Key takeaways
- Each business system shows its size in its own place and its own unit: messages for team chat, gigabytes for email and files, records for CRM, support and billing systems, and hours for recordings.
- Every system has a page that names the admin role that can see the total, the unit to report and the steps to export the full history.
- Exact systems and sizes make micro1's review faster, but an estimate from the admin console is enough to start, and you don't need to export anything to apply.
- Companies are paid $100K to $2M or more per dataset, and the price covers all of a company's systems together, not each one on its own.
01
What company records do AI labs and data vendors buy?
The short answer
AI labs (companies that build and train AI models) and data vendors (companies that buy records from businesses, anonymize them and package them into training material) buy copies of the records a company's software collects as people work: email, documents, team chat, meeting recordings, customer records and billing records. Each record shows a piece of real work being done, and together they let a lab train an AI model on a whole job.
Records of work are what the public internet lacks
An AI model learns by studying a very large number of examples and finding the patterns in them. Those examples are called training data, and most of it has come from the public internet. The public internet shows finished results, such as a published article or a product page, and rarely shows the work that produced them.
Business software keeps that work. The request, the discussion, the decision and the outcome are all saved, with names and dates, in the systems a company uses every day.
AI labs now want to train AI agents, software that carries out a whole job step by step, and an agent can only learn a job from records of that job being done. The mechanism is explained in AI training data: why AI companies want your company's data.
Eighteen categories of business software, each measured in its own unit
Business software falls into eighteen categories by the kind of record it keeps. The usual unit in the last column is the one to report for that category, because it is the number the system itself shows or lets you count. Every system listed below has its own page.
| Category | What it holds | Usual unit |
|---|---|---|
| Team chat | Internal messages in channels and direct conversations. | Messages |
| Email and calendar | Company mailboxes, including those of former employees the company still keeps. | GB |
| Files and documents | Shared and personal drives together. | GB |
| CRM | Contacts, deals and the activity attached to them. | Records |
| Field operations | Work orders, dispatch, deliveries, job tickets and site records. | Records |
| Phone and call recordings | Recorded calls and their transcripts. | Hours of audio |
| Meeting recordings | Recorded video meetings and their transcripts. | Hours |
| Customer support | Tickets, chats and help-center content. | Records |
| Project management | Tasks, issues and comment history. | Records |
| Wiki and notes | Internal documentation and knowledge bases. | MB |
| Source code | Repositories with their full commit history. | GB |
| Design and CAD | Design files, drawings and creative assets. | GB |
| Accounting and ERP | Ledgers, invoices, bills and inventory. | Records |
| Ecommerce | Orders, products and customers. | Records |
| HR and payroll | Employee and payroll records, de-identified before anything moves. | Records |
| Databases and warehouses | Production databases, data warehouses and object storage. | GB |
| Product analytics | Event streams and the history of how people use a product. | GB |
| Photos, video and social | Site and product photos, video libraries and social accounts. | GB |
Microsoft 365, Microsoft's bundle of workplace apps, spans four of these categories, so it has a short page of its own at the end of the list.
02
Why do exact systems and sizes make the review faster?
The short answer
micro1, the data vendor we typically refer companies to, reviews what a company holds before it prices the dataset, and it works fastest when it knows four things about each system: which system it is, roughly how much data it holds, how many years the company has used it and how many people have an account. An estimate from the admin console is enough to start. You don't need to export anything to apply, and the records are anonymized before any AI lab sees them.
The four facts to bring for each system
A data manifest is the written summary of the records a company could license, and it is built from four facts about every system. The pages below show where to read each one.
- The system
- The name of the software, such as a team chat tool, a CRM or an accounting system, so the data vendor knows what kind of records it holds.
- The size
- How much the system holds, in its usual unit: messages, gigabytes (GB), records or hours. A vague answer such as "a lot of email" forces a follow-up question, and an exact figure does not.
- The years in use
- How long the company has used the system, which is the date of its oldest records. Each extra year of history is worth more to a buyer.
- The seats
- How many people have an account in the system. Seats (paid user accounts) show how much of the company's work runs through it.
An estimate is enough, and nothing is exported
Applying shares no data, so you can read your totals before or after you apply, and a figure from an admin dashboard is accurate enough to start. The order below matches how micro1's process runs.
- List your systems. Write down every system in the categories above that your team has used for at least a year or two.
- Read each total. Open the system's page here. It shows where the system displays its size, which admin role can see it and which unit to report.
- Apply. The application takes two minutes and asks about the company's size and the tools it uses. It shares no data and commits you to nothing.
- Describe your records on the intro call. The written summary that results is the data manifest. No files change hands.
- Export only after you sign. The full export described on each system's page is needed when the records are transferred, after the offer is accepted and the license is signed.
What the manifest does with the numbers
The manifest lists each system that holds your records, how many years it covers, what kinds of files it holds and roughly how much. The diagram below shows where you find the numbers and what the manifest does with them, using two systems as the example.
Anonymization happens before any lab sees the records
You don't need to clean anything before you report a size. The data vendor replaces names, email addresses and account numbers with consistent stand-ins first, and the privacy section below explains how.
03
How much team chat does your company have, and why do buyers want it?
The short answer
Team chat holds the channels and direct messages where employees ask questions, work out problems and settle decisions as they happen. AI labs and data vendors want it because it shows how a team reasons its way through a job, step by step, rather than only the result. Report team chat in messages, which most chat tools count for you or let you count from an export.
Team chat
Slack
Where Slack shows your message total, what to know before you apply, and how to export the full history on each plan.
Team chat
Microsoft Teams
Where Teams shows your message total, what to know before you apply, and how to export the full chat history.
Team chat
Google Chat
Where Google Chat shows your message activity, what to know before you apply, and how to export spaces and DMs with Vault.
Team chat
Discord
Why Discord shows no message total, how to estimate one, and how each person requests their own Data Package.
Team chat
WhatsApp Business
How to estimate your WhatsApp Business message count, what to know before you apply, and how to export chats from the app or the Cloud API.
04
Where do email and calendar records live, and how are they sized?
The short answer
Company mailboxes hold the requests, quotes, complaints and follow-ups that make up a business's conversations with customers, suppliers and colleagues, and calendars show when meetings and visits were arranged. Buyers want them because each thread records a whole exchange from the first message to the resolution. Report email in gigabytes (GB), including the mailboxes of former employees that the company still keeps.
Email and calendar
Gmail
Where Google shows your Gmail storage, what to know before you apply, and how to export every mailbox with the Data Export tool or Google Vault.
Email and calendar
Outlook
Where Microsoft 365 shows your mailbox sizes, what to know before you apply, and how to export full mailboxes to PST files with Purview eDiscovery.
05
How much file and document storage counts as company data?
The short answer
Shared and personal drives hold the contracts, proposals, reports, spreadsheets and procedures that a company's work produces, often with the earlier versions of each file. Buyers want them because documents show the finished work and how it changed along the way. Report files and documents in gigabytes (GB), adding the shared drives and the personal drives together.
Files and documents
Google Drive
Where Google shows your Drive and shared drive storage, what to know before you apply, and how to export every file with the Data Export tool or Google Vault.
Files and documents
SharePoint
Where SharePoint shows your storage, what to know before you apply, and how to export sites and every file version.
Files and documents
OneDrive
Where OneDrive shows storage for every account, what to know before you apply, and how to export files before a departed user's OneDrive expires.
Files and documents
Dropbox
Where Dropbox shows your team storage, what to know before you apply, and how to copy the full file set with the desktop app.
Files and documents
Box
Where Box shows your storage total, what to know before you apply, and how to export each user's files and legal-hold content.
Files and documents
Egnyte
Where Egnyte shows your storage total, what to know before you apply, and how to export your folders and versions.
06
What do CRM records show, and how do you count them?
The short answer
A CRM (customer relationship management system) is the software where a sales team keeps its contacts, its deals and the calls, emails and notes attached to each one. Buyers want CRM records because a deal shows a customer's path from the first inquiry to a win or a loss, with the activity in between. Report a CRM in records, meaning the contacts, companies and deals it holds.
CRM
HubSpot
Where HubSpot shows your record counts, what to know before you apply, and how to export each object and its activity history.
CRM
Salesforce
Where Salesforce shows your storage and record counts, what to know before you apply, and how to export the full history with Data Export.
CRM
Zoho CRM
Where Zoho CRM shows your record counts, what to know before you apply, and how to download a full data backup.
CRM
Pipedrive
How to count your Pipedrive records, what to know before you apply, and how to export every item type as a file.
CRM
GoHighLevel
Where GoHighLevel shows contact counts, what to know before you apply, and how to export contacts and opportunities.
CRM
Microsoft Dynamics 365 Sales
Where Dynamics 365 Sales shows your storage in GB, what to know before you apply, and how to export whole tables.
CRM
Close
How to count your Close records, what to know before you apply, and how to export leads with their activities.
07
What do field operations records show, and how do you count them?
The short answer
Field operations software schedules and tracks work done at customers' sites, such as repair visits, deliveries and construction projects, and a single job record ties together the request, the crew, the work done and the invoice. Buyers want these records because they show a whole job from start to finish, which is what an AI agent needs to learn it. Report field operations in records, counting jobs first and the customers and invoices that go with them.
Field operations
ServiceTitan
How to count your ServiceTitan jobs, invoices and customers, what to know before you apply, and how to pull the full history.
Field operations
Housecall Pro
How to count your Housecall Pro jobs, estimates and customers, what to know before you apply, and how to export the full history.
Field operations
Jobber
How to read your Jobber job, quote, invoice and client totals, what to know before you apply, and how to export the full history.
Field operations
AccuLynx
How to count your AccuLynx jobs and contacts, what to know before you apply, and how to export the full history by report or API.
Field operations
JobNimbus
How to count your JobNimbus contacts and jobs with Custom Reports, what to know before you apply, and how to export the full history.
Field operations
Buildertrend
How to count your Buildertrend jobs and project items, what to know before you apply, and how to export grids and files.
Field operations
Procore
How to count your Procore projects and items, what to know before you apply, and how to export each project with Extracts or Project Archive.
Field operations
CompanyCam
Where CompanyCam counts your photos, videos and documents, what to know before you apply, and how to download your project photos.
Field operations
Arrivy
How to count your Arrivy tasks, what to know before you apply, and the routes to a full export: support request or API.
Field operations
FieldEdge
How to count your FieldEdge customers, work orders, invoices and quotes, what to know before you apply, and how to export them.
08
How many hours of recorded phone calls does your company have?
The short answer
Phone and call-recording systems keep audio recordings of calls with customers, along with call logs and written transcripts. Buyers want recorded calls because spoken conversations show how problems are explained, negotiated and solved in a way written records do not. Report phone data in hours of audio, estimating the hours from file sizes when the system does not show total duration.
Phone and call recordings
RingCentral
Where RingCentral shows your call log and recordings, why 90 days limits the audio, and how to export or archive it.
Phone and call recordings
Aircall
Where Aircall shows your call history, why the Dashboard stops at six months, and how to export recordings.
Phone and call recordings
Dialpad
Where Dialpad shows your call logs, how plan access windows limit recordings, and how to export or back them up.
Phone and call recordings
Zoom Phone
Where Zoom Phone lists your calls and recordings, what auto-delete changes, and how to download the history.
Phone and call recordings
Twilio
How to read your Twilio recorded hours, what to know before you apply, and how a developer exports recordings.
Phone and call recordings
Gong
Where Gong shows your call minutes, what to know before you apply, and how to export call data and transcripts.
Phone and call recordings
CallRail
Where CallRail shows recorded call time, why history stops at 25 months, and how to export the Call Log and recordings.
Phone and call recordings
Five9
Why Five9 shows no total, how to size the recordings your company stored, and how to export files and reports.
Phone and call recordings
Nextiva
Where Nextiva shows recordings and call volume, why history is six months by default, and how to bulk-export both.
09
Where do recorded video meetings live, and how are they counted?
The short answer
Meeting tools save the video, audio and written transcript of meetings that people chose to record, such as planning sessions, customer calls and training. Buyers want them because they capture discussions and decisions that never reach a written document. Report meeting recordings in hours, estimated from the storage they take up when the tool does not show exact durations.
Meeting recordings
Zoom
Where Zoom shows your cloud recording storage, how to turn it into hours, and how to export recordings and transcripts.
Meeting recordings
Google Meet
Where Google Meet keeps recordings, how to total your recorded hours, and how to export them with Vault or Data export.
Meeting recordings
Teams meeting recordings
How to estimate your recorded hours, what to know before you apply, and how to export Teams recordings and transcripts before they expire.
10
What do customer support records show, and how do you count them?
The short answer
Support software keeps the tickets, chat conversations and help-center articles through which customers report problems and staff resolve them. Buyers want these records because every ticket is a complete example of a problem, the questions asked about it and the fix. Report customer support in records, counting tickets or conversations.
Customer support
Zendesk
How to count your Zendesk tickets, what to know before you apply, and how to export the full history as JSON.
Customer support
Intercom
How to count your Intercom conversations, what to know before you apply, and how to export the full history to cloud storage.
Customer support
Freshdesk
How to count your Freshdesk tickets, what to know before you apply, and how to export the full account as XML.
Customer support
Help Scout
How to count your Help Scout conversations, what to know before you apply, and how to pull the full history with the Inbox API.
Customer support
Gorgias
How to count your Gorgias tickets, what to know before you apply, and how to get the full history with message text.
11
What do project management records show, and how do you count them?
The short answer
Project management tools hold tasks, issues, assignments, status changes and the comment threads under each one, which together show how a team plans, divides and finishes work. Buyers want them because the history of a task shows how a job moves from request to done. Report project management in records, counting tasks or issues.
Project management
Jira
Where Jira shows your work item total, what to know before you apply, and how to back up the full site or export a slice as CSV.
Project management
Linear
How to count your Linear issues, what to know before you apply, and how an admin exports the workspace CSV.
Project management
Asana
How to count your Asana tasks with the API, what to know before you apply, and how to export the organization on each plan.
Project management
ClickUp
How to count your ClickUp tasks, what to know before you apply, and how to export the Workspace as a CSV.
Project management
monday.com
How to count your monday.com items, what to know before you apply, and how to export the whole account as a zip.
Project management
Trello
How to count your Trello cards, what to know before you apply, and how to export every board, comments and attachments.
12
How big is a company wiki, and why does it matter?
The short answer
Wikis and note tools hold a company's internal documentation: how-to guides, policies, checklists and meeting notes. Buyers want them because written procedures show how a company says its work should be done. Report a wiki in megabytes (MB), and expect a smaller figure than email or files, because text takes little space.
Wiki and notes
Notion
How to measure a Notion workspace that has no storage meter, what to know before you apply, and how to export the full history.
Wiki and notes
Confluence
Where Confluence shows your storage, what to know before you apply, and how to back up the full site or a single space.
Wiki and notes
Coda
How to measure your Coda size, what to know before you apply, and how owners and Enterprise admins export docs.
13
How is source code measured, and why does its history matter?
The short answer
Source code hosting services hold repositories, which are a project's folders of code, together with the full commit history, a log of every change showing who made it and why. Buyers want code with its history because the sequence of changes and the review comments around them show how software is written and fixed. Report source code in gigabytes (GB) of repositories.
Source code
GitHub
How to measure your repositories in GB, what to know before you apply, and how to export code history, issues and pull requests.
Source code
GitLab
Where GitLab shows your storage in GB, what to know before you apply, and how to export code, issues and merge requests.
Source code
Bitbucket
Where Bitbucket shows repository size, what to know before you apply, and how to export code history and issues.
Source code
Azure DevOps
How to measure your Azure DevOps repositories in GB, what to know before you apply, and how to export code and work items.
14
How much design and CAD data does your company hold?
The short answer
Design and CAD (computer-aided design, the software used to draw products and buildings precisely) tools hold layouts, product designs, engineering drawings and creative assets. Buyers want them because a file with its versions shows how a design develops from a first sketch to a finished drawing. Report design and CAD files in gigabytes (GB).
Design and CAD
Figma
How to count the files in a Figma account that has no storage meter, what to know before you apply, and how to save local copies.
Design and CAD
Adobe Creative Cloud
Where the Adobe Admin Console shows your storage, what to know before you apply, and how to transfer and export design files.
Design and CAD
Canva
How to measure your Canva size, what to know before you apply, and how the team owner bulk downloads uploads and designs.
Design and CAD
AutoCAD
How to size the DWG folders that hold your AutoCAD drawings, what to know before you apply, and how to copy them out.
15
What do accounting and ERP records show, and how do you count them?
The short answer
Accounting software and ERP systems (enterprise resource planning, the software that runs a company's books, orders and inventory) hold ledgers, invoices, bills and stock records. Buyers want them because each transaction carries a date, an amount and the parties involved, so together they record the company's operations in numbers. Report accounting and ERP data in records, meaning transactions and the invoices and bills behind them.
Accounting and ERP
QuickBooks
How to count QuickBooks transactions with a report, what the Export data tool leaves out, and what changes on Desktop.
Accounting and ERP
Xero
How to count your Xero transactions with one report, what each role can export, and how to export the ledger and reports.
Accounting and ERP
NetSuite
How to count your NetSuite records, what Full CSV Export leaves out, and how to pull the complete transaction history.
Accounting and ERP
Sage Intacct
Count Sage Intacct records from report rows, export the full history with Data Delivery Service, and know what to have ready before you apply.
Accounting and ERP
Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central
Add up the record counts on Table Information, export the full database as a BACPAC file, and know what to have ready before you apply.
Accounting and ERP
SAP
How your basis team finds your SAP database size in GB, what to know before you apply, and how history is extracted or backed up.
Accounting and ERP
Odoo
How to count your Odoo records, what to know before you apply, and how to download a backup or export lists.
16
How do you size the orders, products and customers in an online store?
The short answer
Ecommerce platforms hold the orders, product listings and customer accounts of an online store. Buyers want them because orders show what people buy, in what combinations and at what prices, over time. Report ecommerce data in records, adding orders, products and customers together.
Ecommerce
Shopify
How to count Shopify orders in Analytics, what to know before you apply, and how to export orders, customers and products.
Ecommerce
Amazon Seller Central
How to count Seller Central orders from the All Orders report, why history comes in 30-day pieces, and what to export.
Ecommerce
WooCommerce
Where WooCommerce Analytics counts orders, how to find your database size, and which export gives a complete copy.
Ecommerce
BigCommerce
How to count BigCommerce orders from an export, which permissions you need, and how templates control what leaves the store.
17
How are HR and payroll records counted without sharing sensitive details?
The short answer
HR and payroll systems hold employee records, hours worked and pay runs, which is sensitive information. For this category you report only a count, and the data vendor removes individual identities and de-identifies payroll detail before anything moves. Report HR and payroll in records, meaning the employees ever on file.
HR and payroll
Gusto
Count Gusto employees and payroll runs from Reports, download the history as report files, and know what to have ready before you apply.
HR and payroll
Rippling
Count Rippling employees and payroll runs from custom reports, download the history as report files, and know what to have ready before you apply.
HR and payroll
ADP
Count ADP employees and payroll runs from custom reports in RUN or Workforce Now, export the history as report files, and know what to have ready.
HR and payroll
BambooHR
How to count the employees and time entries in BambooHR, what to know before you apply, and how to export reports and documents.
HR and payroll
Deel
How to count the workers and changes in Deel, what to know before you apply, and how to export reports from Analytics.
HR and payroll
Paychex
What Paychex publishes about its report library and downloads, how to size your payroll data, and what to confirm with Paychex.
18
How big are the databases and warehouses behind your business?
The short answer
A database stores the structured tables that an application runs on, a data warehouse gathers tables from many systems for reporting, and object storage holds raw files. Buyers want them because the tables record what the business did in a consistent, machine-readable form. Report databases and warehouses in gigabytes (GB).
Databases and warehouses
PostgreSQL
The queries that show how big your PostgreSQL databases are, what to know before you apply, and how to export them with pg_dump.
Databases and warehouses
MySQL
The query that shows how big your MySQL databases are, what to know before you apply, and how to export them with mysqldump or MySQL Shell.
Databases and warehouses
BigQuery
The query that shows how big your BigQuery tables are, what to know before you apply, and how to export them to Cloud Storage.
Databases and warehouses
Snowflake
Where Snowflake shows your storage, what to know before you apply, and how to unload every table with COPY INTO.
Databases and warehouses
Amazon S3
Where Amazon S3 shows your total storage, what to know before you apply, and how to restore and copy your buckets.
Databases and warehouses
Amazon Redshift
The query that shows how big your Redshift tables are, what to know before you apply, and how to UNLOAD them to Amazon S3.
Databases and warehouses
Databricks
How to total your Databricks table sizes with DESCRIBE DETAIL, what to know before you apply, and how to export with a deep clone.
Databases and warehouses
MongoDB
How to read your MongoDB database sizes, what to know before you apply, and how to export them with mongodump.
Databases and warehouses
Amazon DynamoDB
How to read your DynamoDB table sizes, what to know before you apply, and how to export tables to Amazon S3.
19
What does product analytics data hold, and how big is it?
The short answer
Product analytics tools record events, which are the individual clicks, views and actions that people take inside a website or app. Buyers want them because event streams show how real people use software, step by step. Report product analytics in gigabytes (GB) of stored events.
Product analytics
Amplitude
Where Amplitude shows your event counts, what to know before you apply, and how to export your history to S3, Snowflake or the Export API.
Product analytics
Mixpanel
Where Mixpanel shows your event total, what to know before you apply, and how to export every event with the API or Data Pipelines.
Product analytics
Google Analytics
How to measure a GA4 property in BigQuery or in the Events report, and why the BigQuery export holds only data from the link date.
20
How do you size photos, video libraries and social accounts?
The short answer
Photo libraries, video channels and social media accounts hold the pictures and clips a company has made of its sites, products and work, plus the posts around them. Buyers want them because images and video with dates and captions show what the business does and how it presents itself. Report photos, video and social content in gigabytes (GB).
Photos, video and social
Google Photos
Where Google Workspace shows your Photos storage, what to know before you apply, and how each person exports with Google Takeout.
Photos, video and social
YouTube
Why YouTube shows no storage total, how to count uploads in Studio, and how to export every video with Google Takeout.
Photos, video and social
Why Instagram shows no storage total, how to measure an account by exporting it, and how to choose JSON or HTML and what to include.
Photos, video and social
TikTok
How to count the videos on a TikTok account, and how to request and download its data file from inside the app.
21
Where does Microsoft 365 fit among these categories?
The short answer
A Microsoft 365 subscription spans four of the categories above: email and calendar (Outlook), team chat (Microsoft Teams), files and documents (SharePoint and OneDrive) and meeting recordings (Teams recordings). Its own page explains how one company tenant holds all of them and where the Microsoft 365 admin center shows each total, and each app also has a page under its category above. The unit differs by app, so report each one in its own unit.
Microsoft 365
Microsoft 365
What a Microsoft 365 subscription holds, where each total lives, and links to the Outlook, Teams, SharePoint, OneDrive and recordings pages.
22
What if your system isn't listed here?
The short answer
Buyers also license records from business software that has no page here yet. The application asks which tools your team uses, so list them all, and the data vendor tells you on the intro call which of them it can use.
Report it the same way
For a system without a page, find its admin or settings area and look for a storage figure or a record count. Then note the unit, the years the system has been in use and the number of seats, exactly as the pages above do for listed systems.
Whether the company qualifies at all depends on its size, years of records and language, which does my company qualify explains.
23
What stays private when company records are licensed?
The short answer
The data vendor replaces names, email addresses, phone numbers, street addresses and account numbers with consistent stand-ins before an AI lab sees anything, and it deletes records too sensitive to clean. The company approves the rules first, chooses which parts of each system are in scope and keeps ownership of its originals.
Anonymization happens before any lab sees the records
You don't scrub anything yourself, and you don't need to remove private conversations from an export by hand. Each system's page notes what its export covers, so you can decide the scope before records move.
The method, with a before-and-after example, is in how company data is anonymized for AI training, and the legal checks are in is it legal to sell company data.
Questions
Frequently asked questions
How do I find out how much data my company has in each system?
Open each system's admin settings or usage reports, read the total in the system's usual unit, and note the years the system has been in use. Team chat is counted in messages, email and files in gigabytes, CRM, support and billing systems in records, and recordings in hours. Each system's page below shows the menu path, the admin role that can open it and what to do when the system shows only a recent period.
Do I need to export my data before I apply?
No. The application takes about two minutes, shares no data and commits you to nothing. You describe your systems on an intro call, the data vendor writes a data manifest, and a full export is needed only when the records are transferred, after you have accepted an offer and signed the license.
Does the size I report have to be exact?
No. An estimate from the admin console is enough to start, though an exact figure shortens the review because the data vendor has fewer follow-up questions. Say so when a figure is an estimate, such as a recent period scaled up to the years the system has been in use.
Do I have to use every system listed?
No. Any system that holds years of your company's work records can count, and the data vendor prices the whole dataset from what your manifest shows. A company that uses only a few of these systems can still qualify.
What is a data manifest?
A data manifest is a written summary of the records a company holds: which systems contain them, how many years each one covers, what kinds of files they hold and roughly how much there is. It describes the data without sharing any of it, and the data vendor uses it to price the dataset.
How much are company records worth?
Companies are paid $100K to $2M or more per dataset, according to micro1, the data vendor we typically refer companies to. The price covers the whole dataset rather than each system, and it depends on how many years the records cover and how completely they show each job from start to finish. How much is your company's data worth explains what moves the price.
Can an employee sell the company's data?
No. Only the company can license its data, never an individual employee, and an employee has no right to export the company's records for sale. The person who exports should be the owner or an administrator acting for the company, after a lawyer has reviewed the plan.
Bottom line
Name your systems, then apply
You don't need to export anything first. Apply in two minutes, tell micro1, the data vendor we typically refer companies to, which systems you use and roughly how much each holds, and it prices the whole dataset and sends an offer 1–2 days later.
Not legal, tax or financial advice. Figures come from micro1's published pages and public reporting as of November 2026.