Reporting guide for Informatics Professional Services Price Report

Statistics Canada - Producer Prices Division - 2009/2010

This guide is designed to assist you as you complete the 2009/2010 Informatics Professional Services Price Report. If you need more information, please call the Statistics Canada Help Line at the number on the last page of the guide.

The collected information will help us to produce a price index for informatics professional services.

A price index is a statistical measure that summarizes in one number the price change of a set of goods or services from a base period.

Uses of price indexes:

  1. Evaluate business performance - compare self with others in the industry
  2. Contract escalation - tie value of contract to index to protect the contract against cost increases
  3. Measure economic performance - GDP measurement

Section A: Descriptions of business activities

No data is required to be filled out in this section. This section simply contains quick definitions that can be used as a reference while completing the questionnaire.

Section B: Business activity

The Informatics Professional Services Industries covered by this survey are defined using the North American Industry Classification System (NAICS). The NAICS is part of an international framework to allow for the comparison of industrial performance between different countries.

The four industries covered are:

  • Software Publishers
  • Data Processing, Hosting and Related Services
  • Internet Publishing and Broadcasting, and Web Search
  • Computer Systems Design and Related Services

In order to help you choose the category that best describes the activity of your business, we include a formal definition of the inclusions and exclusions of each category below. If you require further help on this question, or if you feel that you are part of another NAICS industry, please call our Help line.

Software Publishers

This Canadian industry comprises establishments primarily engaged in publishing computer software, usually for multiple clients and generally referred to as packaged software. Establishments in this industry carry out operations necessary for producing and distributing computer software, such as designing, providing documentation, assisting in installation and providing support services to software purchasers. These establishments may design and publish, or publish only.

Include:

  • Computer software publishing (including designing and developing), packaged
  • Computer software, all formats, packaged, publishers
  • Games, computer software, packaged, publishers
  • Publishers, packaged computer software, all formats

Exclude:

  • Mass duplication of software;
  • Reselling packaged software;
  • Publishing software exclusively on the Internet;
  • Providing access to software for clients from a central host site;
  • Custom designing software to meet the needs of specific users;

Data Processing, Hosting, and Related Services

This Canadian industry comprises establishments primarily engaged in providing hosting or data processing services. Hosting establishments may provide specialized hosting activities, such as web hosting, video and audio streaming services, application hosting, application service provisioning, or may provide general time-share mainframe facilities to clients. Data processing establishments may provide complete processing and preparation of reports from data supplied by the customer; specialized services, such as automated data entry; or they may make data processing resources available to clients on an hourly or time-sharing basis.

Include:

  • Application hosting
  • Automatic data processing, computer services
  • Computer input preparation services
  • Computer processing
  • Computer processing services
  • Computer time, rental
  • Computer time-sharing services
  • Data entry services
  • Data processing services
  • Data processing, computer services
  • Disk and diskette conversion services
  • Input preparation services, computer
  • Leasing of computer time
  • Microfilm recording and imaging service
  • Optical scanning data services
  • Rental of computer time
  • Service bureaus, computer
  • Video and audio streaming services
  • Web hosting

Exclude:

  • Processing financial transactions;
  • Computer facilities management;
  • Data keying or keypunch services, text processing or desktop publishing;
  • Access to microcomputers and office equipment from a retail location;

Internet Publishing and Broadcasting, and Web Search Portals

This Canadian industry comprises establishments exclusively engaged in publishing and/or broadcasting content on the Internet or operating web sites, known as web search portals, that use a search engine to generate and maintain extensive databases of Internet addresses and content in an easily searchable format. The Internet publishing and broadcasting establishments in this industry provide textual, audio, and/or video content of general or specific interest. These establishments do not provide traditional (non-Internet) versions of the content that they publish or broadcast. Establishments known as web search portals often provide additional Internet services, such as e-mail, connections to other web sites, auctions, news, and other limited content, and serve as a home base for Internet users.

Include:

  • Directory publishing, Internet
  • Internet book publishing
  • Internet broadcasting
  • Internet entertainment sites
  • Internet game sites
  • Internet newspaper publishing
  • Internet periodical publishing
  • Internet software publishing
  • Newspapers, publishing (exclusively on Internet)
  • Publishing, maps, street guides and atlases (exclusively on Internet)
  • Technical books, publishing (exclusively on Internet)
  • Web search portals

Computer Systems Design and Related Services

This Canadian industry comprises establishments primarily engaged in providing expertise in the field of information technologies through one or more activities, such as writing, modifying, testing and supporting software to meet the needs of a particular customer, including the creation of Internet home pages; planning and designing computer systems that integrate hardware, software and communication technologies; on-site management and operation of clients' computer and data processing facilities; providing advice in the field of information technologies; and other professional and technical computer-related services.

Include:

  • Application software programming services, custom
  • CAD/CAM systems services
  • CAE (computer-aided engineering) systems services
  • Computer consulting services
  • Computer disaster recovery services
  • Computer facilities management services
  • Computer hardware consulting services
  • Computer programming services, custom
  • Computer programs or systems software development, custom
  • Computer software consulting services
  • Computer software programming services, custom
  • Computer software systems analysis and design, custom
  • Computer systems analysis and design services
  • Computer systems design consulting services
  • Computer systems integrators
  • Computer-aided design (CAD) systems services
  • Computer-aided engineering (CAE) systems services
  • Data processing facilities management services
  • Design and system analysis, computer services (software)
  • Facilities management services, computer
  • Facilities support services, computer
  • Information management system design services, computer
  • Internet page design services, custom
  • Local area network (LAN) systems integrators
  • Management information systems design consulting services
  • Office automation, computer systems integration
  • Programming services, computer, custom
  • Requirements analysis, computer hardware
  • Software installation services
  • Software programming, custom
  • Software systems analysis and design, custom
  • Systems analysis and design, computer services (software)
  • Systems analysis and design, computer software
  • Systems engineering (system integration)
  • Systems integration, computer
  • Web page developing

Exclude:

  • Retailing computer hardware and software and providing support services;
  • Publishing packaged software;
  • Providing data processing services;

Thank you again for taking the time to complete the questionnaire. If you have any additional questions or comments please don't hesitate to contact 1-877-604-7828 between 8:00am and 23:00pm Mountain Time or mail to:

Statistics Canada,
Operations and Integration Division,
150 Tunney's Pasture Driveway,
Ottawa, Ontario, K1A 0T6