Compustat Reference Guide

Compustat® data via Research Insight – Quick Reference Guide

Help – to get definitions, FAQs, help topics and more Research Assistant – to screen the database and select companies Report Assistant – to run a current or historical report with user-selected items Open Screen – to open a screen containing your own saved criteria Open Report – to view a pre-formatted report such as Balance Sheet Open Set – to view a list of companies created by you

Quick look-up – to find a company, item, function or set

Library Icon – to view the business description of a company and market commentary

Quick look-up, how to change databases and historic look-up

The quick look-up allows you to look up companies, items, functions and sets. Companies: choose from more than 30,000 securities of which over 23.000 are active Items: find your item within the balance sheet, income statement or cash flow or choose from a range of market data or forecast items Functions: pick functions in order to modify the data you’re downloading Sets: look up a specific set or find your saved ones

Default Database: to change to a different database, such as Backdata View/Modify Data: to see if an item is populated for a specific company and how much history is available

Research Assistant (1) – to screen the database and either save the set and/or the screen or simply run a pre-formatted or customised report

A set is a list of companies, beginning with $ Change your set here, e.g. $G all active Industrial companies or $F all active Financial companies. Use these tabs to screen the database

Enter a Gvkey here or use the Look-up

Screen for companies in the same GICS Sector, Industry Group, Industry or Subindustry etc

Save your screening criteria

Use the Customise option to add further screening criteria to your search

Research Assistant( 2 and 3) – to view your set and choose report format

Add companies

Save your companies as a set (list)

Remove companies...