@
mkkyah -
all of the above, especially Manage Authors (and Publishers etc). For Authors you can sort on the 'author sort' column which really helps, I think that's the default.
When I started using calibre, I tried to utilise the User Categories and the Grouped Search features (independently) to 'manage' name variants. Whilst both worked to some extent, they added a layer of complexity for not much gain. I soon decided it was easier to settle on one name for an author, publisher etc and make sure I got them 'right' when adding new books.
If I'm unsure that the value of Author of a newly added book is correct - e.g. 'Fred Smith', I right click on it in the Book details panel (on the left), and select
Manage Fred Smith, if I find I also have a 'Frederick Smith' I can make the correction to the newly added book within the Manage Authors list. Same with publishers, series etc.
Pseudonyms are a different issue.
BR