Search Comprehensively on Company Names?

TOPIC: Searching on company names is not always the straight forward procedure that we’d like it to be. Initials, acronyms, personal names and punctuation rules can interfere with our ability to locate information on a company. This How Do I…? suggests various methods for getting the most comprehensive results.

1. Searching for company names that are personal names

These would include companies such as Charles Schwab, A. O. Smith, and A.G. Edwards. In our example, we’ll use A.G. Edwards, a division of Wachovia Securities. The examples have been run in the NEWSCO OneSearch® category, that contains news files with a Company Name (CO=) field. The technique would be the same in any file(s) with a CO= field. Not all company names that are personal names include initials, but the example shows perhaps the most challenging name you’re likely to encounter.

2. Searching for company names that contain hyphens or compound words

Company names that are hyphenated or that contain trademark symbols between two words are sometimes compressed to a single word. The simplest method for ensuring complete retrieval is to search the name as though it were one word as well as two (e.g., SELECT WALMART/CO OR WAL()MART/CO).

3. Searching for company names that contain or are solely acronyms or initials

Searching company names that contain or are solely acronyms or initials is similar to searching for personal names. Use the EXPAND command, making sure to try the variations for punctuation marks, no punctuation, spaces, and no spaces, (e.g., EXPAND all variations: IBP, I B P, IBP,).

4. Searching for companies with common names

Avoid searching common names as phrases. This would include all those popular terms like FIRST, NATIONAL, FEDERAL, AMERICAN, etc., For instance, SELECT FIRST (W)AMERICAN/CO retrieves: First American Bancorp, First American National Bank, First American Corp, First American Insurance, First American Real Estate, First American Title Co. EXPAND all the significant words of the company name on the Company Name (CO=) field.

COMMAND SUMMARY

BEGIN NEWSCO
VISUAL EXPAND CO=A.G. EDWARDS; check appropriate entries and click Select
EXPAND CO=A. G. EDWARDS; check appropriate entries and click Select
EXPAND CO=AG EDWARDS; check appropriate entries and click Select
EXPAND CO=A G EDWARDS; check appropriate entries and click Select
EXPAND CO=EDWARDS, A; check appropriate entries and click Select
DISPLAY SETS
SELECT S1:S4
SELECT S5/2007:2008

HOW TO...

1. BEGIN the OneSearch category NEWSCO. Note: This methodology applies to any file that has a Company Name (/CO, CO=) or Patent Assignee (PA=) field.   2. VISUAL EXPAND the company name on the Company Name (CO=) field using standard punctuation, spacing and word order. 3. Check all appropriate entries and click the Select button.
4. VISUAL EXPAND with spacing after the periods. Note there are none.
5. VISUAL EXPAND dropping the punctuation and the space between initials. 6. Check all appropriate entries and click Select.
7. VISUAL EXPAND this time with no punctuation but use a space between the initials. 8. Check appropriate entries and click Select.
9. This time invert the name and follow it with a comma and the first initial. 10. Check appropriate entries and click Select.
11. DISPLAY SETS (DS) to view all the Sets created.
12. “OR” the sets together. The colon acts as OR, combining all the results into one set. 13. Narrow results by restricting retrieval to specific publication years.

RELATED HOW DO I...? SOLUTIONS

• Locate the top companies in X industry?
• Use DIALINDEX (File 411) to find a U.S. company profile?
• Find members of a corporate family and identify its headquarters?
• Find biographical information on a director or officer of a company using directories?
• Find biographical information on a director or officer of a company using journal sources?

NEED HELP?

Contact the Dialog Knowledge Center
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Outside North America 00 800 33 DIALOG (33 34 2564)
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Stock #: 53816; Last modified: 14 Sep 2011

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