Why does my People Data Labs search return fewer people than I expected?
The People Data Labs help pages give 3 common reasons. The first to rule out: A search looks only in the datasets it names, so people held in a dataset the search does not name can be left out.
What causes it?
A search looks only in the datasets it names, so people held in a dataset the search does not name can be left out.
In the People Data Labs help:
Specifies which dataset(s) the API should search against.
Input Parameters - Person Search API, read 2026-11-12.A search runs on its values exactly as written, with no cleanup, so a value written differently from how People Data Labs stores it can match fewer people.
In the People Data Labs help:
When you execute an API request, the query runs directly against our Person Dataset without any cleaning or preprocessing.
Input Parameters - Person Search API, read 2026-11-12.Each call returns at most the number of records the request asks for, so a search that matches many people can return fewer of them in one call.
In the People Data Labs help:
The maximum number of matched records to return for this query if they exist.
Input Parameters - Person Search API, read 2026-11-12.
How do I check it myself?
Compare the total, the number of records that match the search, with the number of records you actually received.
In the People Data Labs help:
The number of records matching a given query or sql input.
Reference - Person Search API, read 2026-11-12.Try the same query in People Data Labs' API Playground, which needs a free account, to see what it matches.
In the People Data Labs help:
You can also use our API Playground (accessible with a free PDL account) to help write and test queries for our Search APIs.
Input Parameters - Person Search API, read 2026-11-12.
How does People Data Labs work with Feder?
- Connect People Data Labs to Feder and it joins your Interest apps.
- When you connect People Data Labs, Feder checks the connection straight away and shows Connected only when that check passes. If a reading cannot be taken later, Feder shows it as not read, never as zero.
Some numbers are too quiet to judge daily, such as a form filled in a few times a week. Until there is enough of your own history to judge a change, Feder says it is still learning and scores nothing, rather than guessing.
See whether you can trust the numbers in People Data Labs, one of your Interest apps. Feder only reads. It never changes anything in People Data Labs.
What else goes wrong with these numbers?
- Why did my People Data Labs credit usage jump?People Data Labs
- Why did my People Data Labs match rate drop?People Data Labs
- Why did Google Analytics stop collecting data?Google Analytics
- Why aren't my key events showing in Google Analytics?Google Analytics
- Why does Google Analytics show (not set)?Google Analytics
See every question.
Where do these answers come from?
Every cause and check on this page comes from the People Data Labs help pages, quoted above with the date we read them. Last reviewed 2026-11-12. We read them again by 2027-11-12. If one changes, this page changes or comes down.