Jinfo product review of Fame database

Bureau van Dijk entered a new era last month when we unveiled our new state-of-the-art interface, designed as a sophisticated frontend for our vast family of databases. Fame, our extensive database of private companies in the UK and Ireland, became one of the first of our products to be made available through the new platform.

Detailed review

Chris Porter, an independent reviewer for information analysis firm Jinfo (formerly FreePint), has now had a chance to assess the platform and Fame in great detail.

You can read his summary (PDF) and full review (PDF) through these links.

Mr Porter takes a very methodical approach by examining and stress-testing the database from every angle, be that content and coverage (identification data, financials, corporate ownership information and the like), search and user interface, outputs and alerts, administration, value, pricing, or competitor comparisons.

He's clearly considered how users across a diverse range of sectors, faced with a number of different research challenges, would navigate the new service to get the best out of its rich functionality – and much of the assessment could apply to our global database, Orbis, which became available through the new interface at the same time.

He said that in Jinfo's view:

"... [T]he new version of Fame has done a fine job of retaining the service's well-known rich data and functionality, while presenting it in a more modern and user-friendly way.

"Fame has an immense richness of content on both quoted and private companies, coupled with very extensive functionality. It also offers many ways to customise displays and outputs in line with user requirements, quickly and easily.

"It can integrate with internal processes and data sources on a variety of levels, from the simple inputting of individual notes and comments to the wholesale importing of internal data fields relating to multiple records.

"The new interface version is impressively easy to use and has clearly been the subject of much thought and hard work ..."

Other highlights of the review include these quotes:

On coverage and value: "The breadth and depth of Bureau van Dijk's company coverage is vast ... While it may not match [some competitors] in its news content, it is in a different league to such providers when it comes to the depth and breadth of its company data."
On searching: "The overall look of the new service is crisp, clean and contemporary, with clear typefaces and an uncluttered feel – a major achievement, given the richness of the data available ... The step-by-step search functionality is easy to use, allowing the user to select from hundreds of alternative criteria with just a few logically ordered clicks ... The new user interface contains many nice touches."
On outputs: "In Jinfo's view, the range and complexity of the customisation options is stunning, and the new interface guides even the novice user through the necessary steps with the minimum of fuss."

Click the images below to read the summary (PDF) or full review (PDF).