D&B’s Business Verificationprogramming the API

By SQL Server MVP Lynn Langit for D&B

How can an analyst completea Customer Master List

by using verified datasets?

With a D&B Business Verification solution

What is the Business Verification Service?

Use D&B’s Global Reference Database of 225+ million businesses Validate and correct company names and addresses Get clean, current and accurate company data

– includes match statistics – includes confidence score and match grade

D&B Company Business Verification in Action

A.B.C.123 Elm St.Bethlehem, PA 18025(SIC) 5411-02Chuck Smith, President

Multiple unmatched records

Alpha PlasticsP.O. Box 111Bethlehem, PA 18055(SIC) 5411-02Chuck Smith, President610 882-7600

Charles Smith 123 Elm St.Bethlehem, PA 18025(SIC) 5541-99215 882-7600

D&B D-U-N-S Number: 12-345-6780ABC, Inc+ Alpha PlasticsP.O. Box 111Bethlehem, PA 18055123 Elm St.Bethlehem, PA 18025(SICs) 5411 0202, 5541 9901Charles Smith, PresidentMary Worth, VP MarketingChris White, Controller610 882-7600

Single view of customer

What is a D-U-N-S ® Number?

D&B Data Quality Solutions provides a valuable key to company records by assigning a unique identifier (a D-U-N-S ® Number)

helps avoid record duplication links related companies, and streamlines disparate data into a single customer view

What is a D&B API?

A D&B API is…

– Made available via an endpoint

– Called using URI + Credentials using .NET (C# in my example)

– Run via exposed methods

Uses input parameters (some are required)

Returns output parameters

How to get it….

– Windows Azure Marketplace

– D&B Direct

7

How does the API work?

Step 1

Sign up for the API WAM D&B Direct

Step 2

Test the API WAM

Step 3

Code using the proxy class

DEMO -- Coding the API

https://github.com/lynnlangit/DnBBusinessVerificationAPISample

9

API Details: Fixed vs. Flexible Queries

Flexible– Add service reference with the URI from WAM– Proxy class is generated by the ‘add service reference’ tool

Fixed– Download Proxy class from WAM– Add Proxy class to your project in Visual Studio– Add reference to ‘System.Data.Services.Client’ in Visual Studio

TIP: WAM “Details’” says whether query is fixed or flexible

10

MATCHED your own customers with verified records in D&B’s Global Database

PRODUCED a combined Customer Master file that has verified D&B customer demographics data

Customer Name, Address and Phone….

PRODUCED a Customer Master with a DUNS Number attached to each customer record

this opens the door to additional business data from D&B

The result…

A complete Customer file