SAN DIEGO, CA – October 29, 2008 – Trade Service announced today a new enhancement to its eDataFlex® pricing service, to directly benefit its distributor customers who need to determine the “cleanliness” of their inventory database. As part of its eDataFlex pricing service, Trade Service will analyze the distributor’s database and report back its findings with respect to duplicate items, invalid universal product codes (UPC), missing information, and accumulated “junk” that over time, invariably creeps into even the best maintained of databases. This new enhancement is available as part of a distributor’s eDataFlex subscription.

“In these troubling economic times, as distributors cut back on costs and become more selective on resource allocation, we would like to help our eDataFlex customers increase their database efficiency by offering to analyze their inventory file as part of their eDataFlex subscription,” says Tod Moore, Vice President of Sales and Marketing. Moore adds, “Having clean data in a distributor’s operating system is integral to improving their profitability. Clean data affects pricing as well as synchronization with key suppliers. We want to help our customers capture the most productivity from their data and we have the resources and experience to help.”

Distributors who face these common data problems stand to benefit from this new enhancement:

• Duplicate items
• Missing UPC numbers when items are added on the fly
• Old, outdated items that clutter the database
• UPC changes due to manufacturer acquisitions or consolidations
• Importing “old” information when changing ERP systems
• Inconsistencies occurring when data input sources are varied and uncontrolled

“The benefits of data-cleanliness are well documented within the electrical industry,” states Moore. “As resources are stretched thin in today’s business climate, we’re pleased to offer this new eDataFlex enhancement to our customers. We’ve tested this process with a number of distributors this year. The process is simple: a customer contacts us at 800-710-8987 and sends an Excel file of their data. We analyze the data, refine it, and return it to the distributor, all within just a couple of weeks, highlighting those areas that may need attention.”

About Trade Service
Trade Service is the leading provider of standardized product and price information to the electrical, plumbing/PVF, HVACR, industrial MRO, and office products industries. Since 1931, the company has been the leader in content acquisition, aggregation, management, publishing, and distribution, offering a variety of products, services, and systems to meet the content needs of over 21,000 distributors, contractors, and government agencies.  The range of solutions provided includes printed directories, electronic catalogs, pricing data for business system updating, and robust attributed content to fuel full-functioning Internet storefronts.  For more information, visit www.tradeservice.com.