Answers to Frequently Asked Questions

Your D&B Report

 How can I get a copy of my D&B Credit Report?

Please call Customer Service at 1-800-234-3867 and follow the prompts to discuss your own report.You can also go to www.dnb.com/eupdate to review and update your company´s report online.

 What does my rating mean?

Please visit www.dnb.com, where you can find an explanation of our ratings, or call Customer Service at 1-800-234-3867 and follow the prompts to discuss your own report.

 There is a public filing appearing in my report that has been satisfied (or settled or dismissed).How can I get it removed?

Please contact Customer Service at 1-800-234-3867 to have this issue addressed.If the status shown is settled/dismissed/satisfied, steps can be taken to suppress this filing from the report in question.If the status is shown as open or pending, you may send in the court documentation showing the settlement, dismissal or satisfaction.If you don't have the documentation, a recheck can be initiated.This process involves D&B going back the reporting courthouse, pulling the docket information and obtaining the status.

 Someone is reporting me as a slow payer, how can I find out who it is?

Business credit works a bit differently than personal credit and is not subject to the same laws as consumer credit, such as the Fair Credit Reporting Act.D&B is bound by the contractual agreement we have with the providers of our trade (payment)data. This agreement stipulates that D&B may not release the name of who submitted a particular trade reference.However, we can assist you with ensuring the accuracy of your report.Please contact Customer Service at 1-800-234-3867 and follow the prompts to discuss your own report.Our Customer Service team can advise you of your options.

 How can I challenge a Payment Experience in my report?

You can call Customer Service at 1-800-234-3867 to request a trade recheck. This involves D&B going back to the reporting vendor and having them re-verify the experience provided to us.If the vendor cannot re-verify the information, then D&B will remove that payment experience from your report.If the vendor does re-verify it, we can ask them for a name release so we can tell you who is reporting the payment experience in question.

 Some information in my D&B report is incorrect; how can I get it corrected?

Please call Customer Service at 1-800-234-3867 and follow the prompts to discuss your own report.You may also visit our eUpdate website at www.dnb.com/eupdate if you have a password already assigned to you.If you do not have a password, Customer Service can assign one.The eUpdate site lets you logon and make changes to your information yourself.Some information you input will prompt an telephone call to be placed to you for verification of the information.In this scenario, your changes will not go through until this information is verified.

 

Billing and Collections

 I received an invoice for a product I never received, who can I call for help?

You can contact the D&B Customer Service team at 1-800-234-3867.The Customer Service Representative will review the situation and can resend the product within 24 hours.

 How do I get a copy of my invoice/usage statement?

For copies of invoices and/or usage statements, you may call the Receivable Help Line at 1-800-872-4324. Once connected, you should select menu option 1 for a copy of an invoice or usage statement.The requested copy will be faxed or e-mailed to you within 24 hours.

 My invoice is being sent to the wrong address, how can I get it corrected?

You can contact the D&B Customer Service team at 1-800-234-3867.The Customer Service Representative will confirm the address information and submit a request to update the address on file.

 How can I add a P.O. Number to my invoice?

Please call the Receivables Help Line at 1-800-872-4324 to add P.O Number to an invoice. A copy of the updated invoice can be faxed to you.

 How can I make a payment quickly to prevent my account from becoming past due?

Customers have 2 options for expediting payments:

1. Pay by Credit Card – You may call the Receivable Help Line at 1-800-872-4324 and provide your credit card information.You can also also request a receipt for payment. 
2. Pay by check or money order – You can send a check or money order to the address listed below.D&B does not follow up with a receipt; therefore, please note the tracking number from the overnight carrier.The phone number is listed below to assist the carrier with the overnight delivery process.

Dun & Bradstreet
c/o Northern Trust Bank/ Lockbox Dept.
350 North Orleans St.
Receipt & Dispatch, 8th Floor
Lockbox # 75434
Chicago, IL 60654
Phone# 312-360-7008

 Where do I send a tax exempt certificate?

Please fax tax exempt certificates to 1-866-525-7507.The certificate will be validated and processed by our tax department within 48 hours.New certificates must be received by D&B annually for Self Awareness Solutions (SAS) products.For all other products, D&B need only receive a new certificate if the old one has expired.

 What number should I call to inquire about the status of a credit to an invoice, refund or to verify if a payment has been received?

To inquire about your account status, please contact the D&B Receivables Helpline at 1-800-872-4324.The associates that answer these calls can assist with all of the above questions.

 I need a copy of D&B's W-9 form, how can I get one?

You may request a copy of D&B's W-9 form by contacting D&B Receivables Helpline at 1-800-872-4324.The W-9 will be provided within 24 hours via fax or e-mail.

 

Technical Assistance : DNBi

 What do I need to access the DNBi service?

You must have an active D&B contract for Preferred Pricing Plan for DNBi and a DNBi ID and password to access this service.Your sales representatives will setup your ID and password for you.

 What do I need to do if my password is locked?

In order to recover or reset your password, use the "Forgot your password, or are you locked out?" option located on the DNBi.com logon page. Please enter your user name and click "verify". An email with instructions on how to get a new password will be sent to you.

 The print size is too small, how can I make my font bigger?

To increase the font size using Internet Explorer, go to View, Text Size and then select a larger text size.

 Why doesn´t the Family Tree work?

In order to use the Family Tree, you must install Sun Java version 1.4.2.X or 1.6.X.

 How can I get all of the sections I want to print in my printout?

To change your print prefrences, click the Preferences option and then check the sections you want to have included in your printout.

 

Technical Assistance: DNB.com

 What do I need to do if I forgot my password?

In order to recover your password, use the Forgot Password? option located on the DNB.com logon page. Please enter your user ID or email address and click "Submit". An email with instructions on how to get a new password will be sent to you.

 How do I clear my cache (temporary internet files)?

To clear the temporary internet cache on IE 6.0, go to Tools, Internet Options, on the General Tab, click on the Delete Files button. On the popup, click the checkmark box for 'Delete all off-line content' and click OK.

 Which web browsers are supported on dnb.com?

DNB.com supports Internet Explorer (IE) versions 6.X and 7.X.

 Can I view all reports stored in the Report Archive from all users under a specific Subscriber Number?

Yes, you can. This process is called subscriber level archiving.Please contact your sales representative to set this service up.

 How secure is your site?

At Dun & Bradstreet, we are serious about securely transferring valuable information. This is true whether it is information you send to us, or information we send to you. When you sign up or access member areas of the dnb.com web site, your information is encrypted using Secure Sockets Layer (SSL).

 

RAM 5.x Product

 I am unable to order a report - getting Error "Request Failed Please Check your login ID or Password"

The logon ID was entered incorrectly in the user profile screen.Re enter the correct userid and password again for the user in the user profile screen.

 I am unable to open the RAM application - getting "Error in XML stream message"

The RAM client.xml file has become corrupt. The client.xml file in the RAM55 directory can be replaced from another workstation.

 I am unable to connect to the database -- getting Error "Could not get global configuration"

To connect to the RAM database server, the "RamService" service needs to be running. Check the "RamService" on the server and start the service.

 I am unable to order a report or packet -- getting error "Internal error in communications queue".

To communicate with the D&B system using TCPIP connections, select the Communications tab under Global Configuration, and make sure that the Socket (TCP/IP) radio button is selected and 23202 is entered int e Port Number box.The port 23202 must be open on the network´s firewall.

 I am unable to print reports.

The RAM application uses the ODBC connection to communicate with the database. Check the ODBC on the client and make sure it is successful.

 

eRAM 3.x Product

 I am unable to logon -- getting Error "1000".

The eRAM application Web service is not running. Restart the Tomcat or the JRUN Service on the server.

 I am unable to see my Accounts, the information screen is grey.

The account information screen is using Java to display the data.Please check the Sun Java or MVM (Microsoft Virtual Machine) settings depending upon the version of eRAM.

 I am unable to order reports - getting Error "Unable to connect to DITK".

To connect and order reports, we need to have a network connection to D&B. Check the network connectivity to toolkit.dnb.com.

 I am unable to order reports - getting Error "DITK login Failed Check the login id and password".

To connect and order reports, we need a valid Toolkit logon id and password. Make sure the assigned Toolkit ID and password is entered correctly in the user profile.

 I am unable to view the BIR report - getting Error "page can not be displayed"

Click Tools, Internet Options, Connections, check the LAN settings and check the bypass Proxy option, if used.It can be a DNS issue when the clients are on a different subnet and the server name can´t be resolved but you can browse to the file. From the web server, edit the hosts file located in the WinNt\system32\drivers\etc\ and add the IP address and the server name in the HOSTS FILE.

 

Corporate Linkage

 Why do I see unlinked records that look like they should be linked?

There are several reasons why records that have similar names may not be linked to each other. They are:

• Legal structure: Broadly speaking, D&B bases linkage on capital stock ownership. A company must own 50. 1% or more of the capital stock in an organization for linkage to appear in the database.Therefore, there will not be linkage present when only a minority interest of the capital stock (<50. 1%) is held by the "parent." For example, if ABC Company owns 48% of the stock in ABC Manufacturing, they would not be linked in a parent to subsidiary relationship. Reference would be made in the Business Information Report (BIR) to the fact that they are affiliated, but ABC Mfg would not be linked as a subsidiary of ABC Company.
• Joint ventures will not be linked, since each company owns 50% of the stock and there is no majority ownership.
•  Franchise, agent and dealer relationships:Companies may choose to license other companies to run their locations or market their products. These companies are not legally owned, but have a contractual relationship with the franchisor, and usually use the franchisor name in their business name or trade style. D&B offers "Corporate Family Tree Plus", a batch product that captures minority ownership as well as other business relationships such as franchises, dealers, etc.to provide additional insight into these records. More information on alternative linkages is available through your D&B Sales Representative.
• Global Database dynamics: corporate linkage relationships are constantly changing, reflecting the ongoing mergers, acquisitions, reorganizations and consolidations. As these changes happen, D&B makes updates to individual sites in a corporate family daily, and it may take several weeks to completely update a corporate family. Most of D&B´s corporate linkage data is derived monthly, meaning that during the update process, some locations may be removed from a tree and made into single locations or relinked to the same or a new corporate family in the following month.
• Ownership of the company was not available at the time the record was either created or updated: The record may need to be linked into a family tree, but if D&B cannot confirm the ownership, and we have confirmed the existence of the business, the record may temporarily appear in the database as an active, but unlinked record.
• Mutual funds, trusts: Most Mutual Funds, Trusts and SPVs (Special Purpose Vehicles) are legal entity corporations, usually set up by other businesses for financing purposes. . . often "at arms length". . . meaning they usually are set up with no legal ownership.Mutual Funds, Trusts and SPVs appear as single entities, since no other entity owns more than 50% of the stock of the trust or fund.
• Out of Business: When it is determined that active operations are no longer being conducted at a site, the D&B D-U-N-S Number is taken to Out of Business status and the linkage is removed. The Out of Business (OB) indicator should be used to identify these situations.

For more information on this topic, please contact your D&B sales representative

 Why aren´t sales and employee figures provided consistently on all members of a family tree and why don´t the figures "roll up" within a family?

As with all data elements, D&B makes every effort to collect sales and employee figures whenever possible. We collect this data from a variety of sources including our direct interview process, financial statements, third party sources, and government registries. Even with our multi-sourced Global Data Collection efforts, we are not always able to obtain an actual sales or employee figure for a company or site. Sales and employee figures are provided to our customers for directional estimates on company size. Often, D&B customers will attempt to aggregate or roll-up employee figures for a corporate family. D&B does not recommend this practice for a number of reasons, which include:

• The definition of employee figures differ by country (for example, HQ locations may or may not include branches in their count), and aggregating employee figures within a corporate family will result in an inconsistent estimate of employees for the organization. Similarly, collection of sales figures can vary by country (consolidated vs. individual figures, for example), and attempts to aggregate will also result in inconsistent results.
•  In some markets, we meet local information needs by collecting more than the two standard employee values (employees here and employees total). In these countries, we may collect a third field which shows just the employees at the branches or the employees for the entire company, even though the location is a subsidiary.
• When D&B, or anyone, asks how many employees work for a company at a site, the answer may vary depending on who provides it. The answer may include only the people who work at the site or all the people in the company, contract employees that have offices in the building and come to work every day, but are really employees of an outsourcing partner, part time employees, consultants etc.
• D&B is not always able to obtain an actual sales or employee figure for a site, and we currently do not include modeled figures on linked records. As a result, attempts to aggregate sales or employee figures will result in underestimating the number of employees for the organization.
• The D&B database may not always contain every site within a corporate family. As a result, efforts to aggregate sales or employee figures will result in underestimating for the organization.

To gain an understanding of the total number of employees for a specific organization, the Employee Total figure for the Global Ultimate location should be used. Similarly, the Sales figure for the Global Ultimate is also the best indicator of the size of the overall organization. In most cases, these will be consolidated figures which represent the ultimate site, as well as all branches and subsidiaries within the organization.

For more information on this topic, please contact your D&B sales representative

 Does D&B have Government linkage?

Yes. D&B has existing strong coverage of Government linkage in the U. S., Canada and France. Additionally, in response to customer feedback, D&B has been investing to expand our coverage of linkage for national government trees in the Asia / Pacific region.

In 2005 we built family trees on national governments in 6 markets:Australia, New Zealand, India, Korea, Hong Kong, and Singapore.In 2006 the program expanded coverage in Korea, invested across Asia to resolve unlinked Government records, and improved coverage of six non-sales key data elements on upper levels of the trees. The countries impacted include: Korea, India, Indonesia, Thailand, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, and Taiwan.

Coverage for the above National Government family trees includes the top 2 – 4 levels, and focuses on the Executive Branch, Education, Finance, Health, Defense, Agriculture and Transportation.

We are currently evaluating customer value and sources for additional linkage driven completeness enhancements on government organizations around the world. Please be sure to provide feedback through your D&B Sales Representative.

 How long does it take for a local linkage update to make it into the file I receive from D&B?

Updates to D&B linkage data occur as part of ongoing daily operations in local databases, resulting from factors such as file build, mergers and acquisitions, divestitures, bankruptcies, and normal maintenance. D&B publishes global linkage on a monthly basis through the WorldBase database, which takes 2 weeks to create. The process includes many validations, derivations, and audits. It is important to consider that a comprehensive view of a family tree can only be constructed when all input for that construction has been received. Since different countries publish and process updates on different days or weeks, sometimes subsequent incoming data can modify the view of a global family tree. Taking into consideration all back office processing, it takes 2 to 6 weeks for a local linkage update to be available in WorldBase. Since some customers view linkage via periodic WorldBase updates which they receive from D&B (monthly, quarterly), information latency can be further extended. From a product standpoint, some products publishing D&B´s linkage data are released weeks after each generation of WorldBase (For example, Family Tree Finder is released 2 weeks after WorldBase).

For more information on this topic, please contact your D&B sales representative

 Is there a D&B source I can go to for Franchise Information?

Yes! Corporate Family Tree Plus gives you a unique insight into this market by extending the coverage of D&B´s Corporate Linkage. CFT+ franchises lets you link independently owned and operated franchise locations to their franchisors (e. g., Burger King, McDonald´s, Jiffy Lube). More information on CFT+ is available through your D&B Sales Representative.

 

D&B´s Global File (WorldBase)

 What is WorldBase and where does it come from?

WorldBase is D&B´s global database of over 116M companies. It contains identity and demographic information on businesses in over 200 countries worldwide. WorldBase also contains all of D&B´s Corporate Linkage—family relationships on over 8.9 million companies. As part of the DUNSRight Global Data Collection driver, data is updated and collected throughout the world every day by our WorldWide Network and sent to the databases that create WorldBase once a month.

For more information on this topic, please contact your D&B sales representative

 What is the difference between an active record and a marketable record in WorldBase?

Active records are those companies that D&B believes are currently operating. Marketable records are those which are of higher quality due to the presence of certain elements and are most useful to customers for marketing purposes. Marketability rules vary by country but all must have a business name and address.

For more information on this topic, please contact your D&B sales representative

 I have purchased a BIR on a record and the information differs from the same record I received from WorldBase. Why?

Risk products like BIRs come from local databases that are refreshed and published daily. WorldBase is fabricated and published on a monthly basis.Therefore, while WorldBase collects updates from the local databases daily, these updates may take up to a month to be made available to customers.

For more information on this topic, please contact your D&B sales representative

 I have found a data anomaly on a record in WorldBase. How do I get it fixed?

If the issue relates to one or two records, you can call Customer Service at 1-800-234-DUNS. We will enter it into D&B´s online issue resolution tool where it will be tracked, analyzed and resolved.If there are numerous records involved, please contact your D&B sales representative.

 I have noticed that many of the sales and employee figures in WorldBase are modeled. What does this mean and how does this help me?

Modeling is the process by which sales or employee figures are derived using a model that takes into account a company´s underlying characteristics such as age, geography, line of business and other elements. Models are built using complex statistical formulae that use samples of normative data from a country to predict a company´s sales and/or employees.
Sales and employee figures are often the most difficult to collect from businesses. Modeling is a cost-effective way to fill in these missing elements for customers as it provides a relative measure of a company´s size so you can better segment your prospects and customers for various marketing and channel management activities. Models are not going to exactly pinpoint the number of employees or the total sales for a company, but they will give you insight whether the company is a small, medium or large business so you can best decide how or if to do business with them.

For more information on this topic, please contact your D&B sales representative

 

Trade Exchange Program

 What is D&B´s Trade Exchange Program?

D&B´s Trade Exchange Program offers you the means to share and access highly predictive payment experience information.When businesses participate in D&B´s Trade Exchange Program, they join a powerful network of data contributors providing over 600 million accounts receivable updates, both favorable and unfavorable payment experiences, that are all incorporated into our Predictive Indicators like the D&B Rating, The PAYDEX Score and other business insight available to the business community.

 Do I need to provide a minimum number of accounts to participate in D&B´s Trade Exchange Program?

There is no minimum number of accounts required to participate in the Program.

 Do I have to send you all of my accounts?

No, our easy to use application plug in includes the ability to exclude accounts from reporting. The Help Guide provides information on how to exclude by account name. Note: you should remove accounts BEFORE transferring data.

 How can I see what data I am sending?

Our easy to use application plug in extracts the customer A/R Aging Summary Report. You can view the report from the Reports menu. A/R Aging Summary is listed under Customers & Receivables. There is also a Transaction History page on the Trade Exchange website. You can login into your account to see details on the most recent files that have been sent to D&B (date sent, # of accounts & Total Outstanding A/R amount).

 What are the System Requirements?

• Windows Versions 2000, 2003, XP and Vista
• QuickBooks® 2004* and later Pro, Premier, Accountant & Enterprise editions
• US-based Companies only

***Note that QuickBooks® does not support Plug-ins before version 2004.
**Version 1.0 is compatible with US currency transactions; only US-based companies will be supported in this initial release.

 Is my company´s A/R (Trade) data confidential?

Your company name is not revealed to our customers when they access files in the D&B database, nor is it identified in any customer report. The source of payments is not published or made available in D&B products solutions. Customer participation is not publicized and a 4-digit file number for each participant is used in all internal processing. We give your A/R file the same security precautions we give our own computer files. Finally, the dollar amounts reported are rounded to further protect your confidentiality.

 How does D&B ensure the quality of an A/R data provider´s information?

Trade Exchange participants and the associated companies are validated using the same quality processes and procedures as all D&B Trade providers. Trade data will not be added to the D&B database until the registration has been validated. The Accounts receivable information is also run through quality checks before it is loaded in the D&B database. D&B Quality checks include initial file sample reviews, monthly dollar and percentage fluctuations analysis, annual data sample verification program and data verification calls.

 How do I know if my company has become a validated A/R data provider?

The D&B Trade Team will need to validate your company as an A/R data provider. There are several requirements that your company must have in order to qualify. You will be notified whether or not your company has been validated.

 How often do I need to send data to D&B?

Beginning the first of the month, when you open the Company File in QuickBooks®, you will receive a prompt to send data. If you do not want to be prompted, you can check the box at the bottom of the dialog. This will automatically initiate a transfer and you will receive only a success message (Transfer complete).

 

CCR-Central Contractor´s Registration

 What is CCR?

CCR is the Federal Government´s Central Contractor Registration. All Federal vendors, suppliers, contractors and grant recipients are required to register in this database and are required to have a DUNS# issued to them. Requests for issuance of a DUNS number should be transferred to the Federal DUNS# Assignment Team at 1-866-705-5711.

 Is there a charge to receive a DUNS number to register in CCR?

• There is NO CHARGE for issuance of a DUNS# when it is required for Federal registration purposes. For more information please contact the D&B Government Customer Response Center (GCRC) at 866-705-5711.

 What is my CAGE code?

The CAGE Code (Commercial and Government Entity Code) is a 5 character letter/number sequence (Example: 1SEC7) issued by the Department of Defense. A CAGE code is automatically assigned to a CCR registration.

 What is my TPIN?

Effective December 21, 2009, Trading Partner Identification Numbers (TPINs) are no longer used. The TPIN has been replaced by a user ID and password. Existing users were sent email notifications informing them of this change and were provided instructions on how to create a new user profile. If you have not yet converted your DUNS Number and TPIN to a user ID and password, please contact our CCR Assistance Center (https://www.bpn.gov/ccr/Help.aspx) to gain access.

 How do I contact CCR?

For CCR Customer Service, contact the Federal Service Desk at 866-606-8220 or 334-206-7828. You can also review FAQ's or ask a question by going online at www.fsd.gov.