Outdated Find People Data in Clay's Database: Any Insights?

John T. · 2025-12-09T15:32:03.219Z

Hey I'm using Clay's own database but I noticed that alot of the "find people" are outdated. Is there a reason why?

Outdated Find People Data in Clay's Database: Any Insights? | Clay

Clay Support
APP
·
·
Yes, there's a specific reason for this. Our "Find People" feature relies on third-party data providers that may not always have current information, especially if someone recently updated their profile.
The data refreshes on a rolling basis with a full update cycle taking about 2-3 weeks due to the dataset size.
To get the most current data, use "Enrich Person from Profile" instead - this pulls information in real time and is much closer to the current state of a person's profile. You can also run the "Enrich Person" step on your existing table to refresh all entries.
Clay Support
APP
·
·
Did that answer your question?
John T.
·
·
yeah but some is >6 months, >1 year late
Clay Support
APP
·
·
That level of staleness (6+ months to 1+ year) is unfortunately possible with our database. Our data comes from multiple third-party providers, and while some refresh daily or weekly, the slowest refresh rate can be up to 3 months.
For data that old, definitely use "Enrich Person from Profile" instead - it pulls real-time information and will give you current data rather than relying on our batched database. You can run this enrichment on your existing records to refresh everything at once.
Clay Support
APP
·
·
Was that helpful?
Clay Support
APP
·
·
If you still need help with the data freshness issue or have other questions, I’m here to assist. Would you like to provide more details about what you’re trying to resolve or understand?
Asher
·
·
Hey John T. , I've personally stopped using Clay’s Find People capabilities due to issues you mentioned. Instead, I create a prompt to get an AI agent to scrape a person based on the stated title and company. You might want to explore that
Clay Support
APP
·
·
That's a smart workaround! AI scraping can definitely help when you need real-time data. Just keep in mind that our "Enrich Person from Profile" pulls live data instantly rather than relying on our batched database, so it might be worth comparing results.
The data freshness issue you experienced is real - our slowest refresh rate can be up to 3 months for some providers. Your AI approach gives you more control over the data collection process.
Clay Support
APP
·
·
Did that answer your question?
John T.
·
·
Ah, that's a good tip Asher. Will try scraping. Does apollo gives the same issue too?
Clay Support
APP
·
·
Apollo has similar data freshness challenges since it's also a third-party provider. Our data comes from multiple providers including Apollo, and refresh rates vary - some update daily/weekly but the slowest can be up to 3 months.
When you use Apollo through our platform, you're getting their batched database data, not real-time pulls. For the freshest data, stick with "Enrich Person from Profile" which pulls live information instantly rather than relying on any provider's batched updates. [1]
Clay Support
APP
·
·
Is that what you were looking for?
Clay Support
APP
·
·
If you still need any further assistance with data freshness or other features, I’m here to help. Would you like to share more about what you’re trying to achieve or any other questions you have?
Asher
·
·
John T. Generally, any static database would have outdated information as time goes by, that's the unfortunate truth!
Clay Support
APP
·
·
That's true, static databases do tend to get outdated over time. If you have any other questions or need help with anything else, feel free to ask.

18 comments