Multi-database: how to manage your emission factors

Multi-database is an update to Dcycle’s calculation engine that gives you full control over which emission factors (EFs) are applied to each data entry you upload. Instead of a single factor applied to everything, you can now configure it per invoice, year, and category — and see exactly how your emissions are calculated.

When to use it

• When you want to review or change the emission factor Dcycle has assigned by default to your data.
• When you need to compare Market-Based and Location-Based emissions for electricity (GHG Protocol requirement).
• When you want to update data from previous years to a more recent version of a database (e.g. from Miteco V5 to V6).
• When you want to mark electricity invoices as Guarantees of Origin (GOs).

Key concepts

EF database: the set of reference factors Dcycle uses to calculate your emissions (e.g. Miteco, IPCC, GLEC). Each database can have multiple versions.

Version: the specific edition of a database (e.g. Miteco V5 vs. V6). New data uses the latest version by default; data from previous years keeps the version it was originally calculated with.

Match: the specific factor within a database that Dcycle has assigned to an entry (e.g. “Electricity - Spanish mainland grid”).

Market-Based vs. Location-Based: two calculation methods for electricity required by the GHG Protocol. Dcycle calculates both automatically for every electricity invoice.

How to update your emission factors

The workflow is: upload your data first, then review and adjust.

1. Upload your data as usual (invoices, vehicles, etc.) from the corresponding section.

2. Go to Emission Factors in the side menu. This screen replaces the former Customize section. You’ll see all available categories and, by clicking on one, the breakdown of calculations applied.

3. Select a category and a year to see the entries uploaded in that context.

4. Use filters to narrow down the selection — you can filter by supplier, facility, or other criteria.

5. Review the system’s default assignments. For each entry you’ll see which database, version, and match Dcycle has selected.

6. Bulk-update if you need to adjust: select the entries you want to modify and update the database, version, or match all at once.

Tip: you can also view the detailed calculation steps for any entry — unit conversions, gas breakdowns, etc. — giving you full traceability over the final result.

🎬 Watch video: How to update your emission factors

How to recalculate invoices

Once you’ve updated your emission factors, you can recalculate the affected invoices so the changes are reflected in your results.

🎬 Watch video: How to recalculate invoices

Electricity: Market-Based, Location-Based, and Guarantees of Origin

For electricity invoices, Dcycle now automatically calculates two values:

• Location-Based: based on the carbon intensity of your local electricity grid. You can select specific regional grids (e.g. Spain - Canary Islands) for greater precision.
• Market-Based: based on your energy contracts.

If an invoice corresponds to renewable energy with a Guarantee of Origin, enable the Renewable Energy toggle on that invoice. Dcycle will apply a zero emission factor for the Market-Based calculation.