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API or Batch? Use the Right Tool for the Job

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Our data validation products can be accessed in one of two ways: through APIs that integrate directly with your custom solutions and/or business automation platforms such as your CRM or marketing automation systems, or convenient batch services that let us do the work for you, with no programming required. This article explains each of these options, and which ones might work best for your situation.

First, let’s look at some of the advantages of each of our data validation options:

API integration

  • Fastest response time – Your API calls will interact directly with our web services. For many of our services, this will result in sub-second validations of your input data.
  • The most flexibility – Virtually any platform that can make a web service call can leverage our APIs. Our web service based APIs can be injected into your workflow at any stage of the process. This includes point of entry, post-lead collection, or even refreshing historical data.

Batch Processing

  • One time batch

    • Hassle-free list processing – Let us handle the heavy lifting by securely sending us a list of your data. We will process the records and return an easily digestible comma-separated file with all of the web service’s response fields divided into columns.
  • Automated batch

    • Similar to a one time batch, an automated batch will also return a comma-separated file. The primary difference is that you will have a secure FTPS account where uploaded files will be automatically processed. Upon completion, you can log into the FTPS account and retrieve your validated data. This option is great if you have the need for ongoing data processing and don’t want to integrate with our API.

Here are how these options can work with common workflows:

Batch process existing records + API to validate real-time data capture

A common situation we find with our clients is where they have both an existing dataset and ongoing data collection. Our goal is to ensure the data is as accurate and up-to-date as possible and this extends to existing data points. Cleaning up and validating existing data helps ensure that any future efforts to connect with previous leads are met with success. Furthermore, by integrating with our APIs, data can be cleaned and validated on its way into your system. This allows you to have peace of mind knowing your lead data is genuine, and better business decisions can be based off of this validated information.

Periodic data dumps, processing, and reimport

Some business workflows don’t require instantaneous data validations. There are some cases where weekly, monthly. or quarterly data validations fit the bill. This scenario can be solved using any of our data validation options. If you’ve integrated with our API, your validations can happen in-house. However, if an API integration isn’t right for you, our batch processing system will likely meet your needs.

Multithreaded API integration for large volume validation

For high volume validations, we recommend dedicating time for your development team to implement a multithreaded solution. This type of implementation allows for multiple inputs to be validated simultaneously. This effectively increases your throughput and cuts down on the overall processing time.

Keeping your data secure

Regardless of the type of integration, the input and output data are transmitted using an encrypted protocol. Our data centers are protected by five layers of security and constantly monitored and actively managed from a data security and performance perspective. We do not store your data any longer than is needed for validation and is expunged after processing.

Need more information for your specific use case? Contact our technical team anytime – we are always happy to help.