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Understanding Research Tools

Raycaster offers several specialized research tools, each designed for specific data gathering and analysis tasks. Choosing the right tool for your research needs will result in more accurate and relevant information.

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Column Types and Supported Research Tools

Raycaster’s research capabilities vary based on the column type you select. Below is a mapping of which research tools are available for each column type:
Column TypeSupported Research Tools
SINGLE_LINE_TEXTSTRUCTURED, ADVANCED, PATENT_RESEARCH, PUBLICATION_RESEARCH
MULTI_LINE_TEXTSTRUCTURED, ADVANCED, PATENT_RESEARCH, PUBLICATION_RESEARCH
TEXTSTRUCTURED, ADVANCED, EMAIL, PATENT_RESEARCH, PUBLICATION_RESEARCH
NUMBERSTRUCTURED, ADVANCED, PATENT_RESEARCH, PUBLICATION_RESEARCH
BOOLEANSTRUCTURED, ADVANCED
URLSTRUCTURED, ADVANCED, PATENT_RESEARCH, PUBLICATION_RESEARCH
SINGLE_SELECTSTRUCTURED, ADVANCED, PATENT_RESEARCH, PUBLICATION_RESEARCH
MULTI_SELECTSTRUCTURED, ADVANCED, PATENT_RESEARCH, PUBLICATION_RESEARCH
EMAILSTRUCTURED, ADVANCED, EMAIL
ACTIONPEOPLE_ENRICHMENT, COMPANY_ENRICHMENT, LINKEDIN_POSTS, FETCH_PEOPLE
RESEARCHSTRUCTURED, ADVANCED, PATENT_RESEARCH, PUBLICATION_RESEARCH
JSONADVANCED, PATENT_RESEARCH, PUBLICATION_RESEARCH
DATESTRUCTURED, ADVANCED

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Structured Research

Available for most column types, this is the default research tool (labeled as “research” in the code), designed for general information gathering with customizable output formats.

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Key Features

  • Flexible Output Formats: Works with most column types
  • Customizable Prompts: Configurable research instructions
  • Source Diversity: Pulls from multiple information sources
  • Format Adaptation: Structures information based on column requirements

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Best Use Cases

  • Market landscape analysis
  • Competitive positioning
  • Value proposition assessment
  • Technology evaluations
  • Business model analysis
  • Funding and investor insights

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Advanced Research

Available for most column types (labeled as “advanced_research” in the code), this tool offers more in-depth analysis than the basic structured research.

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Key Features

  • Comprehensive Analysis: In-depth information gathering and processing
  • Multiple Column Support: Works with most column types
  • Customizable Prompts: Configurable research instructions
  • Source Diversity: Pulls from multiple information sources with more depth
  • Complex Information Processing: Handles nuanced research questions

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Best Use Cases

  • Detailed market analysis
  • In-depth competitive assessment
  • Complex technology evaluations
  • Comprehensive business model analysis
  • Nuanced industry trend assessment

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Email Finder

Available for Text and Email column types, this tool specializes in discovering email addresses.

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Key Features

  • Contact Discovery: Finds professional email addresses from public sources
  • Format Verification: Validates email format and deliverability
  • Pattern Recognition: Identifies company email patterns
  • Source Tracking: Provides information on where the email was found

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Best Use Cases

  • Prospect research
  • Contact database building
  • Sales outreach preparation
  • Recruitment sourcing
  • Partnership development

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Company Enrichment

Available for Action column types, this tool specializes in gathering comprehensive data about organizations.

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Key Features

  • Multi-source Data: Combines information from company websites, LinkedIn, news sources, and databases
  • Standardized Fields: Focuses on key company attributes like size, industry, funding, etc.
  • Entity Recognition: Automatically identifies key company characteristics
  • Historical Data: Provides founding information and company evolution

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Best Use Cases

  • Initial company profiling
  • Company database building
  • Target account research
  • Market mapping exercises
  • Competitor identification
  • Due diligence preparation

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Example Prompt

Create a comprehensive profile of {company_name} based on their website {company_url} 
and all available public information. Include:
- Year founded and headquarters location
- Employee count and growth trajectory
- Funding history and investors
- Main products or services
- Key executives and leadership
- Recent company news and developments

Format as a complete company profile with distinct sections for each information category.

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People Enrichment

Available for Action column types, this tool is focused on gathering professional information about individuals.

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Key Features

  • Career Mapping: Traces professional history and progressions
  • Expertise Identification: Recognizes areas of specialization and knowledge
  • Educational Verification: Confirms academic credentials
  • Publication Tracking: Identifies authored content and research
  • Multi-source Verification: Cross-references information from multiple sources

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Best Use Cases

  • Stakeholder research
  • Expert identification
  • Key opinion leader (KOL) profiling
  • Hiring and recruitment research
  • Conference speaker evaluation
  • Outreach preparation

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Example Prompt

Create a detailed professional profile of {person_name} based on their LinkedIn profile
{linkedin_url} and other public information. Include:
- Complete career history with roles and responsibilities
- Educational background and relevant credentials
- Areas of expertise and specialization
- Notable achievements and recognition
- Publication history and thought leadership content
- Speaking engagements and conference participation

Organize chronologically and highlight expertise in {industry} specifically.

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LinkedIn Posts

Available for Action column types, this tool extracts and analyzes content from LinkedIn posts.

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Key Features

  • Content Extraction: Captures post text, images, and engagement metrics
  • Engagement Analysis: Assesses reactions, comments, and shares
  • Author Profiling: Connects post content to author information
  • Hashtag Recognition: Identifies topic markers and categorization
  • Trend Analysis: Places content in context of trending topics

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Best Use Cases

  • Thought leadership monitoring
  • Content strategy research
  • Industry trend tracking
  • Competitor messaging analysis
  • Expert identification
  • Social engagement assessment

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Fetch People

Available for Action column types, this tool helps gather information on people associated with a company.

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Key Features

  • Team Discovery: Identifies team members associated with an organization
  • Role Mapping: Determines positions and responsibilities
  • Contact Gathering: Collects professional contact information
  • Leadership Identification: Highlights key decision-makers
  • Relationship Analysis: Maps organizational structures and reporting lines

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Best Use Cases

  • Building contact databases
  • Organization mapping
  • Leadership team analysis
  • Sales targeting
  • Recruitment sourcing
  • Networking preparation

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ACTION Column Type and Research Tools

The ACTION column type serves a special purpose in Raycaster’s research ecosystem. Unlike other column types that primarily store data, ACTION columns serve as triggers and controllers for specific research operations.

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How ACTION Columns Work

ACTION columns have unique characteristics:
  1. Research Tool Selection: Each ACTION column is configured with one specific research tool (PEOPLE_ENRICHMENT, COMPANY_ENRICHMENT, LINKEDIN_POSTS, or FETCH_PEOPLE)
  2. Interactive Triggers: Users can click on cells in ACTION columns to initiate research
  3. Research Orchestration: They coordinate the research process and distribute results
  4. Result Distribution: Research results can populate other columns in the same row
  5. Visual Feedback: They display research status and completion indicators

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When to Use ACTION Columns

You should create an ACTION column when you need to:
  • Gather comprehensive information about companies or people
  • Analyze LinkedIn posts and engagement
  • Discover team members associated with companies
  • Execute specialized research that requires complex orchestration

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Example ACTION Column Configuration

Here’s a typical setup for a COMPANY_ENRICHMENT action column:
  1. Create a new column with type ACTION
  2. Select COMPANY_ENRICHMENT as the research tool
  3. Configure the research prompt to specify what company information to gather
  4. Set which columns should be populated with the results (e.g., description, founding date, team size)
  5. Save the column configuration
Now, when users click on cells in this column, the system will gather comprehensive company information and distribute relevant data to the designated columns.

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Patent Research

Patent Research is a specialized research tool for discovering and analyzing intellectual property related to your data. This tool searches through patent databases to find patents related to specific technologies, companies, or concepts in your data.

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Key Features

  • Patent Discovery: Finds relevant patents from multiple patent databases
  • IP Analysis: Extracts key patent information including claims, filing dates, and assignees
  • Technology Mapping: Connects patents to specific technologies and innovation areas
  • Competitive Intelligence: Provides insights into intellectual property landscapes
Learn more about Patent Research capabilities

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Publication Research

Publication Research is a specialized tool for discovering and analyzing scientific literature related to your data. This tool searches through academic databases to find relevant publications about specific drugs, diseases, technologies, or scientific concepts.

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Key Features

  • Literature Discovery: Finds relevant scientific publications from multiple sources
  • Research Analysis: Extracts key publication information including authors, methods, and findings
  • Evidence Gathering: Connects scientific evidence to your data points
  • Expert Identification: Helps identify key researchers and thought leaders
Learn more about Publication Research capabilities

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Choosing the Right Research Tool

1

Identify Your Column Type Needs

Determine which column type best suits your data requirements:
  • Textual information → Text-based columns
  • Numerical data → NUMBER
  • Yes/No answers → BOOLEAN
  • Categorized information → Select columns
  • Complex structured data → JSON
  • Action-oriented research → ACTION
2

Consider Research Tool Capabilities

Based on your column type, select the appropriate research tool:
  • General information → STRUCTURED or ADVANCED
  • Email discovery → EMAIL
  • Company profiles → COMPANY_ENRICHMENT
  • People information → PEOPLE_ENRICHMENT
  • LinkedIn content → LINKEDIN_POSTS
  • Team discovery → FETCH_PEOPLE
3

Evaluate Source Requirements

Determine what sources would be most valuable:
  • Diverse sources → ADVANCED
  • Company website focus → COMPANY_ENRICHMENT
  • LinkedIn focus → PEOPLE_ENRICHMENT or LINKEDIN_POSTS
4

Match Data Structure to Column Type

Ensure your column type supports the data structure you need:
  • Complex structured data → JSON columns with ADVANCED
  • Rich text research outputs → TEXT columns
  • Simple text or categorical data → Basic text or select columns

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Tool Selection Examples

Research Need: Evaluate a company’s technology platform

Best Tool: ADVANCED with TEXT column type

Reasoning: Requires synthesizing information from multiple sources including company materials, technical documentation, analyst reports, and industry comparisons.

Research Need: Find key executives at a biotech company

Best Tool: COMPANY_ENRICHMENT with ACTION column

Reasoning: Company enrichment will identify key leadership roles and team structure, providing detailed information on executives.

Research Need: Track recent funding in the gene therapy space

Best Tool: ADVANCED with MULTI_LINE_TEXT column type

Reasoning: Funding information is time-sensitive and frequently updated. Advanced Research will provide the most current information from press releases, financial news, and investor announcements.