Database “Directory of Businesses, Establishments and Registers”
About this good practice
The directory of businesses, establishments and registers includes the information of the establishments where they carry out such activities, as well as the specific data of all due registers. The unique identifier of the establishment plays a fundamental role in guaranteeing the unequivocal identification of a location where an economic activity is being carried out.
Through an algorithm that adds a control digit, this identifier is automatically assigned during the data loading or the registration of new establishments in the processing process. This assignment not only simplifies data management, but also ensures that, even in cases of transfer of ownership or change of activity, the trail and continuity of the information remain intact.
The Directory is standardized alongside the OSS Data Dictionary and a series of tools that allow it to incorporate information from the databases of the different administrations that currently operate in Catalonia. The merging of information works by applying a series of quality rules to obtain the best possible information on the data it incorporates.
This idea is simple yet powerful. Instead of having to provide the same information repeatedly to different entities, businesses provide this data only once and the Directory can share it with the institutions that require it, saving time, reducing errors and eliminating redundancy.
Resources needed
The Law 18/2020, on the Facilitation of Economic Activity, provides the legal framework for data to be shared in a safe and secure manner, guaranteeing its proper use. It also establishes the obligation for all Catalan public administrations to adhere to such database.
Evidence of success
The Directory currently includes information on 685,000 businesses, 264,000 establishments and 385,000 records from almost 40 different types of records.
Potential for learning or transfer
At a conceptual level, the initiative to have a database that brings together all the data collections that affect companies and professionals operating in a territory is perfectly transferable to other citizens groups as well as to other territories.
Since it is usual for each competent unit to have its own database, the idea of incorporating all this information in a single directory that allows citizens to have a 360º view of all their data and, at the same time, reuse it to manage it more efficiently can be applied in many other areas.
At a technological level, the tools used are from the market, there is no need to make custom developments, just pay the corresponding licenses.
Additionally, informing users of the imminent expiration of a registration, a card, the need to carry out a periodic inspection or notifying them that they can now carry out a next procedure are all functionalities that can be applied to many other areas of the administration and/or territories.
Good practice owner
You can contact the good practice owner below for more detailed information.