FED LOG — Federal Logistics Data (Offline FLIS Catalog)

FED LOG (Federal Logistics Data) is the desktop/offline application used to query Federal Logistics Information System (FLIS) catalog data without a live connection — the offline counterpart to the online WebFLIS. Both query the same master catalog maintained by DLA Logistics Information Services, so FED LOG returns the same National Stock Number (NSN) identification, manufacturer part-number cross-references, CAGE data, item characteristics, and management coding — Unit of Issue, unit price, Acquisition Advice Code (AAC), Shelf-Life Code, and source of supply — that WebFLIS serves on demand. The difference is delivery: FED LOG packages the catalog as a locally installed dataset you can query offline, refreshed monthly, where WebFLIS queries the live catalog over a connection. FED LOG remains in active distribution as a restricted (CUI) free monthly download via FedMall. This page is a reference for what FED LOG is, what distinguishes it from WebFLIS, and how a logistician decides between offline and online FLIS access.

What it is

FED LOG is a catalog query application that runs against a locally installed FLIS dataset. Rather than reaching a live server for each lookup, it queries a copy of the federal item catalog that has been distributed to the user and installed on a workstation (or local network), historically refreshed on a periodic cycle. It does not manage inventory, generate requisitions, or move materiel — like WebFLIS, it answers identification and management questions about items of supply.

Given the common FLIS inputs, FED LOG returns the consolidated catalog record for an item:

• By NSN or NIIN — resolve a stock number to its item name, Federal Supply Classification, item characteristics, and management coding (Unit of Issue, unit price, Acquisition Advice Code, Shelf-Life Code, source of supply).
• By manufacturer part number — cross-reference a commercial or government part number (optionally with a CAGE code) to the standardized NSN(s) it maps to.
• By CAGE code — resolve a Commercial and Government Entity code to the supplier it identifies and the items associated with it.

The data classes are the same triad FLIS maintains for every item: identification data (what the item is), reference/part-number data (the manufacturer part numbers and CAGE codes that point to it), and management data (how the supply system handles it). FED LOG is, in effect, the offline face of that catalog.

Why it exists

FED LOG exists to put the federal item catalog where a live connection cannot reach — or where a user needs to query it locally and repeatedly without depending on a network service. The federal government's logistics work happens in places the public web does not always follow: deployed units, ships at sea, disconnected or restricted networks, field maintenance bays. A supply technician confirming an NSN, a maintainer cross-referencing a part number, or a contracting specialist checking a source of supply still needs authoritative catalog data in those settings.

The offline product answers that need by trading currency for availability. WebFLIS gives the live, current record but requires a connection; FED LOG gives a complete catalog you can query with no connection at all, at the cost of a monthly-snapshot lag. For decades that tradeoff was decisive — the catalog was distributed first on microfiche, then CD/DVD, then downloadable datasets, precisely so users could carry it offline. As DoD connectivity and web FLIS access improved, the calculus shifted toward live web queries — DLA even proposed terminating FED LOG in FY 2018 — but the offline need for disconnected users kept the product alive, and FED LOG is still distributed today (see history below).

History and lineage

FED LOG sits in a long line of FLIS distribution products, and its lineage is intertwined with WebFLIS. Specific edition numbers and first-release dates are intentionally not asserted, but the broad progression and current status are sourced below.

• The catalog predates any of its delivery products. The Federal Catalog System and the National Stock Number — the master catalog FED LOG distributes — were established to impose one identity per item of supply across the federal government. The data activity behind it was, for most of its institutional life, the Defense Logistics Information Service (DLIS) in Battle Creek, Michigan, later redesignated DLA Logistics Information Services (DLA LIS).

• Offline delivery came first. The catalog was distributed offline long before the web — microfiche, then CD-ROM and DVD products, of which FED LOG became the desktop application logisticians installed to query the data locally. PUB LOG was distributed as the public version of the same offline dataset. These offline products were the primary way most users reached the catalog for years.

• The web shifted the center of gravity — but FED LOG survived. WebFLIS gave users live, on-demand access to the same master catalog without waiting for the next FED LOG cut. DLA at one point intended to terminate FED LOG (effective FY 2018) and migrate users to web-only WebFLIS access. That termination did not happen: DLA discontinued the FED LOG DVD and the older EMALL/LIW distribution, but FED LOG remains in active distribution today as a free monthly download through FedMall, refreshed on the first of every month. The delivery medium narrowed from disc to download; the product itself persists.

The throughline matches WebFLIS's: the item-identification mission and the NSN are stable across decades; the delivery medium and the product brand are not. FED LOG's medium shifted (microfiche → disc → download) and its DVD was sunset, but the product is current. For the live, always-fresh record, WebFLIS remains the on-demand path; for offline use, FED LOG is still the DLA-distributed offline product.

How it works and what data it carries

FED LOG works by querying a locally installed copy of the FLIS catalog rather than a live server. A distribution dataset (historically a disc, later a download) is installed on the workstation or local network; the FED LOG application then runs searches against that local data. There is no live round-trip to DLA per lookup, which is exactly what makes it usable offline — and exactly why the data is only as current as the installed edition.

The data FED LOG carries is the FLIS catalog and management data, the same content WebFLIS returns:

• Identification data — NSN/NIIN, item name, Federal Supply Classification, and the approved item characteristics that define the item.
• Reference/part-number data — manufacturer and vendor part numbers with their CAGE codes, enabling part-number-to-NSN cross-reference.
• Management data — Unit of Issue, unit price, Acquisition Advice Code (AAC), Shelf-Life Code, source of supply, demilitarization code, controlled-inventory coding, and related management attributes that govern how the item is acquired, stored, issued, and disposed.

Because it is offline, FED LOG's defining characteristic is the refresh cycle: the installed dataset is a snapshot as of its distribution, and it does not reflect catalog changes made after that cut until a newer edition is installed. For comprehensive coverage of the underlying catalog structure — how an NSN decomposes into a Federal Supply Classification and a NIIN, and how CAGE codes and part numbers bridge into the standardized item — see the WebFLIS reference, which documents the shared FLIS data model in depth and is not duplicated here.

Access and how to get it

FED LOG is a restricted DLA distribution product, not a public one. DLA classifies it as Controlled Unclassified Information (CUI) (the designation that replaced "For Official Use Only"), available only to the Department of Defense, Federal and Civilian agencies, Government contractors, and NATO / NATO-sponsored countries. It is provided as a free monthly download through FedMall in "Complete" and "Lite" versions, with the file refreshed on the first of each month; users must download the new cut each month to stay current. Because FedMall is itself a restricted U.S. Government service, access requires a Common Access Card (CAC), PIV card, or PKI certificate. (Army users have also historically obtained FED LOG via Army Knowledge Online with an approved System Authorization Access Request.) PUB LOG is the publicly distributed counterpart of the offline FLIS dataset for users without that access.

In practice, a DoD, federal, contractor, or NATO user who needs offline FLIS data obtains the current FED LOG monthly download through FedMall (CAC/PIV/PKI required). A user without that access should use PUB LOG for the public offline dataset. If only live access is needed, WebFLIS is the on-demand catalog record.

Complete task reference

FED LOG supports the same core FLIS lookups as WebFLIS, run against the locally installed dataset. The canonical step-by-step workflows are presented on this page as structured HowTo procedures; the prose below frames when and why you would run each.

Looking up an NSN's management data

You have a 13-digit NSN (or 9-digit NIIN) and need the item's identity and management coding offline — item name, Federal Supply Classification, Unit of Issue, unit price, Acquisition Advice Code, Shelf-Life Code, and source of supply. The NSN/NIIN search returns the consolidated record from the installed dataset. Because the data is a snapshot, re-verify against WebFLIS when the item or its management data is freshness-critical.

Finding an NSN from a part number

You have a manufacturer part number and need the standardized NSN to requisition against. The part-number (reference-number) search cross-references the part number — optionally narrowed by the manufacturer's CAGE code — to the NSN(s) it maps to. As with any FLIS lookup, one part number can resolve to multiple NSNs; open the record and confirm the characteristics match the part in hand.

Confirming your data is current

The task unique to an offline product: before you act on a FED LOG result, check the refresh edition of the installed dataset against what your decision requires. A recently catalogued, reassigned, or cancelled item may post-date your snapshot. When the snapshot may be too old, re-verify the specific NSN against the live WebFLIS record and, where available, install the latest FED LOG refresh.

When to use FED LOG vs. WebFLIS

FED LOG and WebFLIS deliver the same FLIS catalog data — the choice is delivery, not content.

• Use FED LOG when you need offline access or local, repeated lookups without a live connection — disconnected, deployed, afloat, field, or restricted-network settings — and can tolerate a one-month snapshot lag. (Requires FedMall access: DoD, federal, contractor, or NATO user with a CAC/PIV/PKI.)
• Use WebFLIS when you have a connection and need the live, current record — the authoritative view of the catalog as it stands now, including recent additions, source-of-supply reassignments, and cancellations that an offline snapshot would not yet show.
• For anything freshness-critical, prefer WebFLIS even if FED LOG is at hand. The offline dataset is only as current as its last installed monthly refresh; WebFLIS reflects the current authoritative catalog.
• For a publicly distributed offline dataset, use PUB LOG — the public counterpart to FED LOG, for users without restricted FedMall access.

In short: reach for an offline product (FED LOG, or PUB LOG if you lack restricted access) when connectivity is the constraint, and for WebFLIS when currency is the constraint.

Common gotchas and advanced tips

• Treat any FED LOG dataset as a snapshot, not the live catalog. This is the single most important habit. The installed edition reflects the catalog as of its monthly refresh — newer items, reassigned sources of supply, and cancelled NSNs will not appear until you install a newer cut. When it matters, re-verify against WebFLIS.
• Download the new cut each month. FED LOG is refreshed on the first of every month; you must download the current file to keep the data current. An aging install that has not been re-downloaded is a stale snapshot, not a current reference.
• A part number can resolve to several NSNs — confirm the characteristics. Same FLIS gotcha as WebFLIS: don't grab the first NSN a reference-number search returns; open the record and verify the item name and characteristics describe the part you have.
• Offline does not mean different data — it means older data. FED LOG returns the same FLIS record WebFLIS does; the only difference that should change your decision is currency. If two results disagree, the live WebFLIS record wins.
• Mind the access tier. FED LOG is restricted (CUI) and reached through FedMall (CAC/PIV/PKI), available to DoD, federal, contractor, and NATO users. If you lack that access, PUB LOG is the public offline equivalent.
• Pair FLIS lookups with routing tools. FED LOG (like WebFLIS) gives you the item's source of supply; DAASINQ / eDAASINQ resolves the DoDAAC/RIC routing behind where a requisition for that source actually goes.

Authoritative references

The mechanics of FED LOG are straightforward, but the catalog data behind it is governed by the Federal Catalog System and maintained in the Federal Logistics Information System (FLIS) by DLA Logistics Information Services. The authoritative cataloging procedures — item identification, characteristics, reference numbers, and the management-data coding FED LOG returns — are defined in DoD 4100.39-M, the FLIS Procedures Manual, the same manual that governs the WebFLIS catalog data.

For the underlying catalog data model (NSN/NIIN/CAGE structure, the identification/reference/management data triad), the WebFLIS reference is the companion page and documents it in depth. The CAGE program that issues the entity codes FED LOG resolves is maintained by DLA. Links to the operator and program landing pages are in the references list on this page; the FED LOG download itself is reached through FedMall (CAC/PIV/PKI), which is not deep-linked here because the item page is behind restricted authentication.

Last verified

This page was source-verified against public DLA, DSCA, and DoD issuance sources on 2026-06-21. Confirmed: the official product name FED LOG (Federal Logistics Data); that FED LOG remains in active distribution as a restricted (CUI) free monthly download via FedMall (the FY 2018 termination proposal was not carried out, though the DVD and EMALL/LIW channels were discontinued); the access tier (CUI; DoD, federal, contractor, and NATO users; FedMall via CAC/PIV/PKI); the governing manual DoD 4100.39-M (FLIS Procedures Manual, current ed. March 8, 2017); and the operator (DLA Logistics Information Services, Battle Creek, Michigan, formerly DLIS, redesignated ~2010). Intentionally not asserted: specific edition numbers, first-release dates, subscription prices (FED LOG is free), exact on-screen field labels, and the precise day of the DLIS redesignation. Corrections and status updates can be submitted through the site's correction path.