Commercial databases are valuable investigative tools, but they are secondhand copies of information that originates somewhere else. A database can suggest an address, an asset, an insurance policy, or a court case. It cannot confirm one.

Why databases fall short on their own

• A database is only as current as the vendor’s last update.
• Some counties do not sell or share their records at all.
• Expungements, dismissals, and amended charges often reach the courthouse long before they reach a database.
• Records can be matched to the wrong person when names, dates of birth, or addresses are similar.

Relying only on database results can miss both the full history and the later corrections that change what a record means.

Verifying at the source

A thorough investigation treats each database hit as a lead and confirms it at the source: at the courthouse, with the records custodian, or through a live interview. Pulling records directly, jurisdiction by jurisdiction, takes longer, but it holds up when accuracy matters for litigation, claims, or business decisions.

Access to compiled data is narrowing

States are also changing what data compilers may keep. Connecticut Public Act 26-64, effective October 1, 2026, allows residents to demand deletion of “consumer profiles” compiled from public records. Data-broker and people-search companies have challenged the law in court, and a ruling is pending. Changes like this make direct source research more important, not less.

How Horizon approaches it

Horizon uses databases to develop leads, then follows those leads into court files, official records, property systems, business filings, source contacts, and field research when the assignment requires it. Our reports distinguish confirmed findings from unverified leads. Learn more about our Locate and Records Research.

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