--- source_url: "https://docs.brightdata.com/datasets/deep-lookup/overview" title: Deep Lookup documentation - Bright Data Docs mirrored_at: 2026-08-11T01:02:53.091Z host: docs.brightdata.com cited_in_42a: true mirror_canonical: "https://index.42a.ai/docs.brightdata.com/datasets/deep-lookup/overview" --- > **Original source:** https://docs.brightdata.com/datasets/deep-lookup/overview ## Introduction Deep Lookup is an AI-powered research tool that allows you to search the public web like a database. Find any set of companies or professionals with precision and get table-ready structured data. With Deep Lookup, you can quickly identify real-world entities such as professionals, companies, products, news and articles, locations, and events that meet specific filters and criteria. ## Key Features **Universal Entity Search** Find companies, professionals, products, news, locations, and events using specific, measurable criteria. **Smart Data Enrichment** Automatically add valuable data points to your results: - Contact information and emails - Revenue and employee counts - Technology stacks and funding data - Social profiles and company details **Preview Mode** Get 10 free sample records to validate your approach before running the full research. **Post-Run Enhancement** Add new data columns even after your initial research is complete. **Source Transparency** See exactly where each data point comes from with full source attribution. **Real-Time Extraction** Access the most current data available from the public web, not outdated databases. ## How Deep Lookup Works 1 2 3 ## Understanding Column Types When building your research in Preview Mode, you’ll work with two types of columns: ### How enrich columns work **Purpose:** Add new attributes to each result using data from the public web. These columns provide additional information about your entities without filtering results. For example: - CEO name for a company - Revenue figures - Contact information - Social media profiles - Technology stack used ### How filter columns work **Purpose:** Limit results by applying specific conditions to your query. These columns determine which records are included in your dataset. For example: - Companies with revenue greater than $10 million - Professionals with 5+ years experience - Products priced under $100 - Articles published in the last 30 days ## Understanding “Skipped” Results When you see “skipped” in a cell, it means the candidate entity did not match at least one of your filter criteria. This is how Deep Lookup ensures precision in your results. ### Important Points About Skipped Results: - **More filters = fewer results**: The more filters you apply, the more precise your results become, but you may get fewer total matches - **Each filter must be satisfied**: All filter conditions must be met for an entity to be included - **Optimization tip**: If you’re getting too many skipped results, consider removing some filters to broaden your search - **Quality over quantity**: Skipped results ensure you only pay for data that exactly matches your criteria ### Example: If you search for “Find all SaaS companies in California with >100 employees AND revenue >$10M AND founded after 2020”: - A company with 150 employees and $15M revenue but founded in 2019 would be skipped - Only companies meeting ALL criteria appear in your final results ## Deep Lookup Modes ### Preview Mode (Recommended) The best way to ensure accurate results before spending credits: - **Free preview results** - Get up to 10 sample records at no cost to understand expected outcomes - **Query refinement** - Deep Lookup’s AI assistant helps you refine and improve query accuracy - **Column customization** - Review and adjust column names, types, and specifications before running - **Specs panel control** - Tweak column settings, reorder fields, change types, or add new columns - **Runtime estimates** - See processing time and cost estimates before committing ### When to use Instant Mode For fast, one-shot results when you know exactly what you need: - Run queries immediately for simple, well-defined searches - Best for repeat queries with proven parameters - Skip the preview step when you’re confident in your criteria ### When to use Advanced Mode For complex, multi-step research: - Build sophisticated queries with multiple refinement steps - Perfect for deep market research or complex data gathering - Combine multiple data sources and relationships ## Writing Effective Queries ### The Basic Structure Start every query with “Find all” and describe exactly what you need: ### Key Success Tips **1\. Use Natural Language Comparisons** - “greater than 50 employees” - “less than $5 million in revenue” - “between 100 and 500 employees” **2\. Specify Geographic Boundaries** - “in California” - “headquartered in London” - “operating in Southeast Asia” **3\. Add Revenue or Size Constraints** - “with annual revenue greater than $20 million” - “having between 50 and 200 employees” **4\. Combine 2-4 Specific Criteria** The sweet spot for queries is combining a few specific requirements **5\. Include Industry-Specific Terms** - For tech: “SaaS”, “API-first”, “cloud-native” - For finance: “Series B funded”, “EBITDA positive” - For retail: “D2C”, “omnichannel”, “subscription-based” ## Popular Use Cases ### Sales & Lead Generation **B2B Decision Maker Targeting** - 100% match rate ### How to research competitors **Competitor Pricing Research** - 97% match rate ### Recruitment & Talent Acquisition **Executive Search** - 96% match rate ### How to run market research **Industry Analysis** - 95% match rate ### How to research investments **Deal Flow Discovery** - 90% match rate ## What success looks like Metric Value Impact **Time Saved** 20-30 min/record Weeks of research completed in minutes **Data Sources** 1,000+ per result Comprehensive validation **Match Rates** 90-100% Industry-leading accuracy **ROI** 10-20x Each lead worth $10-20 in research time ## What to Avoid ### Overly Broad Queries **Avoid:** “Find all companies” **Better:** “Find all software companies in Boston with 50 to 200 employees” ### Too Many Constraints **Avoid:** Queries with more than 5-6 different criteria **Better:** Focus on 2-4 most important criteria ### Avoid vague terms **Avoid:** “Find all big companies” **Better:** “Find all companies with revenue greater than $100 million” ### Individual Person Searches Without Context **Avoid:** “Find all people named John” **Better:** “Find all executives named John at Fortune 500 companies” ## FAQ ## Ready to Start Your Research? Start with 5 free queries to experience the power of Deep Lookup. No credit card required. [Get Started Free](https://brightdata.com/products/deep-lookup) | [View Pricing](https://docs.brightdata.com/datasets/deep-lookup/pricing) | [API Documentation](https://docs.brightdata.com/api-reference/deep-lookup)