Wharton Research Data Services
Wharton Research Data Services (WRDS) provides Web access to a number of financial research databases, including:
- Compustat
- Prices/Dividends/Earnings (PDE)
- Bank Annual & Bank Quarterly Files
- CRSP
- I/B/E/S
How to Register for an Account
- Visit the WRDS website »
- On the left side of the page, click “Register for a WRDS Account”
- Complete the Account Request form
- Once you submit an account request, WRDS will send an e-mail to Georgia State’s WRDS representative, Terry Decker, for approval. After receiving the approval, WRDS will create the account and send you an e-mail with a special URL and instructions for setting the account password and logging in.
- You may log in to WRDS and begin using your new account. Because the service is Internet-based, you can access WRDS from anywhere in the world.
WRDS may be accessed via the Web interface or through a UNIX login session. Once you have received your account information, consult the “support” tab on the WRDS homepage for further instructions on using these access methods.
Applies to faculty, Ph.D. staff and research accounts only
- Home Directory: Users receive 25MB of permanent storage in their home directory. This is for storing programs and other small needs. The directory is at /home/username.
- Projects Directory: Users also receive 250MB of permanent project space. This directory is for projects that take more than one run to complete (for example, needs a few days to generate) or take more than 25MB of space. This directory is at /projects/school/username.
- SAS Temp Directory: There is a 90 GB shared workspace designed for actively running programs. Output may be saved there at the completion of a program, but only to be immediately removed. This directory is at /sastemp. Any file in /sastemp that is either not in use by an active program or being transferred to a user’s home school can be deleted without prior notice. Files on /sastemp are deleted automatically every 48 hours.
- If a user’s job exceeds these parameters, the process will automatically be deleted. To avoid this outcome, users are only permitted to run one program at a time. Multiple submissions are prohibited.
A staff of technical and research specialists may be reached at wrds-support@wharton.upenn.edu. They are available to assist you with difficulties pertaining to database access, data queries and programming in SAS, FORTRAN or C. If you request support related to a particular program you are unable to execute successfully, copy the program into the body of your e-mail for a quicker response. This is helpful for detecting any errors in your program.