Put the source to work.
If you need country trade or investment comparisons, start by checking that the numeric measures are present. The reviewed copy of this package lacks the columns needed to produce those rankings.
Why it matters
A country name or a table called rankings is not enough. A usable ranking needs actual measure values, a period, and a defined comparison group.
Do you have the number behind the country label?
Imagine you want to compare two countries for an export briefing. The workbook has familiar country names and promising table titles, but the numeric columns are missing. A title cannot supply the evidence. You need actual observations before a ranking can help you decide.
The reviewed copy does not support the trade, jobs, exporter, or FDI comparisons its table names suggest. You can still begin your research in the Country Data Lab and the customer guide. Those tools help you define the question while the missing source measures are recovered.
Three steps you can take
- Write down the exact measure, unit, year, and geography you need.
- Use a populated, documented source for the comparison rather than interpreting an empty table as zero.
- Check both the source file and the resulting serving table when the package is rebuilt.
Read the source: U.S. International Trade Administration: market research. This reference explains the source or research context; the inventory figures below come from the reviewed NDS package.
Know what you are looking at.
- Intended topics
- Trade partners, exporters, jobs, macroeconomics, FDI
- Observed problem
- Country names retained; numeric measure columns missing
- Empty tables recorded
- 4, including FDI and U.S. goods trade
Use these figures to understand the package reviewed on October 20, 2026. The results section below tells you which comparisons you can explore here and which still need source work. A source guide is different from a complete table of published observations.
How to use the evidence
Rebuild the extraction so numeric measures, units, and periods survive alongside country names.
Verify each table’s row counts and numeric coverage before treating a ranking-named table as a usable ranking.
Available results and rankings
- The source review identifies what must be repaired.
- The Country Data Lab provides a separate connected source for selected national measures.
Coverage and limits
- This reviewed copy cannot support the intended trade-partner or FDI rankings.
- The gap in this copy does not establish that the information is absent elsewhere in NDS.
Other source guides
Commercial Diplomacy Index™ · National Data System · Source and method guide · October 20, 2026