D-U-N-S® Number: Your Key to Identification
Launched in 1963, D-U-N-S® Numbers (Data Universal Numbering System) are unique nine-digit identification numbers. D&B assigns these numbers to companies- both legal entities and affiliates- in the database, thereby making precise company identification possible anywhere in the world.
D&B is the Only Data Supplier to Provide Information on Corporate Family Relationships
We are the only data supplier in the world to provide an overview of corporate family relationships. A business' D-U-N-S® Number links it to all parent and subsidiary companies, offering you a complete understanding of the multinational corporation as a whole.

Advantages of the D-U-N-S® Number System
- Ensures data quality by, for example, identifying potential duplicates and highlighting business partners that have declared bankruptcy
- Links businesses to their corporate families, offering a complete understanding of the corporation as a whole
- Offers the potential for improved terms of trade
- Makes it possible work with standardised customer information on a global scale
- Optimises sales/marketing campaigns by avoiding duplicates
- Identifies a corporation's international purchases
- Makes it possible to quickly and easily measure risk for all customers and suppliers
- Follows critical changes, such as mergers and buy-outs
- Is a global company identification standard.