*
This document has been prepared by the Singapore
Department of Statistics. It has been issued as
submitted.
INTRODUCTION
1. The Singapore Department of Statistics is
responsible for the maintenance of the establishment
register. Formerly known as the Establishment
Hub, it was first set up in the 1986 in IDMS/
Mainframe platform. It was subsequently revamped
and re-developed on a client-server platform.
To take advantage of the effective information
technological solution, the new Commercial Establishment
Information System (CEIS) was developed and
implemented on 1 Apr 1996. The CEIS uses a Oracle
relational database management system on UNIX
while the client is a Windows 95 PC desktop.
OVERVIEW
OF CEIS
The CEIS is a centralised database
which contains a comprehensive range of basic information
pertaining to establishments in Singapore. The principal
objectives of maintaining such a database are:
To provide up-to-date and
comprehensive data on establishments as well
as data at aggregate level
To serve as a survey frame
? for use in statistical surveys
To facilitate data sharing
(of establishment particulars) among various
government agencies
SOURCES
OF UPDATES
3. To provide a comprehensive sampling frame
for all inquiries and for analytical purposes,
the CEIS is updated on a continuous basis from
various sources. The primary source of updates
comes from the Registry of Companies and Businesses
(RCB) provides information on newly registered/ceased
companies and businesses on a regular basis.
Other updates come from the department's surveys
as well as other statutory boards such as Economic
Development Board, Jurong Town Corporation,
Construction Industry Development Board, newspapers,
government gazettes and trade magazines. Updates
from the major sources are downloaded from tapes,
processed/checked for integrity on the mainframe
before being loaded onto the database. Updates
from sources such as newspapers, government
gazettes are done on-line.
INFORMATION
AVAILABLE IN CEIS
4. The CEIS provides basic particulars of
establishments such as name, address, business
activity, registration date, commencement date,
person of authority, paid up capital, legal
organisation etc. Other than companies and businesses
registered with Registry of Companies &
Businesses (RCB), the CEIS also contains information
on the following type of establishments:
commercial establishments
registered with professional associations,
eg. clinics, legal & accounting firms
government and quasi-government
institutions
non-commercial establishments
eg. societies, co-operatives, religious organisations
representative offices
of foreign companies
others such as foreign
embassies and other non-profit making organisations
ACCESS
TO THE CEIS
5. Within the CEIS, the database is separated
into "live" and "non-live" categories and further
organised into data tables for easy retrieval.
As the client is set up on a user-friendly Windows
95 desktop, users in the department simply log
on to CEIS via LAN. Depending on the security
class of the users, they are able to access the
relevant screens (either for updating or enquiry).
They can also use the oracle browser for a listing
of establishments or a UNIX SAS program to generate
summary data. For external users, they are only
able to use the on-line enquiry screens.
6. Upon logging into the CEIS on-line system,
users see the options available to them (see Appendix
1). Users simply enter the criteria (such as CR-
Number or the name of the establishment) to search
for information of particular establishments.
For example, to search for enterprise using the
CR-Number, they key in the CR-Number. Once they
have found the establishment they are looking
for, they are able to "toggle" to the different
data tables relating to addresses, branches, paid-up
capital, persons-of-authority by clicking on the
conveniently located buttons on the top of the
screen (see Appendix 2). Printing facilities are
also available on a screen by screen basis.
SUBSCRIPTION
7. The CEIS is currently available
for subscription to only government departments
and statutory boards. Two types of subscription
are available: on-line and batch. The subscription
to CEIS is free for all government departments
whereas statutory boards are charged according
to the rates approved by Ministry Of Finance.
8. For on-line subscribers, they can access the
CEIS via dial-up or leased line. For batch subscribers,
they are provided with quarterly updates in tapes.
9. Although the CEIS is only available to government
departments and statutory boards, firms in the
private sector may request for a simple listing
of establishments containing name, address and
business activity or a sample listing (based on
certain criteria). These services are also charged
according to rates (based on cost recovery) approved
by Ministry Of Finance..
SINGAPORE
BUSINESS DIRECTORY ON THE INTERNET- SINGAPORE CONNECT
10. The department has also
placed a business directory, containing basic
information on name, address and business activity,
on the Internet. The information is provided free
of charge to all Internet users. One can access
the Singapore Connect website via the Singapore
Statistics homepage or directly to http://www.sgconnect.com.sg.
11. Users may search for Singapore companies
by name, business sector, or product, or run a
general search using any word or phrase. Firms
may also use the "Partners Programme" or "Sector
Spotlight" for a more focused search on Singapore
companies. New firms are invited to get listed
while existing firms are encouraged to add further
information on-line, on their products, markets
interested in, and so on.
CONCLUSION
12. This paper gives a brief overview of how
the Department maintains and manages the centralised
database on establishments. Given the rapid
advances in IT and the increasing needs of users,
we are constantly looking into ways to enhance
the system - in data capturing, updating of
data, retrieval and tabulation of data. Such
enhancements will result in more effective ways
of capturing and updating establishment information
as well as easier retrieval and tabulation of
data.
Appendix
1
Figure 1 shows the screen external users see
after logging in to CEIS. The screen shows the
options available for enquiries. Other than
enquiry options, users may also check on the
reference codes, do a conversion between RCB
no. and CR No, as well as view selected aggregated
data tables on the services and commerce sectors.
Figure 1
Appendix
2
Figure 2 shows one of the enquiry screens -
Search Enterprise by CR-No. Users key in the
CR-No (which is the unique identifier associated
with each enterprise) to search for the enterprise.
Once they are in this screen, they are able
to "toggle" between enterprise, establishment,
branches/divisions, addresses, person-of-authority
and paid-up capital using the buttons on the
top right hand corner.
