Next initial contacts were made to some companies requesting their willingness and possibilities to provide material for the database. The idea was that companies included should be listed in the Helsinki Stock Exchange. The negotiations were successfull and the feedback was positive. It was obvious that existing experience of database and cd-rom production at the Helsinki School of Economics Library could be used as the basis of the new project. There were however entirely new elements to be considered.
Annual reports contain also pictures and graphs that are essential part of the story.
Other requirements included the possibility to use numeric company information for analysis purposes. In the beginning different paper scanning methods were considered. That approach had however many drawbacks. Firstly it would have been extremely tedious process. The sheer volume would have been overwhelming.