Company register

** Description updated 15.3.2021 ** ## THIS IS AN EXPERIMENTAL RELEASE OF DATA ### Data story For years, we received dozens of messages to the Opendata.fi service via different channels that many open data users find it difficult to use the open data interface of the Finnish Patent and Registration Office (PRH). We were wondering if we could do something small about it. We created an experimental Python-script that collects an open data file published by PRH and publishes it monthly in the Opendata.fi service. This is because we also use open data published by PRH. We hope to deepen our cooperation with PRH in the future. In addition, the Open Data Directive (1024/2019/EU) implementing in 2021 recommends that dynamic data be published both as an interface and as a file. According to various surveys, it is often much easier for people to use open data as a file than as an interface. In addition, several interfaces are used to compile the file. While our resources are tight, we thought this little gesture could help people make use of PRH’s open data more easily. Based on the feedback, it seemed that there was a large subscription for the open data published by PRH, but the exploiters found it difficult to use. A new version of the data (file) is released monthly because we are unable to collect data from the PRH interface faster than this. open data of companies collected from an open PRH API on the http://avoindata.prh.fi site into a CSV file. Many open data users have found the interface difficult to use and dams have been requested from us as a file by several different exploiters. At DVV:ssa we have extracted the most important fields from the data into this file and removed the companies that have ceased operations. The release of this dataset is part of an agile experiment that is improved (iterated) with data recovery. The file is updated regularly once a month and kept up to date. At the moment, the PRH interface does not withstand this more frequent update and we strive to load it as little as possible. For the time being, we do not publish the searchscript code as open source because it would load more of the PRH interface already at the upper limits of the load, as a result of which, for example, this file could no longer be released once a month (we already use almost a month to collect and update it). ## FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS ### 1. There is an error in data ** First check that you have downloaded the latest version of the files ** ** It is advisable to contact the Finnish Patent and Registration Office ([email protected]) in connection with material errors and imperfections related to data. Avoindata.fi only collects the open data material they publish from the interface to the -> file because it has been requested dozens of times from the wishes of dozens of companies and data users for several years. PRH’s open data interfaces are found to be too difficult to use based on the user feedback. ** ### 2. There are more than 600,000 companies in Finland, where are the rest of the company? ** Business names involve a question of interpretation related to the protection of personal data (EU Data Protection Regulation). The name of the business name may contain personal data and, for example, the company’s address may be the person’s home address (personal data). You should also be in direct contact with PRH. Avoindata.fi only collects the data they publish. If PRH publishes the data more comprehensively, then the content of the data in our file release will also be more comprehensive. ** ** Somewhere else in the EU there are two business registers. One for private traders and the other for other forms of business. France, for its part, has interpreted as meaning that the requirement of transparency overrides the protection of private individuals in this case. ** ### 3. Why do we have the same file many times? ** We collect and publish data as a file once a month. Currently, the PRH interface cannot withstand more frequent data collection and publication. The interface has a limit of 300 queries per minute distributed among all its exploiters, after which the connection is interrupted for everyone. The files are the monthly releases of the data. It is worth choosing the latest version. ** ** The files are time stamped according to ISO 8601. Format ‘2021-03-11_’, i.e. ‘year-month-date_’ **