D&B launches new information-based EDI service.

MURRAY HILL, N.J.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Sept. 13, 1995--Dun & Bradstreet Information Services announced today that virtually all the data available in its popular information products will be available through Electronic Data Interchange (EDI), the standard for computer-to-computer exchange of business data for electronic commerce.

DUNS*EDI Services(SM), helps companies with EDI capabilities quickly receive, process and augment business information on their computers by linking their internal data with D&B's database of more than 39 million businesses worldwide. The combination of internal and external data gives businesses the ability to evaluate an existing or prospective business partner's financial stability, determine a company's payment performance, verify a supplier's performance and monitor and update accounts.

EDI enables companies to conduct secure, paperless computer-to-computer exchanges of business documents in a structured format with little or no human intervention. Using EDI, companies set up electronic trading networks with their business partners, including suppliers, major customers and distributors, in order to reduce paper flow and move their product quickly.

"DUNS*EDI adds power and performance to a firm's internal data through direct, electronic linkage to critical business information," says Frank Fitzsimmons, vice president of Electronic Commerce at D&B. "DUNS*EDI gives customers the information they need, when they need it, to reduce risk and increase business opportunities."

At the heart of DUNS*EDI is D&B's unique D-U-N-S(R) Number, a universally accepted business identifier for EDI. The D-U-N-S Number is a nine-digit ID code that D&B assigns to each business establishment in its worldwide database of more than 39 million businesses. The D-U-N-S Number can identify potential trading partners, eliminate duplicate file entries and link companies within the same corporate family. The American National Standards Institute, the United Nations, the International Standards Organization and over 50 industry and trade associations as well as the U.S. federal government have all recognized the D-U-N-S Number as a standard for electronic commerce.

"The first step in every EDI transaction is identifying your trading partners," says Fitzsimmons. "With its distinctive ability to link and identify businesses, the D-U-N-S Number helps eliminate errors in electronic transactions and acts as a consistent trading-partner ID across all internal business applications."

DUNS*EDI delivers three standard categories of information, including business ID (i.e., company name, address, telephone number), business demographics (i.e., SIC code, number of employees) and corporate affiliation (i.e., corporate family information). Future releases will include standard categories of credit, predictive-risk and purchasing information, all of which are currently delivered on a customized basis. Businesses can obtain more information about DUNS*EDI by calling 1/800-504-4470 or 908/665-6329.

Dun & Bradstreet Information Services, North America, is a company of The Dun & Bradstreet Corp., the world's leading marketer of information, software and services for business decision making, with 1994 revenues of $4.9 billion.

CONTACT: Pamela Spiridon

908/665-5105

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