Dialog TradStat Frequently Asked Questions

Is there a way to find out if data is available before a report is created?

It is a good idea to check the Data Availability Table before creating a report. Click on "Data Availability" to display a chart of each reporting country listed by month and year. The monthly table provides availability information for the latest two years, based on the most up-to-date country. Dialog TradStat actually includes monthly data for a rolling 2 months. The yearly table shows availability since 1981 for some countries.

What does the full (f) and partial (p) data designation on the Data Availability Chart mean?

Full and partial data refers to European Union (EU) member countries only. The Single Market, introduced in January 1993, saw the removal of trade barriers between EU countries. Previously, trade was recorded as it passed through a customs port. As there are no longer customs ports between EU member countries, trade is recorded by a different method.

If an EU country trades with a non-EU country (for example, the U.K. exports to the U.S. or Germany imports from China), the trade is recorded in the same manner as before (as goods pass through the port(s)). This is recorded at the time of trade, and these figures are available very quickly (close to the end of the month). This is the basis of PARTIAL data. At a later stage the EU country is able to release its intra-EU trade, i.e., trade with other EU member countries. This data is collected via the VAT (Value-Added Tax) forms and threshold levels set by each country. When this data is released, it is added to the system to make the month of trade complete, i.e., FULL trade.

What if the country I wish to target is not a reporting country?

It is possible to run a 'deduced report' on a country that is not a reporting country. The data in a deduced report reflects figure collected from reporting countries on the value and quantity of the specific product that the reporting country imports from and exports to your target country. In guided search mode simple choose your country from the "select target country" list—deduced countries will be labeled as such.

• In expert search mode, type in the country name in the target county box, and click on "deduced".
• Check the Data Availability table to confirm that the data is available from the reporting countries.
• Use a product code with six digits or less.
• Specify a quantity and a currency.

Does Dialog TradStat include data on the imports or exports of a particular company?

No, there is no company data in Dialog TradStat. The PIERS databases on DIALOG (Files 571, 572, 573 and 574) and several country-specific files on Dialog DataStar (including ITIE) do provide some trade data for specific companies. See Bluesheets and/or DataSheets for details.

Is there a way to find out if the data will be suppressed before a report is generated?

No, there is no way to check if a product is suppressed in advance of running a report. However, if a report fails, for whatever reason, Dialog TradStat does not charge for the report.

Why has my report failed?

A report can fail for several reasons:

• No trade data available; the data may be suppressed by the target country. Trade could be politically or commercially sensitive. For example, perhaps there were less than three traders.



• A change in the product code can cause a report to fail, or if an illogical combination of commands is selected (e.g., no quantity, no value, no price options selected), the report will fail.

How is the EU data compiled for the region report?

The EU region report collects the data reported by each individual EU country and totals the results. This figure is used as an aggregate total in the report.

Does Dialog TradStat make any corrections to the data if an agency changes the figures?

The U.K. and Canada provide corrections to monthly figures. This means that the data on a monthly report run in July may be different for the same month on a report run in August. All other countries make only YTD corrections, so the monthly figures will not change, but the YTD may differ.

How long does a report stay available online?

10 days. A report can be printed online and/or downloaded as often as required during this 10 day period.

My report shows a column of Quantity 2 figures. What does Quantity 2 mean?

Some countries report a secondary quantity unit in addition to the primary unit (Quantity 1). An example of Quantity 2 would be shoes reported in kilograms (Quantity 1) and in pairs (Quantity 2). Quantity 2 details are displayed in the product lookup files (within Dialog Tradstat).

My report lists France as a trading partner with France. How can a country trade with itself?

It is not uncommon to see your target country appear as a trading partner. This is a re-import. A re-import occurs when goods have been imported in the same condition as they were exported. Some examples of a re-import could be:

• An order is canceled and goods returned to the seller
• Works of art returned after an exhibition held in another country
• Live animals returned to their owner, e.g., racehorses

A re-export can also be displayed on a report. This happens when goods have been exported in essentially the same condition as they were imported. This also occurs when imported goods have undergone operations, such as repair, repacking or bottling, that leave them essentially unchanged before exporting.

Hong Kong provides separate re-export data. When running a report on Hong Kong you will be prompted to display:

• Exports only
• Re-exports only
• Both exports and re-exports

Belgium provided separate re-export data prior to 1993. If you run a report containing January 1993 data forward, export and re-export data is combined.

All other countries on Dialog Tradstat automatically include re-export data with their export data.