> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.spherescout.io/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Get updated contacts with SphereScout data freshness

> Use SphereScout's data freshness feature to check for new contacts since your last export and download only the additions as a delta file, saving credits.

SphereScout's database is continuously updated. Businesses are added, contact details are updated, and new records become available on an ongoing basis. If you exported a list weeks ago, there may be contacts that now match your original filters but were not in the database at the time of your export.

The data freshness feature lets you check for new contacts on any saved export and download only the additions — a delta file — without paying to re-export your entire original list.

## Check for new data

<Steps>
  <Step title="Go to History">
    Navigate to the [History page](/guides/export-history) from the dashboard navigation.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Find the export you want to update">
    Locate the row for the original export you want to check. The **New data** column shows the current freshness status for each export.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Click 'Check for updates'">
    If you have not checked freshness before — or if it is time to check again — a **Check for updates** button appears in the **New data** column. Click it.

    SphereScout compares your original export's filters and baseline date against the current database and reports how many new contacts are available.

    <Note>
      The freshness check has a rate limit. Once you run a check, you cannot run another one for that export until the cooldown period has passed. The next available check time is shown in the **New data** column after you hit the limit. If updates were already found in a previous check, you can still download the update file even while the check is rate-limited.
    </Note>
  </Step>

  <Step title="Review the results">
    After the check completes, a notification appears confirming whether new contacts are available:

    * **No fresh data found** — Your export is already up to date. No new contacts match your original filters since the export date.
    * **Updates found** — A count of new contacts is shown as a green badge in the **New data** column, for example: "+124 update".
  </Step>
</Steps>

## Download a delta file

If new contacts are available, you can download just the additions without re-exporting your entire original list.

<Steps>
  <Step title="Click the update button">
    When updates are available, the Actions column shows a button labeled **Update +{count}**. Click it to open the download confirmation dialog.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Review the credit cost and confirm">
    The dialog shows the number of new contacts and the credit cost. Delta downloads cost one credit per new contact — the same rate as a regular export, but only for the new records.

    Confirm to start generating the delta file.

    <Warning>
      Delta downloads cost credits equal to the number of new contacts. This is separate from the credits you spent on the original export.
    </Warning>
  </Step>

  <Step title="Wait for the file to be generated">
    Delta files are generated asynchronously, the same way as regular exports. While the file is being prepared, a badge reading **Update file is being prepared** appears in the History row. Once the file is ready, the download starts automatically.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Find the delta file in History">
    The new delta file is added as a version under your original export row. Expand the row to see it listed alongside the original file. It is labeled **Update file** to distinguish it from the **Original file**.
  </Step>
</Steps>

## What is in a delta file

A delta file has the same columns as a regular export — name, email, phone, city, country, region, zipcode, website, LinkedIn, Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, first\_seen, last\_seen — but it contains only the contacts that are new since your original export. It does not repeat contacts already in your original file.

## Freshness concepts

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Rate limiting on checks">
    You can only run a freshness check once per period per export. After checking, the button shows the next available check time. You can still download any updates already found while waiting for the cooldown to pass.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Delta vs. full re-export">
    A delta file contains only new contacts since your original export date. It is cheaper than re-exporting the full list when only a fraction of contacts are new. Use a full re-export when you want a completely fresh snapshot of all current matches.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Update file expiry">
    Delta files expire 30 days after they are created, the same as regular exports. You can re-download them free within that window from the expanded row in History.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Chargeable contact count">
    The number shown in the update badge is the count of new contacts that will be charged. This is the exact credit cost you will pay if you proceed with the delta download.
  </Card>
</CardGroup>