ABSTRACT
The first commercial online database reviews were in fact in the business area. These services were of two types: stock market information retrieval systems such as Quotron and Telerate, and economics modelling packages such as those offered by Data Resources Inc. and IP Sharp. Business databases emerged rapidly, and an emphasis on business applications continues to characterize online database development. One of the most obvious trends in the business community is the recognition of the importance of information as a corporate resource. The convergence phenomenon of information technology has captured the attention of the business community. The area of general business news is richly supplied with a number of good bibliographic and textual databases. The database includes annual and quarterly financial data for North American public companies, price, dividends, earnings, and line-of-business information. The manipulative capabilities provided by online access has turned a staid old standby, the telephone book yellow pages, into a demographic resource for establishment information.
