Information At-A-Glance
	The D&B D-U-N-S Number
	D&B Record Updates
	D&B Family Tree
	The D&B Story
	D&B WorldBase File
	The History of D&B

D&B Family Tree

The Dun & Bradstreet D-U-N-S Number
The Dun & Bradstreet D-U-N-S Number is a unique nine-digit non-indicative identification number assigned to every business entity in D&B's databases. The D-U-N-S Number is the first step towards:

• Identifying unique businesses and eliminating duplicate records from your files
• Integrating your files (i.e. accounting, marketing, vendor, receivables)
• Appending D&B information to your files
• Defining and analyzing corporate relationships (Account Linkage)
• Assessing customer and vendor exposures
• Managing conflicts of interest between existing clients and potential ones
• Identifying new prospects within your customers' family trees
• Analyzing your customer base and market penetration
• And much more

Components of Dun & Bradstreet Linkage
Linkage, in general terms, is the relationship between different companies or specific sites within a corporate family.  Linkage occurs in when one business location has financial & legal responsibility for another business location. There are two types of linkage relationships:

• Branch to headquarter, linkage
• Subsidiary to parent, linkage

There are other types of family relationships that occur which are not linked in the D&B file because the affiliated company has no legal obligation for the debts of the other company. Examples of these types of relationships include businesses affiliated through common officers or situations where one corporation owns a part or minority interest in another (50% or less).

There are eight (8) types of business relationships defined in the D&B file:

1. Single Location Subsidiary - A single location subsidiary has reporting responsibilities to its parent; however, it does not have branches or subsidiaries reporting to it. Do not confuse this with a stand-alone business which is titled "single location" and is not part of a corporate family.
2. Headquarters - A headquarters is a business establishment that has branches or divisions reporting to it, and is financially responsible for those branches or divisions. If the headquarters is more that 50% owned by another corporation, it also will be a subsidiary. If it owns more that 50% of another corporation, then it is also a parent.
3. Branch - A branch is a secondary location of its headquarters. It has no legal responsibility for its debts, even though bills may be paid from the branch location. It will have the same legal business name as its headquarters, although branches frequently operate under a different trade style than the headquarters establishment. A branch may be located at the same address as the headquarters if it has a unique trade style. In such cases, the branch may appear to be a duplicate with a different D-U-N-S number than the headquarters record, which may confuse customers if they don't purchase the trade style field.
4. Division - A division, like a branch, is a secondary location of a business. However, a division carries out specific business operations related to the headquarters under a divisional name. Divisions look similar to branches in D&B WorldBase and carry a branch code.
5. Subsidiary - A subsidiary is a corporation that is more than 50% owned by another corporation and will have a different legal business name from its parent company. A subsidiary may have branches and/or subsidiaries of its own. If it does, then its D-U-N-S Number appears in the headquarter/parent D-U-N-S Number field of its children.
6. Parent - A parent is a corporation that owns more than 50 percent of another corporation. The parent company also may be a subsidiary of another corporation. If the parent also has branches, then it is also a headquarters.
7. Domestic Ultimate - The Domestic Ultimate is a subsidiary within the global family tree which is the highest ranking member within a specific country.
8. Global Ultimate - The Global Ultimate is the top most responsible entity within the global family tree. The Global Ultimate may have branches and/or subsidiaries reporting directly or indirectly to it.

Defining Corporate Responsibility
For the purposes of linking these relationships to define corporate responsibility, each family member carries up to four D-U-N-S Numbers.

• Its own Case D-U-N-S Number
• That of the next highest level in the family; parent or headquarter D-U-N-S
• That of the highest level within its country; its domestic ultimate D-U-N-S
• That of its top global ultimate; global ultimate D-U-N-S

For example, the branch carries its own D-U-N-S Number, that of its headquarters, that of its global ultimate, and that of its domestic ultimate. A subsidiary carries its own D-U-N-S Number, that of its parent, that of its domestic ultimate, and that of its global ultimate.

The global ultimate record carries the same D-U-N-S Number in the case D-U-N-S field, the headquarters/parent D-U-N-S field, the global ultimate D-U-N-S field, and the domestic ultimate D-U-N-S Number. This business is at the very top of the global tree.

The domestic ultimate is the highest member of the tree in a specific country. The case D-U-N-S Number, parent D-U-N-S Number, and domestic ultimate D-U-N-S Number will all be the same on the global ultimate record.

The majority of records in D&B's files are not linked: they are considered "stand alone" businesses. This is a reflection of the businesses environment in our world.

Linkage Verification Procedures
Linkage data in D&B's business file is obtained in two ways. The first process, "Top Down Review," is performed around the world by the responsible country in which an ultimate parent company resides. A D&B analyst contacts a knowledgeable source at the ultimate parent company or one of its high-level subsidiaries to ascertain the proper family tree structure. 

Each year a prioritized listing of global ultimate family trees will be reviewed using the top down methodology. Each ultimate is processed through the File Enhancement Services historical-tracking database. Historical information can be compiled for the proper contract, preferred method of update, inventory control and management reports.

The Second way this data is obtained is by "Bottom Up Linkage" (also called "Host Linkage"). This is a process where a subsidiary/parent company or a branch/headquarters linkage is collected at the country level during normal revision and/or updating process.

Top down and bottom up management is performed throughout the three global reporting regions: Asia/Pacific-Latin America, Europe and North America.

If you would like additional information or to trial our services, please contact us at 1.800.234.3867 (US) or 1.800.463.6362 (Canada).

Top of Page