Jinfo: I Go to Rio, with CEIC Brazil Premium

I Go to Rio, with CEIC Brazil Premium
Jinfo Blog

24th September 2010

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Short of sipping a Caipirinha on Ipanema beach, nothing will give you the flavor of Brazil like CEIC Data's Brazil Premium Database - well, perhaps my imagination has run away with me a bit, but the database will give you a feast of Brazilian economic, demographic and industry data.

CEIC Data Company Ltd. is ultimately owned by ISI Emerging Markets, and the Brazil Premium Database is the final complement to their BRIC premium database offerings, featuring Russia, India and China.

Covering over 110,000 series dating back to 1940 and beyond, and featuring 11 industries and 13 economic categories, CEIC analysts mine their relationships with several Brazilian economic and statistical entities, such as the Central Bank of Brazil and the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics. Industry associations as diverse as the Brazilian Corrugated Board Association are also consulted.

The database not only covers a broad range of categories, but it also goes in deep geographically, with a pleasantly large amount of data down to the State level, and a couple of categories even include Municipality coverage.

I was so impressed with the charting capabilities that I had to have another Caipirinha. For those who appreciate a more visual display, up to 12 series can be charted at once. The formatting options to alter the look of the chart or customise the data are many.

The database also offers a focus on the most prevalent, as well as emerging, Brazilian industries of mining, renewable energy and automobile manufacturing.

The platform itself is fairly straight forward, especially if you are even remotely acquainted with Excel. For Excel aficionados, the access, comparison, download and charting functionalities will be as easy as doing the Samba with your eyes closed.

Unfortunately, there is no option to upload your own data into the platform for some custom comparison, but a user can download the data into a file and share with other CEIC users within their organisation.

As you may gather, I was impressed with the volume of data that is available in the CEIC Brazil Premium Database. It may seem like a lot to the unfamiliar eye at first, but after the initial tour of the platform, (which CEIC customer service or your sales representative will be happy to take you through) I quickly became adept at understanding and navigating the options and taking advantage of the features.

Though the main audience for the database may be economists and analysts, this reviewer had no trouble ascertaining the value of the data for the information pro industry at large.

The in-depth review of CEICâs Brazil Premium Database is available in the September issue of VIP Magazine (http://web.freepint.com/go/shop/magazine/1420) and can be purchased at http://web.freepint.com/go/shop/report/1705.