This paper will address the databases' current ownership and distribution and discuss some of their strong points. The CAplus database on STN is the richest single online source for catalyst information. With in-depth subject and substance indexing, exceptional currency, and coverage of both patents and journal literature from around the world, CAplus is an important source for information on catalyst compositions and applications. Indexing of catalyst components by CAS Registry Number, subject terms, and CAS roles will be described along with coverage of common classes of catalysts, such as metals, oxides, and sulfides, heteropoly acids, clays, zeolites, and molecular sieves. Patent monitoring is essential for those who want to stay knowledgeable.
Patents are a unique source of technical information and competitive intelligence.
Patent analysis is a widely used business intelligence tool. Patent monitoring is still essential for those who want to stay current. However, patent anlysis can provide potentially misleading business intelligence information. The patents may not even correspond to products they sell in the marketplace. In the first case, patent analysis provides highly predictive business intelligence information.