Compustat-Research Insights provides financial information about public companies. It is a numeric, not a text-based database. The unique strength of Compustat is the depth and breadth of the information available to be manipulated about companies. Using Compustat's pre-defined reports, a wide array of financial data for a company can be selected to analyze for a period of time (up to 20 years, if the company has existed that long), or alternatively, multiple companies can be compared on various criteria for one or more years. Customized reports can also be created. For companies that have gone private, gone bankrupt, are acquired, or otherwise cease to exist, a separate search can be done for them as "inactive" companies. Pre-defined sets of companies can also be used, such as S&P's 100 or 500, small-cap, mid-cap, or Canadian public companies.

This guide is a quick reference for company research. There are four manuals that accompany Compustat-Research Insights: Basic, Beyond Basics, Report Library and Data Guide. Use these books for more detailed information. The volumes are located on the shelf for "Manuals" near the standalone computers at the south end of the elevators on 2nd floor in Central Library. Additional copies are located in the Electronic Business Library in room 103, business building.

Compustat is also available through Wharton Research Data Service (WRDS) 

Getting Started

Click on the "Compustat-Research Insight" icon on the computer "desktop" to begin. Web browsers may need to be closed or minimized first.

Side Bar Icon Buttons:
Research Assistant: guides the user to create custom reports or charts on companies which meet user's screening criteria.

Report Assistant: guides the user through steps to create a customized report.

Chart Assistant: guides the user through steps to create a customized chart.

Company Highlights: gives basic information, such as company address, ticker, industry, sales, etc.

Screen: selects a group of companies that meet specific criteria.

Report: allows the creation of reports using predefined formats or by using a custom report builder.

Chart: allows the creation charts using pre-defined formats or a custom chart builder

Set: allows users to open a "saved set" of selected companies.

Prices, News & Headlines: is not part of UT Arlington Library's subscription package.

Library: enables you to retrieve company "business descriptions" from the text files within Compustat Research Insights, or view a Standard and Poor's newsletter titled "Trends and Projections," which highlights general economic trends.

Company Highlights
Click on the "Company Highlights" icon. To identify the correct icon, hold the mouse over each button along the left side of screen for the icon name to appear.

Type the company's ticker symbol in the "Companies" box. Click "OK" [If you do not know the ticker symbol, click the "Look Up" button. When "Look Up" window opens type the company name in the "Select Companies" box. Click Paste, then type in another company, if wanted, and again, click Paste. When finished, click Close. The ticker symbols now show in the "Companies" box on the screen. Multiple ticker symbols should be separated with a comma. (For example: AMD, DELL, CQP, MOT). Now click "OK."

The screen displays the highlights for the selected company. If you selected more than one company, click the "next" button on the left side of the screen to view each "company highlights" report individually.

To Clear The Screen
Click on Window in the toolbar, then select Close All.

Company Reports (Predefined)
Click on "Open Report" icon on the left sidebar.

To view the choices of predefined reports within a folder, double click on the folder.

To select a report from the list, double click on the name of the report desired, or highlight it and click the "finish" button.

Next, to identify a company or companies for the report, type in the ticker (stock) symbol for the company, if known. Then click "OK." If the ticker symbol is not known, click on the "look up" button, type the company name, click the "paste" button and then click the "close" button. Then click the "OK" button. Your report should appear on the screen. It can be printed or downloaded to a disk.

Business Description
Click on "Open Report" icon on the left sidebar.

From the list, doubleclick on the "Miscellaneous" folder. Then doubleclick on the "Business Description" report.

Next, to identify a company or companies for the report, type in the ticker (stock) symbol for the company, if known. Then click "OK." If the ticker symbol is not known, click on the "look up" button, type the company name, click the "paste" button and then click the "close" button. Then click the "OK" button. Your report should appear on the screen. It can be printed or downloaded to a disk.


Custom Reports
For custom reports or other advanced features of Compustat-Research Insights?, refer to Compustat's manuals or ask for assistance from a business librarian.

Maintained by:
Ruthie Brock, brock@uta.edu and Carol Byrne, cbyrne@uta.edu