Research Insight User Guide

Standard and Poor’s Research Insight (formerly Standard & Poor’s COMPUSTAT PC Plus) is a powerful software and data retrieval system designed for financial analysis. The Research Insight database contains fundamental financial, statistical, and market data for U.S. and Canadian corporations, banks, savings and loans, business segments, geographic areas, industry composites, aggregates, and indexes in addition to extensive data on inactive companies. It provides extensive coverage of annual and quarterly income statement, balance sheet, statement of cash flows, and supplemental data items on publicly held companies. Research Insight is updated quarterly and is available on Alden Library computers only.

This guide covers some of the basic ways that Research Insight can be used. You can navigate throught this guide in a linear fashion, or you can jump to a particular topic using the menu on the left. More detailed instructions are available in printed materials you can borrow from the Reference Desk: Standard & Poor’s Research Insight Getting Started(North America), Standard & Poor’s Research Insight Report and Chart Library(North America), and Standard & Poor’s Research Insight Beyond Basics. Detailed help is also available in the database itself. Click on the word "Help" at the top of the screen to get started using the online help information.

Basic viewing, printing, and saving procedures are described under the Company Highlights icon information and will not be repeated in the information for other icons.