Waterfall enrichment is a data enrichment method that tries several providers in sequence until it finds the data you need.

For example, a waterfall email finder can query Provider A first. If no email is found, it tries Provider B. If Provider B fails, it tries Provider C. The workflow stops when it finds a valid result or reaches the end of the provider list.

Why teams use waterfall enrichment

One provider rarely has full coverage. Some providers are strong in the US, others in Europe. Some work better for tech companies, others for traditional industries.

Waterfall enrichment improves coverage by combining several sources in one workflow.

📌 Short version

Waterfall enrichment is useful when missing data costs more than the extra lookup attempts. It is common for email finding, phone finding, people search, and CRM enrichment.

Common waterfall enrichment inputs

Inputs depend on the data you want to find.

For person enrichment, common inputs are:

  • First name
  • Last name
  • Company name
  • Company domain
  • LinkedIn profile URL

For company enrichment, common inputs are:

  • Company name
  • Company domain
  • LinkedIn company URL

Clean inputs matter. Run data normalization and company name normalization first when your list is messy.

Datablist waterfall workflows

Datablist includes several waterfall workflows:

Waterfall enrichment fits lead generation, recruiting, CRM cleanup, and account-based marketing workflows.