Frequently Asked Questions
AggData is a data service provider. AggData is short for aggregate data which means a set of data that is collected together in one place and is delivered in the form of a list of records where each record has details about a specific object in the group. Examples of datasets could be complete lists of retail store locations or geographic country information. This information is often available to the public via the Internet, but AggData compiles it into an easily accessible and workable file.
AggData now requires a user account to retreive the data you purchase. The benefits of this include being able to retrieve previously purchased data, save shopping carts for later purchase, and receiving discounts on new versions of the data. If this is your first time purchasing from AggData.com, your user account will automatically be created during the checkout process, using the email address entered. After the purchase is made, you will be directed immediately to a download page where you can find the data you have purchased, and you will also receive an email with further details on your user account and a link to download the data in the future. If at anytime you have issues with your account or download, please contact us right away.
Due to the nature of our business and the fact that our products are digital and cannot be returned, AggData has an all sales final policy. Once you have purchased and downloaded our data, you will not be able to return or exchange it for any reason.
We encourage you to carefully review our product descriptions, download a sample and ask any questions you may have before making a purchase. If you believe that our data does not meet your expectations, please contact us so that we can work with you to address any issues.
When we collect a set of data, we are confident that it is complete and accurate. We use advanced technical tools to extract data already available on the web, which means that we can only guarantee as much accuracy and completeness as the source provides. That said, we are very particular about making sure our sources are as official and as original as possible. We work with primary sources rather than third-party directories.
Customers will note on each dataset description when the last update to the data was completed. Should you require a more current list than what is provided, please contact us to make arrangements.
Geocoding is an advanced and difficult process and unfortunately is not a perfect science. However, AggData is confident that the system we have developed provides as accurate data as is available. Our primary method of geocoding relies on the same system that mapping systems like Google Maps use to place the addresses you type in a search bar to find locations. Underneath this service are databases common to most geocoders, including NAVTEQ and Tele Atlas. We do our best to take advantage of the extra data we are able to extract from our primary sources, and we continually find ways to improve and more accurately place that marker directly on the business rooftop.
AggData has a dedicated team that over the years has built up an extensive library of datasets for over 10,000 businesses. Even with this broad range of products, we know that you may need something specific that we have yet to collect. There are some conditions to adding a list to AggData's library - overall the list should add value to the AggData product. If you don't see the data you are looking for, we invite you to contact us to discuss the feasibility, timing, and pricing of the collection.
Yes. AggData provides discounted pricing on multiple list purchases. Tell us what lists you need to purchase and we’ll create a discounted package price for you. Typically, the more data lists you purchase, the larger the discount you receive.
AggData does offer a subscription service which provides you access to the entire data library whenever you need it. AggData Premium was developed just for this purpose. We also provide the option of purchasing updates of individual lists in advance, where if you need a year’s worth of quarterly updates, we can bundle those products and provide discounts. Contact us to find out more about our data subscription services.
There are restrictions to the use of data. Please review our Terms of Use for full details.
The file you receive will be in CSV (Comma Separated Values). This type of file is easy to manage and work with, and is commonly used by many types of software and databases. Open the downloaded file in Microsoft Excel or other spreadsheet program – these programs will automatically recognize the data and display it based on column headings. Now you will be able to sort, filter, and manipulate the data based on your needs. You also have the ability to import the data into a database, upload to a GPS unit, or print out for future reference.
Many zip codes in the north eastern part of the United States have zip codes that start with a zero (0). When data is extracted, we do capture this digit, however once imported into a spreadsheet program, that program may not recognize it is a zip code and exclude the zero. If opened in the CSV raw format or in a text editor program (i.e. Notepad), these digits will be evident.
To correct this in Excel, highlight the zip code column, right click and select “Format Cells”. You will see a “Special” category, under which there is a format titled “Zip Code”. Select this format type and click OK. Click here for a tutorial that walks through the process with screenshots.
Almost half of our lists have a "Store Number" column, and we feel this extra information can be very valuable to you in your analysis of the data. However, there are technical reasons why this number may not match the internal store numbering system within that company. Here are two examples that illustrate our extraction and why we cannot make a guarantee on it's accuracy:
First, if you search your zip code on Best Buy's website (example here), you will see that next to the store names is a visual indicator that indicate exactly which store number that location represents (i.e. "LACEY WA (Store 1043)"). However, on other websites, such as Walmart.com (example here), you will notice that the store number is not indicated on the web page, but rather in the URL itself (walmart.com/store/3525). We will still collect this as the store number because we believe it is more likely than not to be the actual store number. We have independently confirmed in Walmart's case that this is correct, however, there may be other lists where that number is simply an ID assigned to that particular web page and does not reflect the internal store numbering system.
We apologize for any confusion this causes, but we have decided it is worth the risk of collecting any numbering we find, because it in our testing, it has been correct in the large majority of cases. If you have specific concerns about the quality of the store number in a particular list, we would recommend you download the sample file in order to check ahead of time if it matches. And if you find a mismatch, we would definitely appreciate the feedback, however, it is unlikely that we will be able to replace it with the correct store numbers, as that was probably the only number available at the primary source.
