The Swordfish Knowledge Base

Swordfish is one of the few platforms that supports file-based enrichment. This feature is powerful, but its effectiveness depends heavily on the quality and structure of the data you provide. The better your file, the better your results.

This guide outlines how to prepare your data for the best possible outcome when uploading to Swordfish.

Preparing Your Data: What to Do Before You Upload

Here are a few practical steps to follow before uploading your file:

1. Clean and Standardize Your Data

Make sure each column contains clean, consistent, and accurate information. Errors, duplicates, or inconsistencies (like a mix of lowercase and uppercase names, or missing location info) can reduce match rates.

2. Structure Names Correctly

We recommend separating the First Name, Middle Name, and Last Name into separate columns. If that’s not possible, names should be formatted in the following order:
FirstName [MiddleName] LastName
Avoid long strings with titles, suffixes, or extra characters.

3. Use Proper Phone Number Formatting

If you're including phone numbers, always add the country code (e.g., +44 for the UK or +1 for the US). Without it, numbers will default to the U.S. format, which could skew your results.

4. Break Out Address Fields

Avoid putting the full address in one field. Instead, use separate columns for:

• Street

• City

• State

• Country

Even if all contacts are from one country, it’s still important to specify the country in your file.

5. Include Social Profiles (If Available)

LinkedIn and other public social profile URLs are excellent identifiers. These are often the most reliable datapoints for pinpointing a person, especially when names are common or other fields are incomplete.

What Type of Data Works Best?

When uploading a file, the goal is to help Swordfish identify the correct individual as precisely as possible. The more specific the data, the better.

Most Reliable Data Points:

• Social Profile URLs
  (LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, etc. – unique and highly accurate)

• Email Addresses & Phone Numbers
  These can help match the right contact even when other details are unclear. You can include multiple columns for older or alternate emails and numbers—Swordfish won’t return data that’s already in your file.

Helpful (But Less Precise) Data:

• Full name

• Company

• Location (city, state, country)

These are still useful, but if the details are common or vague (e.g. "John Smith" at "Google"), they may result in multiple potential matches.

Final Notes

Following these steps will give you the best chance of a high match rate and clean enrichment results. While there’s no guaranteed perfect match every time, structured and complete data will significantly improve accuracy.

Need help reviewing your file before uploading?

Feel free to reach out to our team at [email protected] — we’re happy to help.