Exporter Database

The exporter and importer databases provide a periodic database of all U.S. exporters/importers and their characteristics. The Exporter Database (EDB) consists of data, provided in a Profile of U.S. Exporting Companies (Exporter Profile). The Exporter Database uses trade data and Business Register data. The net files used for the Exporter Database contain export trade transaction that are filed by the trade companies. The Business Register data provides company information such as company type, location, and number of employees.

The International Trade Administration (ITA) is a partial sponsor of the Exporter Profile, providing both financial assistance and advice on data user needs. The ITA also sponsors more detailed tables, which are available on their Web after the Exporter Profile is released. Users will be notified on the ITA Web site (www.ita.doc.gov) when this information is available.

Effective with the 1997/1998 report, companies are classified according to the North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) instead of the Standard Industrial Classification (SIC) system. There are differences in the ways NAICS and SIC classify certain types of companies. For example, manufacturers of prepackaged software and books are classified as manufacturers under SIC and as other types of companies under NAICS. Users are advised to consider these differences when making year-over-year comparisons of exporters and exporter characteristics before and after 1997. The Exporter Database, based on new data for one year and revised data for the prior year, uses the same methodology as previous years.

Use of this data requires Internal Revenue Service (IRS) approval. The Census Bureau will coordinate all additional necessary reviews.