1. Re-engineering the French Business Register (2000-2006)

2. An inter-administrative BR, core of the statistical BR system
INSEE is in charge of a unique inter-administrative business register (SIRENE)
The use of its identification number is mandatory for relations between businesses and administrative bodies
Information contained in this inter-administrative register is not legally binding, but its identification number is also used in legal registers

3. An inter-administrative BR, core of the statistical BR system
New registrations and updates are transmitted to INSEE on a daily basis through so called CFE’s (Centres for Business Procedures). According to its status and/or industry, each business is allocated to one CFE, which is able to process its declarations and re-send data to INSEE and to each relevant administrative body.

4. Before the CFE’s Firms INSEE Annual tax on profits VAT Local tax
Register of Commerce and Companies
Annual tax on profits
VAT
Local tax
Firms
INSEE
Medical insurance for employees
Retirement fund for employees
Unemployment insurance
Social contributions Collection
Medical insurance for owners
Retirement fund for owners
Social contributions Collection

5. The CFE circuit Firms CFE INSEE Register of Commerce and Societies
Annual tax on profits
VAT
Local tax
CFE
INSEE
Medical insurance for employees
Retirement fund for employees
Unemployment insurance
Social contributions Collection
Medical insurance for owners
Retirement fund for owners
Social contributions Collection

6. An inter-administrative BR, core of the statistical BR system
Since the beginning INSEE took care to have SIRENE be at the same time an identification system and a permanent census of business units:
- by aiming at generalizing the use of the unique identification number (effective in 1997)
- by improving identification techniques
- by increasing the number and the quality of variables, in particular by using information from statistical surveys

7. An inter-administrative BR, core of the statistical BR system
The re-engineering of SIRENE aimed at improving both dimensions of the system
re-enforce the central role of INSEE within the inter-administrative system
re-enforce the role of SIRENE within the business statistics system
and improve efficiency and reduce costs...
The process involved a review of
the register itself, i.e. units and variables
software used for managing and accessing data
computer architecture

8. SIRENE and the statistical BR before the re-engineering
Keeping track of the birth and administrative life of enterprises
recording and identification of units
about 2 million movements per year on a daily basis
Delineating the field of business statistics
Codes are allocated marking legal or local legal units of interest for business statistics
4 million legal units (of 6.5 million) have an economic interest, many of which may be considered as "enterprises“

9. SIRENE and the statistical BR before the re-engineering
Managing an economic activity status
Problem : termination of businesses are known with delay: 78% after 3 months, 88% after 6 months, 94% after one year, 97% after two years, about 100% after three years only.
Solution : a variable "economic termination" is introduced for statistical purpose, indicating the end or the continuation of the economic activity of a unit, independently of its legal situation. The relevant information is obtained from the processing of statistical surveys or from the carrying out of specific "BR improvement surveys".

10. SIRENE and the statistical BR before the re-engineering
Additional features
Economic continuity of local units trough the use of a specific kind of unit (ETEC)
Units receive codes describing institutional sectors for the needs of National accounts
Identification of legal units, which have no establishment in France (a plus from the inter-administrative BR)

11. Main improvements from the re-engineering
A new architecture, allowing the management of new kind of units
links for delineating the perimeter of complex units
new kind of units with specific variables including the above-defined links
providing specific working stations for statistical management

12. Main improvements from the re-engineering
New variables for the statistical BR
Economic activity
in addition to the « economic termination » code (public), a « termination assumption » code (for statistical use only)
a probability ratio for each unit to be economically active at the end of the year
Economic continuity
managing links between predecessors and successors for each kind of unit of the BR
annual and quarterly files with predecessor -successor tables
A background history for the main variables

13. Main improvements from the re-engineering
New variables for the statistical BR : summary
With more kind of units, more variables per unit, the addition of links, and more design flexibility, the content of SIRENE is far richer than before.
Its function is however strictly kept to that of a register, not a database.
Variables of the statistical BR are issued from inter-administrative management, as well as from various data sources, surveys of administrative files. For each variable a unique reference source has been chosen.
Variables may be classified in identification variables, status variables, classification variables, variables used in enterprise demography, link variables and register-management variables

14. Main improvements from the re-engineering
One register, two kinds of uses
The independence of operations related to the management of the statistical BR
automatic coding of variables of statistical use
introducing specific events for amending errors
enabling to process “statistical” events as well as administrative events
administrative and statistical « bundles »
building dedicated workstations for statisticians
flows of bundles for mass statistical operations
flexible assignment of priorities

15. Main improvements from the re-engineering
The independence of operations related to the management of the statistical BR
De-synchronisation of statistical and administrative workflows
statistical operations do not impair the timeliness of administrative operations
administrative operations do not impair the quality of variables used only for statistical purposes

16. Future plans
SIRENE is only a part of the statistical BR system: the French business statistics system itself is currently also undergoing a re-engineering operation, called RESANE, which will impact the other components of the statistical BR
Key features of the future system are to consider the enterprise groups as a major observation unit for economic statistics, and to make an extensive use of administrative sources
The re-engineered SIRENE should allow to develop the new necessary components of the statistical BR