What is operational data?
Operational data is the trail your business leaves as it does its work. It includes:
- Workflows: the steps a job or request goes through from enquiry to close.
- Job and service history: what was done, when, how long it took and what it needed.
- Scheduling and dispatch: who was sent where, and how the day was planned and re-planned.
- Maintenance logs: faults found, parts used and fixes applied.
- Process records: checklists, standard operating procedures, quotes and work orders.
It is not customer personal data. Names, contact details and payment information are not what AI data buyers want, and everything is anonymised before transfer.
Why is operational data worth anything?
AI models have learnt a lot from the public internet, but very little of it shows real work being done step by step. Operational records do. They show how experienced people make decisions in the real world, including the exceptions, delays and fixes. That is hard to fake and hard to find, which is why our partner has around $1 billion committed to buying it.
What drives the value of operational data?
There is no published price list, and we will not quote a price per record. What we can tell you is what buyers look at.
| Factor | Higher value | Lower value |
|---|---|---|
| Volume | Many jobs, tickets or entries | A handful of records |
| Span | Many years of history | A few months |
| Detail | Step-by-step notes, timings, outcomes | Just dates and totals |
| Consistency | Same fields, same system, clean format | Mixed formats, gaps, duplicates |
| Specialisation | Skilled, technical or regulated work | Generic admin |
| Accessibility | Exportable from software | Paper files or locked systems |
| Rights | Clear ownership, no contract limits | Disputed or restricted |
Our practitioner view: detail and span usually matter more than size of business. A modest firm with ten years of careful job notes can be more interesting than a larger one that only kept invoices.
How much is operational data worth?
Through our partner, deals typically land between $200,000 and $2 million. Where yours falls depends on the factors above. The only reliable way to know is to have the buyer assess what you hold.
Illustrative example. Two businesses each claim a valuation.
- Business A has twelve years of detailed service logs in one field-service system, with notes on every job.
- Business B has three years of records spread across spreadsheets and email, mostly dates and invoice totals.
Business A would usually be valued higher, because its records are deeper, longer and cleaner. Both figures would come from the buyer's review, not a formula. This is illustrative only, not a quote or a typical result.
How do you prepare your records for a valuation?
- List your systems. Note every place operational records live: job software, scheduling tools, ticketing, spreadsheets, shared drives.
- Check the span. Work out how many years each system covers.
- Test an export. See whether you can pull records out in a standard format.
- Check your rights. Review privacy obligations, your privacy policy and any customer, franchise, software or supplier contracts that limit data use. Check the rules in your state or country.
- Claim a valuation. Share what you have on our data page and let the buyer put a number on it.
Does selling operational data affect the business?
No. There is no equity sold, no loan and no change of control. Your team and customers notice nothing. The cash can be used to recapitalise, pay down debt or fund a new product. The full process is set out in how to sell your business data to AI companies.
It also applies if you are no longer trading: see whether data from a closed business is still worth money.
Disclosure
G&L M&A Advisory may receive a referral fee from our partner. It does not reduce what you are paid. This guide is general information, not financial, legal or tax advice.
Get your number
The value of your operational data is a question only a buyer can answer properly. Claim my data valuation to find out what yours is worth.