---
title: "Using the DQS Default Knowledge Base | Microsoft Docs"
ms.custom: ""
ms.date: "06/13/2017"
ms.prod: "sql-server-2014"
ms.reviewer: ""
ms.technology: data-quality-services
ms.topic: conceptual
ms.assetid: b36af13b-9fcc-4168-bb92-214d600b1c93
author: lrtoyou1223
ms.author: lle
manager: craigg
---
# Using the DQS Default Knowledge Base
  This topic describes the default knowledge base, **DQS Data**, which is installed with [!INCLUDE[ssDQSnoversion](../includes/ssdqsnoversion-md.md)] (DQS). This is a pre-built default knowledge base that contains the following domains:  
  
-   **Country/Region**: Contains the conventional long (official name as designated by the country/region ) and short names (common name used in lists, on maps, etc. ), two-letter abbreviation, three-letter abbreviation and three-digit code for each location.  Leading value is set to the long country name.  
  
-   **Country/Region (three-letter leading)**: Contains the conventional long (official name as designated by the country/region) and short names (common name used in lists, on maps, and so on), two-letter abbreviation, three-letter abbreviation and three-digit code for each location.  Leading values is set to County three-letter abbreviation.  
  
-   **Country/Region (two-letter leading)**: Contains the conventional long (official name as designated by the country/region ) and short names (common name used in lists, on maps, etc. ), two-letter abbreviation, three-letter abbreviation and three-digit code for each location.  Leading value is set to the Country two-letter abbreviation.  
  
-   **US - Counties**: Contains a list of US counties.  
  
-   **US - Last Name**: Contains a list of last names (surnames) occurring 100 or more times in the Census 2000.  
  
-   **US - Places**: Contains a list of places for the 50 states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico extracted from the Census 2010.  
  
-   **US - State**: Contains the conventional long (official) name and two-letter abbreviation for each state in US. Leading value is set to the conventional state name.  
  
-   **US - State (2-letter heading)**: Contains the conventional long (official) name and two-letter abbreviation for each state in US. Leading value is set to the two-letter abbreviation state name.  
  
## Using the Default Knowledge Base  
 You can use the default DQS knowledge base, DQS Data, in the following ways:  
  
-   Quickly start and run a cleansing data quality project using the default knowledge base without first having to create a new knowledge base in DQS.  
  
-   Run the Domain Management, Knowledge Discovery, or Matching Policy activities on the default knowledge base. To do so, click **Open Knowledge Base** in the [Data Quality Client Home Screen](../../2014/data-quality-services/data-quality-client-home-screen.md), select the **DQS Data** knowledge base in the **Open Knowledge Base** screen, and then select the required activity in the **Select Activity** area. Click **Next** to proceed.  
  
-   Create a new knowledge base using the default knowledge base. To create a knowledge base from an existing knowledge base, see [Create a Knowledge Base](../../2014/data-quality-services/create-a-knowledge-base.md).  
  
-   Use it in the [DQS Cleansing component in Integration Services](https://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=238830) and [Master Data Services Add-in for Excel](../master-data-services/microsoft-excel-add-in/data-quality-matching-in-the-mds-add-in-for-excel.md).  
  
## See Also  
 [DQS Knowledge Bases and Domains](../../2014/data-quality-services/dqs-knowledge-bases-and-domains.md)