Access to Hard Facts MAID Easy
With headquarters in London and offices in Europe, the US, and Hong Kong, Market Analysis and Information Database is a leading global information provider. MAID now has an office in Japan and, for companies that can afford the cost, it may be the ideal "one-stop shopping" point for online searches of financial, market, and general news information about Japan and the world.by John Drake
It is said that, "those who can control information can control the world." In our busy daily business lives, though, gaining even a semblance of control over information can be a formidable task. As a society, and as individuals, we are overwhelmed by information. Trying to find a specific item of data can be like looking for the golden needle in the proverbial haystack.
Information has traditionally been sourced through paper (newspapers, magazines, and journals, for example) or via the public airwaves (radio and TV). Relatively recent additions to the cornucopia of information sources are computerized databases, accessible on CD-ROM or through real-time electronic telecommunication. Originally developed as index and storage utilities, electronic databases have grown into multi-file structures, often with each separate file requiring a unique search language or set of commands. In this regard, they often fail in their original purpose of making data retrieval easier, instead creating a new set of difficulties.
It can be tantalizing (and frustrating) knowing that valuable gems of data are out there in cyberspace, but not knowing where or how to access them. This is especially frustrating for those of us who are English-speakers in Japan. Online services, like Nifty-Serve, have numerous databases available, including several in English; the problem is deciding which ones might have both the kind of data you need and a wide-enough range of sources to make the time spent searching them worthwhile. And there is always the Internet, but here again the problem is finding what databases are available, and learning the unique commands for searching each. Calling direct to overseas databases is another possibility ó one that can quickly eat up yen paying database access fees plus long-distance phone charges for what could prove to be a fruitless search.
English-speaking businesses and researchers in Japan have long dreamed of a comprehensive, integrated, local source of market, financial, and general news. And at least one such source has now arrived. MAID (Market Analysis and Information Database) is the world's largest business intelligence database. It brings together hundreds of sources in four separate databases covering news, market reports, broker research, and company financials.
Researchline provides access to over 50,000 full-text reports from some 450 market sectors. It is continually updated (there are no time embargoes) and fully indexed for fast and accurate retrieval. Industry-leading research firms are represented, including Frost & Sullivan, The Economist Intelligence Unit, and Keynote, and there are Japan-specific sources as well, such as Japan Monitor and Yano Research Corporation.
Companyline brings together the world's leading publishers of financial information (such as Dun & Bradstreet, ICC, Moody's, and Disclosure) in a database of some 4.5 million financial records. Information is updated weekly or quarterly, depending on the source, and the files are indexed and cross-referenced.
Newsline comprises the Reuters Textline and News Wire Service, the five Predicast files, and other sources, all in a seamlessly integrated environment. (The AP and Kyodo News Services are scheduled to be added soon.) All sources ó 4,000 newspapers, magazines, journals, and newswires from 190 countries ó can be searched simultaneously and quickly using plain English. Newsline includes a healthy offering of Japan-related sources in English, such as Focus Japan, Japan High Tech Review, Japan Report Telecommunications, and Nikkei Keizai Shimbun.
Brokerline contains over 35,000 full-text US, European, and Pacific Rim analyses of companies, industry sectors, and economic trends. Sources include 55 leading merchant banks and stockbrokers. The downside of access to this plethora of information, of course, is the cost. The annual subscription fee for full access to the MAID databases is in the range of ·1 million, plus moderate charges for the information downloaded. But for businesses that do extensive market or general research, that cost may be well worthwhile ó "You've got to spend money to make money" is another aphorism applicable to today's business scene. And with a contract renewal rate of approximately 90%, MAID must be doing something right.
If your company is looking for a comprehensive source of up-to-date information, both general and specific, this is a source worth checking out.
Contact information: MAID Japan Co., Ltd., can be reached at phone 06-386-0146, fax 06-821-0336.
