First Call Historical Database (FCHD) Technical Guide

A Thomson Financial Company

FIRST CALL Historical Database

Table of Contents
Intended Audience Retrieving the First Call Historical Database Files General Assumptions
Defining a set of estimates Default NA Values Rounding 3 3 4 4 5 5 6 6 7 9 10 13 14 19 19 21 27

Overview of Tables
Detail Data Other Security-Level Data Statistics Securities/Issuers/Brokers Footnotes Lookup Tables

Appendix A Table and Field Definition Reference

Description of Tables in the First Call Historical Database Field Definitions in the First Call Historical Database Diagram of Structure of the First Call Historical Database

First Call Corporation is a Thomson Financial Services company. 1999 First Call Corporation, 22 Thomson Place, Boston, MA, 02210. In the United States, FIRST CALL [product name] is a trademark of First Call Corporation. FIRST CALL and FIRST CALL [product name] are registered trademarks used herein under license.

FCHD Technical Guide

Intended Audience
This document is targeted towards the technical user that will be responsible for importing FCHD data into a database system, and writing programs that display and manipulate FCHD data. This documents focus is on the tables and field formats of FCHD, and how to retrieve FCHD data. For detailed information about the actual data refer to the FCHD user guide.

Retrieving the First Call Historical Database Files

The First Call Historical Database consists of 26 non fixed-length, tab-delimited text files. Each file is G-Zipped and is made available via FTP. The following is a list of all the files currently available. When estimates are made for fiscal year 1995, the est_1995.dat.gz, summ_1995.dat.gz, and
File Size (in Bytes) actuals.dat.gz 2,914,466 brokers.dat.gz 4,346 brokers_del.dat.gz 766 cig.dat.gz 282,500 cigcode.dat.gz 392 cigcode_desc.dat.gz 247 country.dat.gz 1,273 cross_ref.dat.gz 205,170 currency.dat.gz 1,034 data_type.dat.gz 489 ddc.dat.gz 259 est_1990.dat.gz 803,348 est_1991.dat.gz 1,302,238 est_1992.dat.gz 1,713,512 est_1993.dat.gz 2,272,917 est_1994.dat.gz 2,938,053 est_1995.dat.gz 3,663,476 est_1996.dat.gz 4,682,331 est_1997.dat.gz 5,365,260 est_1998.dat.gz 6,422,462 est_1999.dat.gz 4,448,978 est_2000.dat.gz 1,156,500 est_2001.dat.gz 83,066 est_2002.dat.gz 7,955 est_2003.dat.gz 2,005 est_2004.dat.gz 1,843 est_src.dat.gz 161 foot_code.dat.gz 841 foot_type.dat.gz 189 footnotes.dat.gz 1,584,879 issuer.dat.gz 199,352 periodicity.dat.gz 79 rev30_1990.dat.gz 337,200

FIRST CALL Historical Database

rev30_1991.dat.gz rev30_1992.dat.gz rev30_1993.dat.gz rev30_1994.dat.gz rev30_1995.dat.gz rev30_1996.dat.gz rev30_1997.dat.gz rev30_1998.dat.gz rev30_1999.dat.gz rev30_2000.dat.gz rev30_2001.dat.gz rev30_2002.dat.gz rev30_2003.dat.gz rev30_2004.dat.gz rev3F_1990.dat.gz rev3F_1991.dat.gz rev3F_1992.dat.gz rev3F_1993.dat.gz rev3F_1994.dat.gz rev3F_1995.dat.gz rev3F_1996.dat.gz rev3F_1997.dat.gz rev3F_1998.dat.gz rev3F_1999.dat.gz rev3F_2000.dat.gz rev3F_2001.dat.gz rev3F_2002.dat.gz rev3F_2003.dat.gz rev3F_2004.dat.gz rev90_1990.dat.gz rev90_1991.dat.gz rev90_1992.dat.gz rev90_1993.dat.gz rev90_1994.dat.gz rev90_1995.dat.gz rev90_1996.dat.gz rev90_1997.dat.gz rev90_1998.dat.gz rev90_1999.dat.gz rev90_2000.dat.gz rev90_2001.dat.gz rev90_2002.dat.gz rev90_2003.dat.gz rev90_2004.dat.gz revFF_1990.dat.gz revFF_1991.dat.gz revFF_1992.dat.gz revFF_1993.dat.gz revFF_1994.dat.gz revFF_1995.dat.gz revFF_1996.dat.gz revFF_1997.dat.gz 640,729 923,054 1,299,526 1,739,658 2,180,516 2,929,827 3,478,915 3,768,362 2,621,053 627,598 45,667 4,905 1,548 1,551 184,294 351,471 500,148 698,080 931,301 1,161,238 1,529,912 1,831,152 1,966,765 1,393,763 347,112 28,812 3,355 1,112 1,112 295,861 544,818 779,691 1,100,859 1,485,118 1,869,857 2,537,191 3,048,234 3,309,415 2,245,613 493,438 35,494 3,922 1,337 1,190 328,085 627,011 905,636 1,278,113 1,701,326 2,126,172 2,836,791 3,357,330

FCHD Technical Guide

revFF_1998.dat.gz revFF_1999.dat.gz revFF_2000.dat.gz revFF_2001.dat.gz revFF_2002.dat.gz revFF_2003.dat.gz revFF_2004.dat.gz revMM_1990.dat.gz revMM_1991.dat.gz revMM_1992.dat.gz revMM_1993.dat.gz revMM_1994.dat.gz revMM_1995.dat.gz revMM_1996.dat.gz revMM_1997.dat.gz revMM_1998.dat.gz revMM_1999.dat.gz revMM_2000.dat.gz revMM_2001.dat.gz revMM_2002.dat.gz revMM_2003.dat.gz revMM_2004.dat.gz rev_per.dat.gz sec_type.dat.gz security.dat.gz security_sym.dat.gz split.dat.gz sum_1990.dat.gz sum_1991.dat.gz sum_1992.dat.gz sum_1993.dat.gz sum_1994.dat.gz sum_1995.dat.gz sum_1996.dat.gz sum_1997.dat.gz sum_1998.dat.gz sum_1999.dat.gz sum_2000.dat.gz sum_2001.dat.gz sum_2002.dat.gz sum_2003.dat.gz sum_2004.dat.gz sym_provider.dat.gz 3,640,208 2,580,812 645,706 50,217 5,202 1,627 1,669 187,360 348,096 491,045 691,188 924,364 1,147,909 1,513,106 1,816,512 1,949,615 1,419,720 364,888 30,482 3,467 1,109 1,111 104 543 94,247 208,891 27,320 409,809 816,874 1,166,996 1,603,647 2,123,248 2,678,116 2,228,639 4,312,097 4,877,386 3,505,234 864,179 58,596 5,544 1,457 1,433 287

FIRST CALL Historical Database

General Assumptions and Definitions

Defining a Set of Estimates
A set of estimates can be defined as a combination of Security_ID, Data_Type, DDC, Currency, Periodicity, and FPE. This represents a data type for a security in a particular currency, for a particular year or quarter.

Default NA Values
Number Values Wide numeric fields (those with more than 6 digits) with values that are not available are assigned a default value of 2147483648. Narrow numeric fields (6 digits or less) with values that are not available are assigned a default value of -32768. Dates If a date is not available, the default date is 1/1/1980.

Rounding
Consensus, Actual, and Estimate EPS values are rounded to the nearest hundredth. Stock split values are represented to four decimal places.

FCHD Technical Guide

Overview of Tables
Definitions: Table Name: What it contains: Fields: Unique Identifier: Lookup Table for: Foreign Keys: Name of the table What data is contained in the table List of all the fields in the table What field, or combination of fields uniquely identify a record in the table Lists which tables use the current table as a reference for one of its fields Lists which tables the current table uses as a reference for the current tables fields.

Detail Data
Table Name: What it contains: Fields: Est_XXXX (The XXXX is the year of the estimate) Detail Broker Estimate Data Security_ID, Data_Type, DDC, Currency, Periodicity, FPE, Broker_ID, Estimate_Date, System_Date, Est_Src, Value Unique Identifier: Combination of Security_ID, Data_Type, DDC, Currency, Periodicity, FPE, Broker_ID, Estimate_Date Lookup Table for: None Foreign Keys: Security_ID references the Security_ID field in the Security table Data_Type references the Code field in the Data_Type table DDC references the Code field in the DDC table Currency references the Code field in the Currency table Periodicity references the Code field in the Periodicity table Broker_ID references the Broker_ID field in the Brokers table Est_Src references the Code field in he Est_Src table. The Estimates tables (Est_XXXX) contain earnings estimates issued by brokers contributing to First Call. A series of estimates for a given broker, security, and period can be identified by a combination of: Security_ID, Data_Type, DDC, Currency, Periodicity, FPE, and Broker_ID. The record with most recent estimate date will be the most recent estimate for that series. When a series of estimates stops, a record is added to the Estimates table with a value of 2147483648.

FIRST CALL Historical Database

Other Security-Level Data

Table Name: What it contains: Fields: Unique Identifier: Lookup Table for: Foreign Keys: Actuals Actuals reported by companies Security_ID, Data_Type, DDC, Currency, Periodicity, FPE, Actual_Date, System_Date, Value

None Security_ID references the Security_ID field in the Security table Data_Type references the Code field in the Data_Type table DDC references the Code field in the DDC table Currency references the Code field in the Currency table Periodicity references the Code field in the Periodicity table The Actuals table contains the actual per share numbers reported by the companies following a fiscal period end. If a company has restated its earnings, two records will appear in the actuals table: the record with the most recent report date will be the most current restated value, and the record with the earliest report date will be the originally reported record. There will be a record in Actuals for each set of estimates in the estimate table that has a fiscal period end more than 90 days from the date the FCHD files were generated. If there is no actual value and/or actual date available for the period the record in the Actuals table will have a NA value of 2147483648 and/or a NA report date of 01/01/80. CIG Company Issued Guidelines Security_ID, Data_Type, DDC, Currency, Periodicity, FPE, Announce_Date, System_Date, Est_1, Est_2, Cig_Est, CIGCode, CIGCode_Desc, Comment

Table Name: What it contains: Fields:

Unique Identifier: Lookup Table for: Foreign Keys:

None Security_ID references the Security_ID field in the Security table Data_Type references the Code field in the Data_Type table DDC references the Code field in the DDC table Currency references the Code field in the Currency table Periodicity references the Code field in the Periodicity table CIGCode references the Code field in the CIGCode table CIGCode_Desc references the Code field in the CIGCode_Desc table Companies make earnings forecasts in press releases and interviews before they report the actual earnings. The forecast may be a number, a range of numbers, or a simple

FCHD Technical Guide

text item suggesting that the companys earnings will be above or below analysts expectations. Company issued guidelines can be found in the CIG table. If a specific earnings figure is mentioned, it appears in the Estone field. If a range is mentioned, the upper limit of the range is in the Esttwo field. If a specific number is not mentioned, the field contains a default value of -2147483648. The CIGCode field qualifies the guideline (i.e. whether it expects to report earnings above or below or the number mentioned). The CIGCode_Desc field further describes the guideline by comparing it to current expectations and indicating whether it qualifies as a positive or negative surprise.

FIRST CALL Historical Database

Statistics
Table Name: What it contains: Fields: Sum_XXXX (XXXX is the year) Summary statistics calculated using the detail estimates Security_ID, Data_Type, DDC, Currency, Periodicity, FPE, Forecast_Period, Fiscal_Period_Number, Calculation_Date, Mean Median, High, Low, Std_Deviation, Num_Estimates, Ests_Raised, Ests_Lowered, Ests_Added, Ests_Deleted Unique Identifier: A combination of: Security_ID, Data_Type, DDC, Currency, Periodicity, FPE, Calculation_Date Lookup Table for: None Foreign Keys: Security_ID references the Security_ID field in the Security table Data_Type references the Code field in the Data_Type table DDC references the Code field in the DDC table Currency references the Code field in the Currency table Periodicity references the Code field in the Periodicity table Summary statistics display the consensus of the future EPS of a security. Included in the summary statistics are: mean, median, high, low, standard deviation, number of estimates, and the number of estimates raised, lowered, added, or deleted since the last calculation date. New statistics are generated each time a broker begins or ends coverage of a security, revises an estimate, or begins or ends participation in First Calls database. Only the most recent estimate made by each broker is used in the summary statistics calculation. See Appendix C in the user manual for an example of how summary statistics are calculated. Summary statistics are found in the Sum_XXXX tables. There is a summary table for each year for which there are earnings estimates, currently from 1990 to 2003.

Table Name: What it contains: Fields:

Unique Identifier: Lookup Table for: Foreign Keys:

10

RevXX_XXXX (the XX is the revision period, the XXXX is the year) Revision activity information. Security_ID, Data_Type, DDC, Currency, Periodicity, FPE, Rev_Per_Code, Forecast_Period, Fiscal_Period_Number, Calculation_Date, Num_Periods, Ests_Raised, Ests_Lowered, Ests_Added, Ests_Deleted, Num_Estimates Security_ID, Data_Type, DDC, Currency, Periodicity, FPE, Rev_Per, Calculation_Date None Security_ID references the Security_ID field in the Security table

FCHD Technical Guide

Data_Type references the Code field in the Data_Type table DDC references the Code field in the DDC table Currency references the Code field in the Currency table Periodicity references the Code field in the Periodicity table Rev_Per references the Code field in the Rev_Per table The Revision tables contain the number of estimates raised, lowered, added, or deleted during certain time periods: 7 day, 30 day, 90 day, month-end to month end, and third Friday of month one to third Friday of month two. All periods end on a Friday except for the monthly period. The FF, 30, and 90-day tables are calculated every Friday. The Monthly table is calculated at the end of the month, and the 3F table is calculated on the third Friday of each month. There can be consecutive periods during which the Ests_Raised, Ests_Lowered, Ests_Added, Ests_Deleted, and Num_Ests fields for the keys remain the same. To minimize repetitive records, instead of generating a new record in the Revisions table, the Num_Periods field is increased. This field keeps track of the number of periods (week for 7, 30, and 90 day, month for Monthly and every 4 or 5. Weeks for Third Friday-to-Third Friday) for which the revision data record is the same. The program that generates the revision statistics examines the Ests_Raised, Ests_Lowered, Ests_Added, Ests_Deleted, and Num_Ests fields for each estimate set. If the numbers are the same in two consecutive records, the Num_Periods filed would be 1. If three consecutive records were the same, it would be 2. If no records were the same, it would be 0. See Appendix C in the user manual for a detailed example of how revision data is collected. One-day revision data can be found in the Summary Statistics table, which contains the number of estimates raised, lowered, added, or deleted since the last estimate was revised, added, or deleted.

Securities/Issuers/Brokers
Table Name: What it contains: Fields: Unique Identifier: Lookup Table for: Security Security Information Security_ID, Issuer_ID, Security_Type, Country_Code Security_ID field Security_ID field in the Actuals, Company Issued Guidelines (CIG), Estimates (Est_XXXX), Summary Statistics (Sum_XXXX), Revision Activity Statistics (RevX_XXXX), and Footnotes tables. Issuer_ID references the Issuer_ID field in the Issuer table Security_Type references the Code field in the Sec_Type table Country_Code references the Code field in Country table

Foreign Keys:

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FIRST CALL Historical Database

The term Security refers to issues offered by individual companies. Each security has its own unique identifier, Security_ID. A company or issuer may issue more than one security. Because FCHD is a historical database, it contains securities that no longer exist or are no longer tracked by First Call Brokers.

Table Name: Issuer What it contains: Company Information Fields: Issuer_ID, Name, Country_Code, FY_End_Month Unique Identifier: Issuer_ID field Lookup Table for: Issuer_ID in the Security table Foreign Keys: Country_Code references the Code field in Country table The term Issuer refers to the companies that issue the securities. Each company in the Issuer table is uniquely identified by an Issuer_ID. The issuers country refers to the country in which that company is primarily based. The month of the companys fiscal year end is expressed numerically (1 for January, 2 for February, and so on). Because FCHD is a historical database, it contains companies that no longer exist or are no longer tracked by First Call Brokers.

Table Name: Brokers What it contains: Brokerage firm information Fields: Broker_ID, Broker_Code, Name, Country_Code Unique Identifier: Broker_ID Lookup Table for: Broker_ID in the Estimates (Est_XXXX) and Brokers_Del tables Foreign Keys: Country_Code references the Code field in Country table Information about the brokerage firm issuing the estimate (broker name, First Call letter code and country) is found in the Broker table. Each brokerage firm is uniquely identified by its Broker_ID. The two-letter Broker_Code corresponds to the two-character Broker_Codes used in other First Call products.

Table Name: What it contains: Fields: Unique Identifier: Lookup Table for: Foreign Keys:

Brokers_Del IDs of brokers that no longer contribute to First Call Broker_ID, Inactive_Flag, Note Broker_ID None Broker_ID references Broker_ID field in the Brokers table.

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FCHD Technical Guide

Because this is a historicl database, the Brokers table includes some firms that no longer contribute to First Call. The IDs of the inactive brokers are listed in the Brokers_Del table. The Inactive_Flag field is marked I for inactive, and the Note field contains an explanation of why the broker is inactive.

Table Name: Split What it contains: Stock split and stock dividend information Fields: Security_ID, Split Date, Split_Factor Unique Identifier: Lookup Table for: None Foreign Keys: Security_ID references the Security_ID in the Security table All stock split and stock dividend information can be found in the Split table. All estimate and actual data are adjusted for stock splits and stock dividends. The per share values are divided by the split factor; while number of shares are multiplied by the split factor. If a company has a stock dividend, the split factor is one plus the amount of the stock dividend. For example, a 10% stock dividend would have a split factor of 1.100.

Table Name: What it contains: Fields: Unique Identifier: Lookup Table for: Foreign Keys:

Security_Sym Security Symbols, such as SEDOL, CUSIP, S&P Ticker, etc Security_ID, Symbol_ID, Symbol Security_ID, Symbol_ID None Security_ID references the Security_ID in the Security table Symbol_ID references the Symbol_ID field in the Sym_Provider table A security may have several different identifiers, such as a ticker symbol, SEDOL or CUSIP. All identifiers of a particular security are listed in the Security_Sym table.

Table Name: What it contains: Fields: Unique Identifier:

Cross_Ref Cross references to other First Call Products Security_ID, TFN, Group ID, FC_Ticker Combination of Security_ID and TFN

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FIRST CALL Historical Database

Lookup Table for: None Foreign Keys: Security The Cross_Ref table associates the First Call TFN (Thomson Financial Networks identification system) numbers with the Issuer_ID numbers, Security_ID numbers, and Group ID numbers used in FCHD. Many First Call files distributed to clients use TFN numbers as the identifiers. This table facilitates integration with other First Call products. The Cross_Ref table also includes the ticker symbol associated with the unique TFN Number. This ticker symbol often contains suffixes that have been created at First Call that identify Data type, Currency, or DDC. A table of First Call ticker suffixes and their definitions are included in the glossary in Appendix A under FC_Ticker. *The Group_ID is used to associate the earnings data for several security types. In the US and Canada, where companies have issued two classes of security; for example, class A and class B, the reported EPS for both classes is the same as the EPS forecasts. Typically the company reports EPS on a diluted basis; for example, the price of the shares of different classes may vary, but the EPS forecasts for the class A and class B shares are the same. In addition, the mean EPS forecast in the Summary Statistics table is the mean of estimates from all brokers making estimates for either class of stock.

Footnotes
Table Name: What it contains: Fields: Footnotes Footnotes for values in the New RTEE History Database Security_ID, Data_Type, DDC, Currency, Periodicity, FPE, Foot_Type, Foot_Code, Text Unique Identifier: None Lookup Table for: None Foreign Keys: None Occasionally an estimate or actual value may not be adjusted for unusual items. Any unusual items are listed in the Footnotes table. This table lists the footnote, along with the Foot_Type and a Foot_Code. The Foot_Type refers to what unusual items are included or excluded from the value. The Foot_Code goes into more detail regarding the unusual items. Footnotes are linked to detail and statistical data using keys. In some cases a footnote might be applicable for the security all the time (not for a particular Data_Type or time period). In those cases, all the identifying fields except Security_ID are left null. When joining the Footnote table to other tables like actuals, it must be specified that the security_id, data_type, ddc, currency, fpe and

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FCHD Technical Guide

periodicity fields must either equal the corresponding footnotes fields or the be null.

Lookup Tables
Table Name: What it contains: Fields: CIGCode Codes that qualify the numbers in the CIG tables. Code, Name

Unique Identifier: Code Lookup Table for: CigCode field in the CIG table Foreign Keys: None CIG Codes qualify the Estone and Esttwo fields in the CIG table. For example, the CIG code A signifies that the companys earnings will be about the value listed in the Estone field. The CIG Code B signifies that the companys earnings will be between the value listed in the Estone and Esttwo fields.

Table Name: What it contains: Fields:

CIGCode_Desc Codes that describe the effect of the company issued guideline Code, Name

Unique Identifier: Code Lookup Table for: CigCode_Desc field in CIG Foreign Keys: None The CIGCode_Desc field describes the effect of the company issued guideline. For example, the D code means the announcement qualifies as a negative surprise.

Table Name: What it contains: Fields:

Country Countries Code, Name

Unique Identifier: Code Lookup Table for: Country_Code field in the Brokers, Issuer and Securities tables Foreign Keys: None The Code is a three-letter code; the Name is the countrys full name.

Table Name:

Currency

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FIRST CALL Historical Database

What it contains: Fields: Unique Identifier: Lookup Table for:

Currency Types Code, Name

Code Currency field in the Actuals, Company Issued Guidelines (CIG), Estimates (Est_XXXX), Summary Statistics (Sum_XXXX), Revision Activity Statistics (RevX_XXXX), and Footnotes tables. Foreign Keys: None The Code is a three-letter code; the Name is the currencys full name.

Table Name: What it contains: Fields: Unique Identifier: Lookup Table for:

Data_Type Data Types Code, Name

Code DDC field in the Actuals, Company Issued Guidelines (CIG), Estimates (Est_XXXX), Summary Statistics (Sum_XXXX), Revision Activity Statistics (RevX_XXXX), and Footnotes tables. Foreign Keys: None The Code is the acronym for the data type (i.e. EPS, EBITDA); the Name is the spelled-out version.

Table Name: What it contains: Fields: Unique Identifier: Lookup Table for:

DDC Data Differentiator Codes Code, Name

Code Currency field in Actuals, Company Issued Guidelines (CIG), Estimates (Est_XXXX), Summary Statistics (Sum_XXXX), Revision Activity Statistics (RevX_XXXX), and Footnotes tables. Foreign Keys: None DDC stands for Data Differentiator Code. This code indicates a discontinuity in the values shown due to an event such as a merger or accounting change. An example would be a companys EPS before and after a merger.

Table Name: What it contains: Fields:

Est_Src Sources of estimates Code, Name

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FCHD Technical Guide

Unique Identifier: Code Lookup Table for: Est_Src field in Estimates (Est_XXXX) Foreign Keys: None The majority of estimates are real-time and come from broker notes or are received via electronic transmission. Other estimates are received in weekly or monthly update files or via direct interaction with individual analysts.

Table Name: What it contains: Fields:

Foot_Type Types of footnotes Code, Name

Unique Identifier: Code Lookup Table for: Foot_Type field in Footnotes Foreign Keys: None The Foot_Type indicates whether the footnote is due to an item being included or excluded or due to the value being restated.

Table Name: What it contains: Fields:

Foot_Code Footnote Codes Code, Foot_Type, Name

Unique Identifier: Code Lookup Table for: Foot_Code field in Footnotes Foreign Keys: Foot_Type references the Code field in the Foot_Type table The Footnote_Code explains the unusual item included or excluded in the value corresponding to the footnote. Such items include one-time charges and gains and losses on the sale of assets.

Table Name: What it contains: Fields: Unique Identifier: Lookup Table for:

Periodicity Periodicity Codes Code, Name

Code Periodicity field in the Actuals, Company Issued Guidelines (CIG), Estimates (Est_XXXX), Summary Statistics (Sum_XXXX), Revision Activity Statistics (RevX_XXXX), and Footnotes tables. Foreign Keys: None The code A stands for Annual; the Q stands for Quarterly

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FIRST CALL Historical Database

Table Name: What it contains: Fields:

Rev_Per Revision periods Code, Name

Unique Identifier: Code Lookup Table for: Rev_Per field in the RevXX_XXXX table Foreign Keys: None The Rev_Per table contains the following values: 30 - 30 day 3F - 3rd Friday to 3rd Friday of Each Month 90 - 90 Days FF - Friday to Friday of Each Week MM Month-end to Month-End

Table Name: What it contains: Fields:

Sec_Type Types of Securities Code, Name

Unique Identifier: Code Lookup Table for: Security_Type field in Security Foreign Keys: None The code is a 3-letter code; the name describes the type of security (common stock, ADR, etc).

Table Name: Sym_Provider What it contains: Symbols that identify securities Fields: Symbol_ID, Short_Name, Long_Name Unique Identifier: Symbol_ID Lookup Table for: Symbol_ID field in Security_Sym table. Foreign Keys: None This table lists all symbols used to identify a security, such as CUSIPs and tickers.

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FCHD Technical Guide

Appendix A- Table Structure and Field Definitions Table Structure and Field Definitions
First Calls Historical Database is available in non-fixed length, tab-delimited text files. Below is a list of all the tables included in the database, as well as the fields included in each table. For character fields, a length is given to assist in programming.

Description of Tables
#
Statistics DataSecurity-Level De-tail 1 2 3

Table
Est_XXXX Actuals CIG

Description
Analyst Estimates from contributing brokers. Official actuals reported by companies. Company Investor Guidelines. Contains company forecasts of EPS. Typically these are made shortly before the actual EPS is reported. Summary statistics for earnings estimates. Mean high low standard deviation, etc. Number of estimates up, down, added and deleted for specified time periods of 1day, 7days/Friday, 30days/Friday, 90 days/Friday, Month-end to Month-end, IBES convention (Mid-month to Mid-month). Broker that contribute data to First Call. This table contains a list of brokers that are longer active, e.g., Dean Witter, Salomon Bros., Companies represented in the Analytical Database. Securities (Issues) in the Analytical Database. Lists all the symbols, such as CUSIPS and tickers that correspond to a certain Security_ID. Contains data on stock splits. While all data in the Analytical Database is post split, this table may prove useful to some users. This is an informational table which cross-references First Calls TFN IDs to security codes in the Analytical Database. This table will be useful to clients who receive other electronic transmissions from First Call Contains footnotes to the values in the Analytical Database.

4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12

Sum_XXXX RevXX_XXXX Brokers Brokers_Del Issuer Security Security_Sym Split Cross_Ref Footnotes

Brokers, Issuers and Security Info Foot-notes

13

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FIRST CALL Historical Database

Lookup Tables

14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22

CIGCode CIGCode_Desc Country Currency Data_Type DDC Est_Src Foot_Type Foot_Code

This table lists the qualifiers for the CIG Values in the CIG table (whether the company will meet number or not, etc) This code describes the guidelineis it a surprise, etc. Countries in the Analytical Database. Currencies in the Analytical Database. Data_Types in the Analytical Database, e.g. EPS, CFPS, etc. Data differentiator code definitions Indicates how analyst data was received by First Call. Lists the type of note. E.g., whether the unusual item was included or excluded, or whether the actual was a restatement. Details the affect of the unusual item on the value.

23 24 25 26

Periodicity Rev_Per Sec_Type Sym_Provider

Periodicities in the Analytical Database, e.g. Annual, Quarterly, Semiannual.. Description of each revision period, e.g. Friday to Friday, Month-end to Monthend, etc. Description of each Security type Lists the different types of symbols used to identify a security.

Field Definitions in FCHD Primary Keys are Indicated in Bold

1. Est_XXXX (XXXX is the year of the estimate)
Field Name
Security_ID Data_Type DDC Currency Periodicity FPE Broker_ID Estimate_Date System_Date Est_Src Value

Type
Long Char, 8 Char, 8 Char, 3 Char, 1 Date Long Date/Time Date/Time Long Currency

Foreign Key
Security.Security_ID Data_Type.Code DDC.Code Currency.Code Periodicity.Code Brokers.Broker_ID

Description
Internal ID, unique for each security Type of data Data Differentiator Code Currency in which the value is expressed Periodicity Fiscal Period End (MM/DD/YYYY) Broker_ID Unique for each broker Date and time estimate was made, or time stamped on batch file from broker (MM/DD/YYYY hh:mm) Date and time estimate was entered into system (MM/DD/YYYY hh:mm) Indicates source of estimate Estimate value

Est_Src. Source_ID

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2. Actuals
Field Name
Security_ID Data_Type DDC Currency Periodicity FPE Actual_Date System_Date Value

Type
Long Char, 8 Char, 8 Char, 3 Char, 1 Date Date/Time Date/Time Currency

Foreign Key
Security.Security_ID Data_Type.Code DDC.Code Currency.Code Periodicity.Code

Description
Internal ID, unique for each security Type of data Data Differentiator Code Currency in which the value is expressed Periodicity Fiscal Period End (MM/DD/YYYY) Date and time actual was published (MM/DD/YYYY hh:mm) Date and time actual was entered into system (MM/DD/YYYY hh:mm) Actual value

3. CIG (Company Issued Guidelines)

Field Name
Security_ID Data_Type DDC Currency Periodicity FPE Announce_Date System_Date Est_1 Est_2 Cig_Est CIGCode CIGCode_Desc Comment

Type
Long Char, 8 Char, 8 Char, 3 Char, 1 Date Date/Time Date/Time Currency Currency Currency Char, 1 Char, 1 Char, 100

Foreign Key
Security.Security_ID Data_Type.Code DDC.Code Currency.Code Periodicity.Code

Description
Internal ID, unique for each security Type of data Data Differentiator Code Currency in which the CIG is expressed Periodicity Fiscal Period End (MM/DD/YYYY) Date and time forecast was published (MM/DD/YYYY hh:mm) Date and time forecast was entered into system (MM/DD/YYYY hh:mm) Number used in conjunction with CIGCode to express value of CIG Used in conjunction with Estone if CIG is a range Numerical value of CIG Descriptive text used to define CIG Comparison of CIG and current consensus for the same period Combination of Announce_Date, period, CIGCode, Estone and Esttwo if necessary

CIGCode.Code CIGCode_Desc_Code.C ode

4. Sum_XXXX (The XXXX is the year of the summary statistics)

Field Name
Security_ID Data_Type DDC Currency Periodicity FPE Forecast_Period

Type
Long Char, 8 Char, 8 Char, 3 Char, 1 Date Long

Foreign Key
Security.Security_ID Data_Type.Code DDC.Code Currency.Code Periodicity.Code

Description
Internal ID, unique for each security Type of data Data Differentiator Code Currency in which the CIG is expressed Periodicity Fiscal Period End (MM/DD/YYYY) The number of fiscal periods after the most recent report date in actuals. 0 for annual1,2,3 and 4 for four respective fiscal periods Date Summary data was calculated (MM/DD/YYYY hh:mm) Mean estimate value for Median estimate value for period

Fiscal_Period_Number Int Calculation_Date Date/Time Mean Median Currency Currency

21

FIRST CALL Historical Database

4. Sum_XXXX (The XXXX is the year of the summary statistics)

High Low Std_Deviation Num_Estimates Ests_Raised Ests_Lowered Ests_Added Ests_Deleted Currency Currency Currency Int Int Int Int Int Highest estimate value for period Lowest estimate value for period Standard deviation of estimates for period Total number of estimates for period Number of estimates raised since last calculation date Number of estimates lowered since last calculation date Number of estimates added since last calculation Number of estimates deleted since last calculation

5. RevXX_XXXX (The first X is the revision period)

Field Name
Security_ID Data_Type DDC Currency Periodicity FPE Rev_Per_Code Forecast_Period

Type
Long Char, 8 Char, 8 Char, 3 Char, 1 Date Char, 2 Long

Foreign Key
Security.Security_ID Data_Type.Code DDC.Code Currency.Code Periodicity.Code Rev_Per.Code

Description
Internal ID, unique for each security Type of data Data Differentiator Code Currency in which the CIG is expressed Periodicity Fiscal Period End (MM/DD/YYYY) Revision Period The number of fiscal periods after the most recent report date in actuals 0 for annual.1,2,3 and 4 for four respective fiscal periods. Date on which Revisions Data were calculated, (MM/DD/YYYY hh:mm) Number of periods following Calculation_Date, for which revision data (i.e., Ests_Raised, lowered, added, deleted) are identical. Number of upward estimate revisions during revision period; max 999 Number of downward estimate revisions during revision period; max 999 Number of new estimates during revision period; max 999 Number estimates removed during revision period; max 999 Total number of estimates for year or quarter at end of revision period

Fiscal_Period_Number Char, 1 Calculation_Date Date/Time Num_Periods Ests_Raised Ests_Lowered Ests_Added Ests_Deleted Num_Estimates Int Int Int Int Int Int

6. Brokers
Field Name
Broker_ID Code Name Country_Code

Type
Long Char, 3 Char, 20 Char, 3

Foreign Key

Description
Internal Number ID for Broker Internal Letter Code for Broker Broker Name Country in which broker is located

Country.Code

22

FCHD Technical Guide

7. Brokers_Del
Field Name
Broker_ID Inactive_Flag Note

Type
Long Char, 1 Text

Foreign Key
Brokers.Broker_ID

Description
Internal Number ID for Broker I if the broker is inactive, otherwise it is null Explanation why the broker is inactive.

8. Issuer
Field Name
Issuer_ID Name Country_Code FY_End_Month

Type
Long Char, 50 Char, 4 Int

Foreign Key
Country.Code

Description
Internal ID, unique for each issuer Name of issuer Country in which company is headquartered Fiscal year end month (1-12)

9. Security
Field Name
Security_ID Issuer_ID Security_Type Country_Code

Type
Long Long Char, 8 Char, 3

Foreign Key
Issuer.Issuer_ID Security_Type.Code Country.Code

Description
Internal ID, unique for each security ID of the issuer of the security Type of security Country in which primary trading occurs

10. Security_Sym
Field Name
Security_ID Symbol_ID Symbol

Type
Long Long Char, 8

Foreign Key

Description

Internal ID, unique for each security Sym_Provider.Symbol_I ID of the type of symbol D Security_Type.Code Ticker Symbol, CUSIP, SEDOL, etc

11. Split
Field Name
Security_ID Split_Date Split_Factor

Type
Long Date/Time Float

Foreign Key
Security.Security_ID

Description
Internal ID, unique for each security Date of Split (MM/DD/YYYY hh:mm) Split ratio

12. Cross_Ref
Field Name
Security_ID TFN FC_Ticker Group_ID

Type
Long Long Char, 8 Long

Foreign Key
Security.Security_ID

Description
Internal ID, unique for each security ID found in other First Call Products Ticker found in other First Call Products. May differ from official ticker. Groups together securities of a company that have equal or proportional EPS.

23

FIRST CALL Historical Database

13. Footnotes
Field Name
Security_ID Data_Type DDC Currency Periodicity FPE Footnote_Date System_Date Foot_Type Foot_Code Text

Type
Long Char, 8 Char, 8 Char, 3 Char, 1 Date Date/Time Date/Time Char, 2 Char, 1 Char, 100

Foreign Key
Security.Security_ID Data_Type.Code DDC.Code Currency.Code Periodicity.Code

Description
Internal ID, unique for each security Type of data Data Differentiator Code Currency in which the CIG is expressed Periodicity Fiscal Period End (MM/DD/YYYY) Date and time of footnote (MM/DD/YYYY) Date and time footnote was entered into system (MM/DD/YYYY hh:mm) Type of footnote Explanation of item excluded or included Footnote text

Foot_Type.Code Foot_Code.Code

14. CIGCode
Field Name
Code Name

Type
Text,1 Char, 75

Foreign Key

Description
1-letter CIG code Description

15. CIGCode_Desc
Field Name
Code Name

Type
Text,1 Char, 75

Foreign Key

Description
1-letter CIGCode_Desc code Description

16. Country
Field Name
Code Name

Type
Char, 3 Char, 50

Foreign Key

Description
3-Letter Country Code Full Name of Country

17. Currency
Field Name
Code Name

Type
Char, 15 Char, 50

Foreign Key

Description
Three-Letter Currency Code Full name of currency

18. Data_Type
Field Name
Code Name

Type
Char, 15 Char, 50

Foreign Key

Description
Letter Code for Data_Type Description of Data_Type

24

FCHD Technical Guide

19. DDC
Field Name
Code Name

Type
Char, 6 Char, 50

Foreign Key

Description
Data Differentiator Code. This code indicates a discontinuity in the values shown, due to an event such as a merger. Description of DDC

20. Est_Src
Field Name
Source_ID Name

Type
Long Char, 50

Foreign Key

Description
1 2 or 3 Name of source

21. Foot_Code
Field Name
Foot_Type Code Name

Type
Char, 2 Char, 1 Char, 50

Foreign Key
Foot_Type.Code

Description
Type of footnote Code Explanation of item

22. Foot_Type
Field Name
Code Name

Type
Char, 2 Char, 50

Foreign Key

Description
Type of footnote ( EI, NE, NI, RP, MS) Extraordinary Items Excluded, Non Extraordinary Items Excluded, Non-Extraordinary Items Included, Restatements and Proformas, Miscellaneous

23. Periodicity
Field Name
Code Name

Type
Char, 1 Char, 50

Foreign Key

Description
A, Q, S, N Annual, Quarterly, Semiannual, None

24. Rev_Per
Field Name
Code Name

Type
Char, 2 Char, 50

Foreign Key

Description
Revision period code Name of period

25. Sec_Type
Field Name
Code Name

Type
Char, 10 Char, 50

Foreign Key

Description
Security Code Security Description

26. Sym_Provider
Field Name
ID Short_Name Long_Name

Type
Long Char, 10 Char, 50

Foreign Key

Description
Unique identifier Short Name of symbol set Full Name of symbol set

25

FIRST CALL Historical Database

Diagram of FCHD Structur

D 1 .
( E

e t a i l E s t _ X

D X

a t a X X

e c u r i t y - L e v e l 3 . C I G
m p a n y t y y H R c i c A n

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S

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t a t i s t i c s _ X
n H

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2 . A

c t u a l s
L C ( o C E T R

( C OS H DA 8 )D d eC H PA F AD E S E EN E C C C C

I s s u e d

(G C u o i nd se el i nn se us s)

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t a (t R s et i v c i ss )i o i

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S e c u r i t y _ ID L OS D a t a _ T y p e C H DA D D C C H A R ( 8 )D C u r r e n c y _ C o d eC P e r i o d i c i t y C H PA F P E D A T E F B r o k e r _ I D L O NR E s t i m a t e _ D A T ES S E V

Ne G u r i t y _ I D c aR t a ( 8 )T y p e _ D C C H A R u C r rH e A n Rc y ( _ 3 C) e R r i (o 1 d ) i c i t y P E D A T E Ge p o r t _ D A T y Ds A e T m E _ D A t U G R

Ne G u r i c aR t a ( 8 )T _ D C C u C r rH e An e R r i (o 1 d ) P E D nA n T o E u D y As t T e E m s Ct _ Y s t _ ig _ ig _ ig _ o m 1 2 E C D m

y s t e m _ D A T E V D l Au eT E C a s t im a t e _ S o u r c e L O N a lu e C U R R E N C Y

_ I D L O N G S e c u r i t y _ ID L O NS G c u r i t y _ I D e L O N G p e C H A R D ( 8a ) t a _ T y p e C H A D R a (t 8a )_ T y p e C H A R A R ( 8 ) D D C C H A R ( 8 ) D D C C H A R ( 8 ) y ( _ 3 C) o d e C C H u A r R e (n 3 c ) y _ C o d e C C u Hr r A e R c ( y3 _ ) C o d e r n C i t y C H A R P ( 1e )r i o d i c i t y C H A P R e r( 1 o ) d i c i t y i C H A R T E F P E D A T E F P E D A T E c e _ D A T E C D a A l cT u E l a t i o n _ D A T C E a l cD u A l aT t Ei o n _ D A T E _ D A T E D AF o rE e c a s t _ P e r i o d R e C v H i s A i o R n _ ( 1P ) e r i o d _ T L O N G F i s c a l _ P e r i o d _ N F u o m r e b c e a r s t I _N P T e r i o d L O N G M e a n C U R R E N F Cis Yc a l _ P e r i o d _ N u s t L O N G M e d i a n C U R R E N N u Cm Y _ P e r i o d s I N T o d e C H A R H ( 2i g ) h C U R R E N CE Ys t s _ R a i s e d I N T e s c r ip t io n C L Ho w R C ( U ) R R E N C E Y s t s _ L o w e r e d A 2 I N e n t C H A R S ( 1 t d8 _0 D) e v i a t i o n C E U s t R s _R A E d N d C e Yd I N T N E E e E E R u s s s s s t t t t m s s c s s 3 _ _ _ _ _ 0 E s R a L o A d D e ) t i m is e w e d e le t s E Is N t s T _ D e l e t e d NT u m _ E s t s I N r e d I N T d I N T e d I N T d I N a t e I N T T

C C m T

2 0 . E
S N o a u m e

s t _ S
L A C H

r c
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1 4 . C
n Cg o d e

I G
C H

C
A n t io

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R C ( 1 C) o d e

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C
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2 4 . R
C N o a d e m

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( D 5 e0 s) c r i p

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L o o k u p t a b l e s f o r E s t _ X X X X , A c t S a lc s u , r i t y , u e C I G , S u m m _ X X X X , R e v X X _ X X X X , a n d F o o t n o t e s 6 . B 1 8 .
C N o a m

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8 .

I s s u e r
L O N

9 . S
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L O N G C C G H H L O N y p e o d e

D
e

a t a _ T y p e 2 3 . P
C C H H A A R R ( 3 ) ( 5 C o d m e e 0 N) a

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C C H H A A R

cB

rt oy k e r _ I D

I s s u e r _ I D

e c u r i t y _ I D

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( C 1 )o d e C H A R ( 3 ) N a m e C H A R ( 5 I 0s s) u e r _ I D N a m e C H A R ( 2 0 C) o u n t r y _ C o d e SC eH c A u Rr i t y( 3_ ) T R C ( o5 u n) t r y _ C o d e 0 C F H Y A _ R E n( 3 d ) _ M o n t h C I No T n t r y _ C u

1 7 .
C N o a m

C
e

u r r e n c y
C C H H A A R R ( 3 ) ( 5

1 9 . D
C o d m e e 0 N) a

D
C C

C
H H A A R

d e

( 8 ) B r o k e r _ I D L O N G C o d e C H A R ( 1 0 ) R ( 5 0 ) I n c a t iv e F la g C H AN R a m ( 1 e ) C H A R ( 5 0 N o t e T E X T

7 . B

r o

k e r s _ D

e 2 5 . S l

e c _ T y p e

F o o t n o t e s 1 0 . S 1 3 .
S e D a D D C u P e F i s F o S F F T y o o e

e c u r i t y _ S 1y .m S 1
L L A R O O N N S ( 1 S S G G

p l i t

F o o t n o t e s
_ I D p e A R y C i t y e r i e _ D L C H O A N R ( 8 F o ( 8 ) H A R ( C )o 3 C H A R N ( 1a o d _ E n d a t e D A T G2

c u r i t y t a _ T y C C H r r e n c r i o d i c c a l _ P o t n o t

S S

e c u r i t y _ ID y m b o l _ ID y m b o l C H

1 . F

) o t _ T y p e C H C A o R d e ( 2 )C H A R ( 3 ) d e C H A R ( 1 ) N a m e C H A R ( 5 )m e C H A R ( 5 0 ) D A T E E

o o t _ C

o1 d6 e C .

o u n t r y

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L O N G D A T E F L O A T

2 6 . S
I D S L h o n L o O

y m
N G a a

_ P
m m e e

r o v 1 i 2d . e Cr
T C C f n L O

r o s s _ R
N G

e f

s t e m _ D a t e D A T E 2 2 . F o o t _ T y p o t _ T y p e C H A R ( 2 ) ( 1 ) o t _ C o d e C H A R C o ( 1d ) e C H A R x t C H A R ( 1 0 0 ) N a m e C H A R ( 5

e
0 )

r t _ N g _ N

H S A e R c u ( r1 i t0 y ) _ I D L O N G H F A C R _ (T 5 i c0 k ) e r C H A R ( G r o u p _ I D L O N G

26