The D&B D-U-N-S® Number is a nine-digit identification number, which provides unique identifiers of business entities. No two businesses will ever be assigned the same D-U-N-S® Number. It is retained for the life of a business – regardless of mergers, acquisitions, name and address changes or business discontinuance.
D&B creates D-U-N-S® Numbers of parents, subsidiaries, headquarters, branches and independent companies (more than 80 million organisations around the world) and uses it to link them where relationships exist. Used by the world's most influential standards-setting organisations, it is recognised, recommended and/or required by more than 50 global, industry and trade associations, including the United Nations, the U.S. Federal Government, the Australian Government and the European Commission.

The global ultimate parent is the top, most important, responsible entity within the corporate family tree.

The domestic ultimate parent is the highest ranking member of a family tree within a specific country/region.

A parent is a corporation that owns more than 50% of another corporation. A parent can also be a headquarters if it owns branches. A parent may also be a subsidiary if it is more than 50% owned by another corporation.

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 headquarters is a member that has branches or divisions reporting to it and is financially responsible for those branches or divisions. If a headquarters is more than 50% owned by another corporation, it will also be a subsidiary. If it owns more than 50% of another corporation, then it is also a parent.

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.

In some cases where certain information cannot be obtained an indicative figure be will estimated from available information using statistical models. A Modelled Value, therefore, is a statistically derived estimation rather than an actual figure. In GRS modelling is only used when no actual figure is available and only when sufficient other information is available for a reliable estimate to be made. Any figures which are modelled are indicated.

SIC is an acronym that stands for Standard Industry Classification, an internationally recognised coding mechanism for defining and identifying industry segments using up to 8 digits.

D&B define non marketable records as those where there is insufficient information for that record to be useful in a marketing context. This will usually mean that the business has registered with the appropriate local body to be removed from marketing lists or that one or more of the following is unknown:

• Address
• Line of business