resolve('Entity', 'a'), ['attr'])
+        self.assertEqual(self.s.resolve('Entity', 'b'), ['attr'])
+
+    def test_prefix(self):
+        self.assertEqual(self.s.resolve('Entity', 'sg_type'), ['sg_type'])
+        self.assertEqual(self.s.resolve('Entity', 'type'), ['sg_type'])
+        self.assertEqual(self.s.resolve('Entity', '!type'), ['type'])
+
+        self.assertEqual(self.s.resolve('Entity', 'sg_name'), ['sg_name'])
+        self.assertEqual(self.s.resolve('Entity', 'name'), ['name']) # different!
+        self.assertEqual(self.s.resolve('Entity', '!name'), ['name'])
+
+    def test_missing_entity(self):
+        self.assertRaises(ValueError, self.s.resolve, 'Missing', 'field_name')
+
+    def test_missing(self):
+        self.assertEqual(self.s.resolve('Entity', '$missing'), [])
+        self.assertEqual(self.s.resolve('Entity', '#missing'), [])
+        self.assertEqual(self.s.resolve('Entity', '!missing'), ['missing'])
+        self.assertEqual(self.s.resolve('Entity', 'missing'), ['missing'])
+        self.assertRaises(ValueError, self.s.resolve, 'Entity', 'missing', strict=True)
+