Start with a credit question
Alternative data is useful when it helps answer a defined question about an SME. A sales feed might support a revenue assessment; a payment history might explain collection timing. Begin with the decision and the evidence it requires. The number of advertised connectors does not establish whether a particular business, bank or market is covered.
Verify coverage and permission
For each proposed source, record the provider, the available fields, the supported market and the permission needed to retrieve them. Ask to see a real connection test using an authorised account or an appropriate test environment. Confirm what happens when consent expires, access is withdrawn or the source returns only part of the required history.
Reconcile before scoring
Compare transaction dates, currencies and account identities before combining feeds. A platform sale, its payout and the corresponding bank receipt can describe the same underlying activity. Treating them as separate revenue would distort the assessment. Build a sample with refunds, transfers and duplicated records so reviewers can evaluate the classification and reconciliation process.
Make missing data operational
Define how stale or unavailable information affects a case: request an alternative document, send it for review or stop the assessment. Agree who resolves connector failures and how updates become visible to the credit team. In a CXingularity evaluation, trace selected data into the credit report and then into the decision workflow. Confirm source-specific coverage and delivery scope before committing to a rollout.
Continue with our SME lending software evaluation guide and workflow handoff checklist.