FAQs#
Service Speeds#
What can affect speeds from Business Coder?#
The location of the client server.
The distance between our server to yours will make a difference in overall speed. See here for our current server location list: https://www.melissa.com/company/server-locations-uptime
The current load of our public cloud servers.
We maintain and make available a large amount of processing capacity. However, all things being equal, the more usage at any given time will decrease overall speed during that time.
Real time vs batch.
Real time means sending one record at a time, while for batch you will send up to 100 records at a time and loop through your data. Processing 100 at a time will increase your overall service speed by up to 25%-50%.
Throughput Speeds#
When to use real-time vs. batch processing#
Real-Time (Single Request)
Customer onboarding
CRM data entry
Checkout or form entry
Batch
Processing a spreadsheet or database
Processing historical data
Scheduled processing
ETL transformations
What speeds can you expect?#
Real-Time Speeds#
Response times can vary, but the majority of requests should fall between 50ms – 100ms.
Batch Speeds#
Single-Threaded#
A single-threaded batch process is recommended when:
Fast development is a priority.
Processing small to medium-sized lists (1,000 - 100,000 records).
Expected processing speed is 250,000 – 500,000 records per hour.
Multi-Threaded#
Multi-threading involves sending multiple requests to the web server simultaneously and handling responses as they are returned. This approach can significantly improve performance by reducing the overall time required for processing.
A multi-threaded batch process is recommended when:
Processing large volumes of records quickly.
Handling large lists (100,000+ records).
We recommend starting with 5-10 threads to avoid rate limiting errors.
Expected processing speed is 1,500,000 – 2,000,000 records per hour.
Note
A single-threaded process remains a viable option for processing larger lists, though it may take longer compared to a multi-threaded approach.
Scaling and Rate Limiting#
Melissa utilizes dynamic scaling to improve throughput speeds during peak usage periods. This behavior ensures that our web services can adjust to changes in traffic and consistently provide optimal performance regardless of demand.
To maintain service stability and prevent excessive load, Melissa enforces rate limiting based on request volume and frequency. For more information, please refer to our rate limiting page: Rate Limiting.
Firmographics#
What are the Append Rates for Business Coder Firmographics?#
Firmographic |
Average Append Rate |
|---|---|
Company |
58% |
Phone |
55% |
Employee Size |
45% |
Sales Volume |
44% |
SIC |
49% |
NAICS |
39% |
Location Type |
58% |
Stock Ticker |
5% |
Web Address |
51% |
Contacts |
44% |
What kind of Business Firmographics can I get from Business Coder?#
The following are the fields and information that can be retrieved from the Business Coder Service:
Column Name |
Data Definition |
|---|---|
CompanyName |
Name of the Business |
AddressLine1 |
First Address Line |
Suite |
Suite |
City |
City |
State |
State |
PostalCode |
ZipCode/PostalCode |
Plus4 |
Plus4 of the Address |
DeliveryIndicator |
Residential Or Business Address Indicator |
MelissaAddressKey |
Unique key assigned to an Address Record |
LocationType |
The code denoting whether the business is a headquarter, a branch, or a subsidiary headquarter. |
Phone |
10-Digit Phone Number |
EmployeesEstimate |
This field contains the estimate number of employees who work at this particular business location. |
SalesEstimate |
This field contains the estimate sales volume particular business location. |
StockTicker |
Unique abbreviation/symbol assigned by the stock exchange for listed companies. |
WebAddress |
The Web Address/Domain for a Company. |
SICCode1 |
6-digit Standard Industrial Classification code for the business’s primary activity (line of business). |
SICCode2 |
Second SIC Code |
SICCode3 |
Third SIC Code |
NAICSCode1 |
North American Industry Classification System code. |
NAICSCode2 |
Second NAICS Code |
NAICSCode3 |
Third NAICS Code |
SICDescription1 |
SIC Code Description |
SICDescription2 |
Second SIC Code Description |
SICDescription3 |
Third SIC Code Description |
NAICSDescription1 |
NAICS Code Description |
NAICSDescription2 |
Second NAICS Code Description |
NAICSDescription3 |
Third NAICS Code Description |
Latitude |
Latitude Geo Coordinate |
Longitude |
Longitude Geo Coordinate |
CountyName |
Name of the County |
CountyFIPS |
FIPS of the County |
CensusTract |
Census Tract number for the address |
CensusBlock |
Census Block number for the address |
PlaceCode |
Census Bureau Place Code |
PlaceName |
Census Bureau Place Name |
Results |
Returns Record Specific Result Codes. |
TransmissionResults |
Returns Error Codes for Web Service Level issues. |
RecordID |
ID of the Record |
TransmissionReference |
Pass through of the Input Transmission Reference. |
Version |
Current Web Service Version |
TotalRecords |
The total number of records returned in the records array. |
What type of Information can I submit to the Web Service in order to get business firmographics?#
Address (With or without the company name)
Phone Number
Melissa Address Key (Can be retrieved using any of Melissa Data’s Address Verification Solutions)
Web Address
Stock Ticker
Data Source#
Where does Business Coder Get its Data?#
The Business Coder Database is compiled from several sources and industries. The final combined database merges the data to about 15 million records of business information. This data is then exposed through the Business Coder Web Service which allows for appending Firmographics. Since the service revolves heavily around the contents of the data, the exact provider for the sources is not something we can disclose at the moment as we prefer to keep this information private in order to maintain the product’s uniqueness and value in the industry.