Created in 1962, the Data Universal Numbering System or D-U-N-S® Number is D&B's copyrighted, proprietary means of identifying business entities on a location-specific basis.
Assigned and maintained solely by D&B, this unique nine-digit identification number has been assigned to over 100 million businesses worldwide.

A D-U-N-S® Number remains with the company location to which it has been assigned even if it closes or goes out-of-business.
The D-U-N-S® Number also "unlocks" a wealth of value-added data associated with that entity, including the business name, physical and mailing addresses, tradestyles ("doing business as"), principal names, financial, payment experiences,industry classifications (SICs and NAICS), socio-economic status,government data and more. The D-U-N-S® Number also links members of corporate family trees worldwide.

The D-U-N-S® Number is widely used by both commercial and federal entities and was adopted as the standard business identifier for federal electronic commerce in October 1994.
The D-U-N-S Number® was also incorporated into the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) in April 1998 as the Federal Government's contractor identification code for all procurement-related activities.