Frequently Asked QuestionsWhat is a Web Service?Why do I need a license key? What happens if I go over my limit of queries? Is my data secure? Do you store my data on your servers? Do you also support VPN connections? How are the Service Objects DOTS implemented? What is SOAP? What is WSDL? How do I get a production license key? Is there a limit on the number of results I can receive per query? Does this service work through HTTP proxies? How can I track the number of queries I have submitted each day? What programming languages do you support? How can I look at my own SOAP packets and debug my communication? Why do you provide client code if it can be generated from WSDL? What languages in Microsoft Visual Studio .NET are supported? What C# packages do I need to use to write a client? Can I invoke Service Objects' Web Services from Office XP applications (e.g., Excel)? Can I invoke Service Objects' Web Services from FileMaker? What types of data inputs can we send through your processes? What types of data can you return using those inputs? Where do you get your data? To what level will you manage our account after we integrate your services? How fast are your services? Are your services consistently available? How often do you update your databases? How simple is your XML integration process? How will Service Objects benefit to my sales team? How will Service Objects benefit my Marketing team? Is every record mail-deliverable? What type of information do your phone services provide? Can I submit a list of contacts for you to verify without integrating your XML services? What is your return time for running a batch of records? How does DOTS Lead Validation work? Do you match record name and address to each other when returning a phone number? What is the anticipated percentage of records returned with phone numbers? What if more than one phone number is returned, do you give me both? I've seen times when a record is returned with a phone number that is outdated by as much as 3 years. Will this be the case with your company? My data is in CSV. What software do you recommend for mapping, and conversion to XML? What is a Web Service?
A web service is something you can call over the web from a program. For more background on Web services, see Web Services - An Executive Summary Why do I need a license key?
The license key uniquely identifies you to Service Objects. You can sign-up for a FREE 30-day license key, but please don't exceed your limit of 100 free queries for the DOTS Lead Validation service or 500 free queries for all other services What happens if I go over my limit of queries?
If you have a production key and exceed the number of transactions (as defined in the monthly plan you purchased) your key will continue to operate, however, you will be billed for these additional "overage" transactions at the end of the month. If you find that in numerous months you exceed your plans transaction level you may find it a financial advantage to upgrade your plan to the next highest level. If you have a trial key and you exceed the number of allowed trial transactions then your key will become inactive and our server will respond with an error stating that you have exceeded your transaction total limits. Is my data secure?
Yes. We use Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) technology, a protocol developed by Netscape for transmitting private documents via the Internet. SSL uses a cryptographic system that uses two keys to encrypt data - a public key known to everyone and a private or secret key known only to the recipient of the message. Service Objects' Web services use the protocol to communicate Web service data. By convention, server URLs require an SSL connection start with https: instead of http:. Do you store my data on your servers?
No. Web service data that passes through our network is not stored by Service Objects. Your data is never written to persistent memory such a disk file, database or log file. Do you also support VPN connections?
Yes. We can configure our router for a VPN connection. A $495 one-time fee for router configuration and VPN setup is required. Additional changes billed at the rate of $175 per hour remote router configuration. How are the Service Objects DOTS implemented?
Service Objects DOTS are implemented as a XML-SOAP-WSDL Web services. The service supports several POST, GET and SOAP methods; these are described in an accompanying WSDL file that can be imported into your favorite Web services programming environment. What is SOAP?
SOAP is the Simple Object Access Protocol. It is used for information exchange and RPC, usually (but not necessarily) over HTTP. What is WSDL?
WSDL is the Web Service Definition Language. It provides a formal description of a Web Service, much like CORBA's IDL. The WSDL file is all you need to know how to call the Web Service; there are many software toolkits can generate proxy code from a WSDL file directly. Is there a limit on the number of results I can receive per query?
Sometimes. Certain web services can retrieve a maximum of 20 results per query in the trial mode. Does this service work through HTTP proxies?
Generally, Yes. The service should work through HTTP proxies, but in practice some HTTP proxies have trouble correctly forwarding SOAP. How can I track the number of queries I have submitted each day?
There is an HTML report and a special web service you can use to see your usage. You can log into the reports here: http://www.serviceobjects.com/support/usage-reports What programming languages do you support?
We test our services with ASP, ColdFusion MX, PHP, Java (Apache SOAP and Apache Axis), Perl (SOAP::Lite version 0.52), and C# in MS Visual Studio .NET. The service has not been tested with clients in other languages but it should work with any language with web service support. How can I look at my own SOAP packets and debug my communication?
There are many tools that let you "sniff" your SOAP packets on the wire, usually implemented as an HTTP proxy. We like the Apache Axis tool org.apache.axis.utils.tcpmon. Why do you provide client code if it can be generated from WSDL?
We wanted to provide the simplest possible start for developers; shipping a complete Java implementation was the easiest way to do that. The custom C# client also has some convenience features such as default values for seldom-used parameters. What languages in Microsoft Visual Studio .NET are supported?
The service has been tested with a C# client auto-generated from WSDL by the wsdl.exe tool. It should work fine from any .NET language. We have created an application note for using DOTS within VB.NET. Download the application note here. What C# packages do I need to use to write a client?
You need the standard .NET framework; either from Visual Studio .NET or the Framework alone. Can I invoke Service Objects' Web Services from Office XP applications (e.g., Excel)?
Yes, Office XP's SOAP implementation supports simple SOAP types. Can I invoke Service Objects' Web Services from FileMaker?
Yes, hereto, newer versions FileMaker (6 or better) supports SOAP GET requests. What types of data inputs can we send through your processes?
We can filter, correct, format, enrich, and cross validate the following types of data: First and last name, postal address, email address, and internet (IP) address, home, work, and cellular telephone numbers What types of data can you return using those inputs?
Where do you get your data?
Our data is a compilation of proprietary and public information. We are constantly gathering new data from various sources to provide you with the most reliable results that we have access to. To what level will you manage our account after we integrate your services?
Service Objects insures that you have 24x7 access to our technical team for any of your servicing needs. How fast are your services?
Query-response speed varies depending upon the type of service/s that you choose to integrate, though our average response time is 600 milliseconds. Are your services consistently available?
Yes, we guarantee that you'll be able to call our services 99.995% of the time. Service Objects has verified more than a billion contact records - with uptime of 99.999 percent over 10 years. How often do you update your databases?
Our databases are updated on a daily basis, always ensuring you the most accurate data that we can access. How simple is your XML integration process?
After we assist you in determining the best way for you to integrate our web services, our courteous and experienced engineers will guide you through any necessary steps to have your services up and running as quickly as possible, often within a few hours. How will Service Objects benefit to my sales team?
We will cross validate all of your leads automatically, scoring them based on their contact quality, allowing your sales force to call the leads with the best potential first. How will Service Objects benefit my Marketing team?
We will cross validate all of your leads, providing you with accurate data on each contact within your marketing campaign. This will allow you to focus your efforts and resources only on quality leads. Is every record mail-deliverable?
Through Delivery Point Validation (DPV), we provide you with mail-deliverable postal addresses, provided by the USPS®. In addition to delivery accuracy and a reduction in returned mail, this also reduces multiple mailings from being sent to the same destination, due to multiple contacts residing at the same address. What type of information do your phone services provide?
Our validation services return a wide array of data. To start, they will let you know if the number is valid and how long it's been in service, who the carrier is, whether it's a business or personal number, and whether it's a wireless phone or a landline. Can I submit a list of contacts for you to verify without integrating your XML services?
Yes, we you can e-mail us the file, submit it via FTP or use our BatchTumbler application for self service processing. What is your return time for running a batch of records?
This depends upon the size of the batch and the amount of processes that you want to run it through, though batches are usually completed within 48 hours. How does DOTS Lead Validation work?
DOTS Lead Validation verifies the contact information provided by your lead to determine whether the names (first and last), addresses (home, business, email and IP), telephone numbers (personal, business, wireless or cellular) are accurate, by cross validating them with our proprietary processes.This returns to you a customizable scoring of the contact, allowing you to determine whether it will be Accepted, Rejected, or Reviewed by your team. What this really means to you is that your sales force can concentrate most of their efforts on the leads that will convert. The bottom-line is increased profits. In addition to validating your leads, our real-time XML services will enhance your contact's data by correcting any false information, as well as filling in any that may be missing.Imagine if all of your leads had complete (or multiple) phone numbers, addresses, and census information. Since our services are processed real-time, your team will have instant access to this rich data, allowing them to contact their best prospects immediately. This will insure that you're always one step ahead of your competition. Do you match record name and address to each other when returning a phone number?
We do not have any data linking names to address at the moment, but both are simultaneously used when comparing to the phone record. We don't look for phone records that have the given name and we don't look for addresses that match the given address. Both name and address must appear in the phone record for a match. This sometimes leads to less overall matches but more accurate ones. What is the anticipated percentage of records returned with phone numbers?
We generally expect around a 40-45% match rate. We see wildly varying results from client to client (usually dependant on data quality). Clients that see good results generally continue to see good results. Even with good data, finding phone numbers from names and addresses is one of the most challenging services we have due to the inconsistencies in the phone records (missing address information, abbreviated names etc…) which is why the match rate is lower. What if more than one phone number is returned, do you give me both?
At the moment, only one number is returned. If there are more than one numbers returned from our search query, the best number is returned. The best number would be the number that best matches the original input. I've seen times when a record is returned with a phone number that is outdated by as much as 3 years. Will this be the case with your company?
No, this should not be a problem. Our phone data comes from some of the most accurate and reliable sources. It is updated nightly with a promise of about 99% accuracy. If a number becomes disconnected for example it should not return a contact the next day. My data is in CSV. What software do you recommend for mapping, and conversion to XML?
This depends on a lot of factors. Many programming languages work very well with our Web Services and in most cases it's very easy to integrate with them. It depends a lot on your preferences. We have a ton of example code available and we can certainly help you more when you are looking to integrate in real-time with our services. If you do batches, then you don't really need to do anything else. |
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