QWhat is data extraction?+
Data extraction is the process of collecting and retrieving data from various sources like company websites, business databases, and professional directories. Captain Data provides a RESTful API that allows you to query and extract B2B people and company data at scale.
QWhat sources can Captain Data extract from?+
Captain Data extracts data from business databases, company directories, professional networks, and various public sources. We provide access to 750M+ professional profiles and 54M+ companies through our API.
QHow do I query data with the extraction API?+
Use our People Search or Company Search APIs with filters like job title, industry, location, company size, and more. Define your criteria, and Captain Data returns matching profiles in real-time through our RESTful API.
QCan I extract employee lists from companies?+
Yes! The Find Employees endpoint retrieves all employees at a target company via our API. You can filter by role, department, or seniority to get the employee data you need for your product features.
QIs data extraction GDPR compliant?+
Yes. Captain Data is SOC 2 Type II certified and fully GDPR compliant. We only collect publicly available professional data and provide mechanisms for data subject requests. All data is processed in accordance with privacy regulations.
QWhat's the difference between extraction and enrichment?+
Extraction is about discovering and collecting new data (querying people or companies that match criteria via our API). Enrichment is about enhancing existing data (adding more details to a known profile). Both work together - extract data, then enrich profiles for complete information.
QWhat is data extraction?+
Data extraction is the process of pulling structured information — such as people and company data — from web sources and returning it in a usable format like JSON. With a data extraction API such as Captain Data, you request the data you need (from a LinkedIn URL, a name, or a search query) and get clean, structured results back, instead of building and maintaining scrapers yourself.
QHow does automated data extraction work?+
Automated data extraction uses an API or pipeline to fetch and structure data on demand. With Captain Data, you call an endpoint with an input — a LinkedIn URL or a Sales-Navigator-compatible query — and the platform handles collection, rate limits, and parsing, returning structured JSON in real time. There are no proxies or scrapers for you to run.
QWhat features should a B2B data extraction tool have?+
Look for real-time, structured output (JSON), reliable coverage and freshness, people and company data from one provider, safe collection that avoids rate-limit bans, transparent usage-based pricing, and developer-friendly access — a documented REST API and MCP support for AI agents.
QHow do you reduce risk in automated data extraction?+
Use a managed API instead of running your own scrapers. A managed data API handles rate limits and collection safely (avoiding account bans), maintains a defensible, compliant data posture, and provides reliable uptime — removing the legal, security, and maintenance risks of DIY extraction.
QWhat is a data extraction API?+
A data extraction API lets you request structured web data programmatically instead of scraping sites yourself. Captain Data's API extracts B2B people and company data — enrichment, search, and find — and returns it as JSON you can ship in products, workflows, and AI agents.
QHow do I extract a name and profile from a LinkedIn URL?+
Send a LinkedIn profile URL (linkedin.com/in/…) to Captain Data's People Enrichment endpoint and you get the profile back as structured JSON — full name, first and last name, headline, current role and company, location, experience, education, and skills — in real time. There is nothing to scrape or parse; it is one authenticated REST call.
QCan I extract company data from a domain or LinkedIn company URL?+
Yes. Company Enrichment extracts firmographic data — industry, headcount, headquarters and locations, founding year, funding, and specialties — from a LinkedIn company URL or a website domain. Combine it with People Enrichment to extract both people and company data through a single API. It returns professional and firmographic data, not email or phone.