Forum Discussion

KP_DataArch's avatar
KP_DataArch
Copper Contributor
Nov 16, 2022

Accessing data from an outsourced third party service company

Hi , Can someone please throw some light on this ?

We have some services outsourced to a third-party company but, we realised the data which goes into their process is very valuable and want to access it for different purposes. 

we are currently downloading certain reports from their web pages and going forward they are planning to provide API end points to give us the data required in the form of multiple pre-defined reports. But, I am just wondering, if there is any other secure and feasible method with which we can get the current state of their entire database filtered for our company, which gets automatically refreshes every few hours?

Thank you,

KP

 

1 Reply

Sort By
  • Senthil's avatar
    Senthil
    Copper Contributor
    May 07, 2025

    Yes, there are a few secure and feasible options beyond downloading reports or using pre-defined APIs that can give you broader and more automated access to your data from the third-party provider:

    1. Read-Only Database Access:
      You can request access to a read-only replica of their database, filtered to include only your company’s data. This setup can be configured to refresh at regular intervals (e.g., every few hours), giving you near real-time visibility. Access would be through a secure connection (such as a VPN or SSH tunnel) and tightly permissioned to ensure security.
    2. Secure File Transfers (SFTP):
      If database access isn’t feasible, they could generate scheduled data exports (e.g., CSV, JSON, or Parquet files) and deliver them to a secure SFTP server. You can then automate ingestion of these files into your reporting or data warehouse environment.
    3. ETL/Integration Tools:
      If the vendor has API access or can provide files, tools like Fivetran, Talend, or a custom ETL pipeline can be used to extract, transform, and load the data into your system automatically, on a scheduled basis.

    While APIs are great for accessing specific data in real time, if you need broader, structured access to the underlying data used in their process — especially for analytics, reporting, or audit purposes — then requesting a replica or regular data extract is often the best path. This also gives your team more flexibility to build insights without being limited to predefined report formats.

Resources