	Technical Documentation
	
	NOTE TO USERS: This section contains critical information on sources and reliability of data, as well
	as definitions of terms and methodological procedures that users should consider before attempting 
	to interpret or analyze the statistical data presented in this report.  Failure to do so may affect 
	the results.
	
	Overview
		
	This report is a continuing series of reports profiling U.S. exporters.  The first report, A Profile
	of United States Exporters: Initial Findings from the Exporter Data Base, was released by the 
	International Trade Administration in September 1993.  That report was based on Census Bureau 
	data compiled both from the 1987 Economic Census and from documents filed for export clearances 
	during 1987 and used a methodology not employed in succeeding reports.  Subsequent reports, covering 
	1992 through present, are based on economic census and survey data on file at the Census Bureau, 
	administrative records from other government agencies, and documents filed for export clearances.  
	
	These exporter profiles are compiled by the Foreign Trade Division of the U. S. Census Bureau.  
	The International Trade Administration (ITA) is a partial sponsor of the work, providing both 
	financial assistance and advice on data user needs.  The ITA also sponsors more detailed Exhibits,
	which will be available on their Web site later this year.  Users will be notified on the ITA Web
	site (www.ita.doc.gov) when this information is available.
	
	Effective with the 1997/1998 report, companies are classified according to the North American 
	Industry Classification System (NAICS) instead of the Standard Industrial Classification (SIC) 
	system. There are differences in the ways NAICS and SIC classify certain types of companies.  
	For example, manufacturers of prepackaged software and books are classified as manufacturers 
	under SIC and as Other types of companies under NAICS.  Users are advised to consider these 
	differences when making year-over-year comparisons of exporters and exporter characteristics 
	before and after 1997.  This profile, based on new and revised data, uses the same methodology
	as previous years.
	
	The exporter profiles are developed to provide both government and private sector users with 
	information about the exporting community including employment size, type of company, and major
	foreign markets.  In this report the data are presented in Exhibits 1 through 6, where the export 
	data are designated as part a for statistical year, part b for prior year, and part c for the 
	difference between the data for these two years.  The previous years figures in this report are 
	revised from data released in the previous exporter profile.  The revisions are based on the 
	ability to match additional records.
	
	The exhibits in this report include detailed breakdowns based upon the number of employees of 
	the identified exporting companies.  In presenting these results, companies are classified as 
	small (less than 100 employees including number of employees unknown), medium (100 to 499 employees),
	and large (500 or more employees).  Exhibit 3 also provides information on exports to related parties,
	such as parent or subsidiary firms.  Two parties are considered related if either party owns, 
	directly or indirectly, 10 percent or more of the other party.
	
	All percentages stated in this report, unless otherwise specified, were calculated based solely 
	upon the statistical and prior years export values that could be linked to specific exporters--the
	known value. In addition, the source of the administrative records, the Business Register, was 
	restructured starting with 2002 data.  For explanations of the methods used in tabulating the 
	information as well as non-sampling errors and other limitations of the export data in this report,
	see the Methodology section below. Users are advised to consider these limitations when analyzing 
	this information as they may affect the results. Users should cite the Census Bureau, U.S. Department
	of Commerce as the source of the information in this report, not as the source of their analyses.
	
	Sources of Information
	
	The exporter profiles were created from export merchandise trade documentation and company 
	characteristics contained in the Census Bureaus data base of company information, the Business 
	Register.  Company characteristics are gathered through economic censuses and surveys and supplemented 
	with employment and payroll information provided by the Internal Revenue Service.   The export trade 
	statistics, with the exception of exports to Canada, are compiled from Shippers Export Declarations,
	or their electronic equivalent, which were filed by U.S. exporters or their agents for merchandise 
	exiting the United States.  The data for exports to Canada are derived from Canadas import data via
	the U.S./Canada data exchange.   
	
	Methodology
	
	This profile was compiled using company identifiers or company names reported on export documentation
	to electronically link export trade data to company characteristics in the Business Register.   
	Beginning with data year 2002, the Business Register database was completely restructured to include
	additional information.  Due to these changes and problems with our prior methodology, the matching
	routines used to create the Exporter Profile were updated.  Despite the limitations within the 
	Business Register, we are able to maintain consistency with our prior Profiles matching routines.
	
	Less than 3 percent of the total export value for each year, including low-value estimates, exports 
	by U.S. and foreign governments, timing adjustments, and end-of-year revisions, was excluded from 
	this matching process because the export transactions cannot be attributed to specific exporting 
	companies.  Other transactions that could not be matched electronically were investigated and linked
	manually to specific companies using a combination of criteria, including company name, location, 
	type, and product.  A comparison of the overall match rates, based on export value, are presented in
	Table 1 under Distribution of Exports by Identified and Unidentified Exporters, at the beginning of 
	this report.  
	
	It was not possible to investigate every unmatched transaction, so priority was given to those with
	the highest export values.  The percentage of unidentified value tends to decrease each year as more
	companies are identified and value thresholds triggering investigation are lowered.  Therefore, users
	should make year-to-year comparisons with caution and be aware that the number of small exporting 
	companies and their associated known value are most likely understated.  Similarly, the known value
	may not reflect all shipments by identified companies.
	
	Data Quality
	
	Quality assurance procedures were applied to all phases of collection, processing and tabulation of
	the information in this report to minimize errors.  The data continues to be subject to non-sampling
	errors in data reporting (of the basic export trade statistics and the administrative record source 
	data), coding, keying, and in coverage (due to failure to identify all exporting companies).  For an 
	explanation of non-sampling errors affecting the trade statistics, see the Information on Goods and 
	Services section of the FT 900 U.S. International Trade in Goods and Services, or call (301)763-2227
	to request a copy of the release.  One can also obtain this information from the web at the following
	address:http://www.census.gov/foreign-trade/Press-Release/current_press_release/explain.pdf
	
	
	The characteristics of exporting companies in this report reflect companies that could be matched to 
	the Business Register.  When analyzing these data, users should consider the possible impact of 
	unmatched transactions and unidentified exporters on their results.  Unidentified exporters may not
	reflect the same distribution of company types and sizes as identified exporting companies.  
	Similarly, comparisons between the number of companies exporting in given categories may be misleading
	due to differences in the percentage of value matched to companies of various types and sizes.
	
	Year-over-year comparisons should also be made with caution.  Changes in the number of exporters and 
	the value of their export transactions, the known value, may be due to differences in match rates or 
	exporters entering/dropping out of the export market. Table 1, under Distribution of Exports by 
	Identified and Unidentified Exporters, at the beginning of this report shows a comparison of the match
	rates, based on export value, as well as the value attributable to exporters that exported in both 
	years.
	
	Data by State
	
	The data contained in Exhibits 6a and 6b are based on the Origin of Movement (OM) State - Based on 
	Origin State.  The U.S. state of origin is the 2-character postal code for the state in which the 
	goods begin their journey to the port of export.  This field allowed the compilation of the Origin 
	of Movement - Based on Origin State Series. The OM series based on origin state has been available 
	since 1987 and is intended to reflect the transportation origin of exports.  For more complete 
	information on the state data series, refer to the notice at:  
	http/www/census.gov/foreign-trade/aip/elom.html.
	
	
	Definitions of Terms
	
	Business Register.  Data base of companies included in economic census and surveys conducted by the
	Census Bureau.
	
	Company.  A company is a business consisting of one domestic location (single location company) or
	more than one domestic location (multiple location company) under its ownership or control.
	
		Identified Companies: Identified companies are those companies to which one or more export 
		transactions were matched.  The export value associated with these companies is termed known value.
		
		Unclassified Companies: These are identified companies for which no NAICS classification 
		(manufacturers, wholesalers or other companies) could be assigned.
	
	Company Size.  Company sizes are based on employment:  small (less than 100 employees including 
	number of employees unknown), medium (100 - 499 employees), and large (500 or more employees).
	
	Company Type.  Company types are based on the North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) 
	and are broken out into manufacturers, wholesalers, and all other companies.  Those companies for 
	which a valid NAICS code is not available are placed in the unclassified grouping.
	
	Employment.  Employment includes all employees, full-time or part-time, reported on a firms payroll
	during specific payroll periods.
	
	Low-value Estimates.  Export transactions valued under $2,501 are not required to be reported.  
	Instead, the Census Bureau estimates the value of such shipments to each country using factors based
	on the ratios of low-valued shipments to individual country totals for past periods.
	
	Related Party.  A related party transaction is one between a U.S. exporter and a foreign consignee, 
	where either party owns (directly or indirectly) 10 percent or more of the other party. 
	
	State of the Origin of Movement (OM).  The OM series data provides export statistics based on the 
	state from which the merchandise starts its journey to the port of export; i.e., the transportation
	origin.  This information is reported by the exporter.  See the Data Quality section above for 
	limitations of this data series.
	
	Value.  The values in this report are f.a.s. (free alongside ship) and include both domestic exports
	and re-exports of foreign merchandise.  Several different values are given:

	
		Total export value:  The total value includes all transactions whether or not linked to specific 
		companies.
	
		Known value: The value of transactions linked to specific companies.  All percentages given for 
		company size and types are based on known value.
	
		Unidentified Value: The valued transactions that were not linked to a specific company. Note that
		these shipments might have been exported either by identified companies or by other companies not
		identified in the linking process.
	