🧹 Data Cleaner: Clean your data safely on your computer
Processing customer databases and cleaning them from errors or invalid data is often a challenge regarding security and GDPR. Uploading sensitive data to external online tools and cloud storages might not be acceptable for many companies. That's why we developed Foxentry Data Cleaner.
The tool runs locally on your device (Windows / macOS / Linux). Your CSV or Excel file is read only on your machine and is never uploaded anywhere as a whole. The only outgoing connection goes via secure HTTPS to api.foxentry.com, transmitting exclusively the individual field values you map for validation yourself.
Security and auditable code
We designed the app to meet strict corporate guidelines and give you full control over what happens to your data:
Completely upload-free
You remain the sole data controller. The entire file is processed exclusively locally on your drive.
No telemetry and logs
The tool doesn't track your behavior. By default, no request logs are written to your computer.
Open source (Apache-2.0)
It's not a closed black box. It runs on clean Python code that your IT department can inspect.
Verifiable integrity
Every released compiled version has its exact checksum (.sha256) and build provenance attestation.
Download and launch
The tool is available for all major operating systems and requires no additional environment installations for regular users (no need to install Python). After downloading, simply run the file.
First launch and SmartScreen filter (Windows)
If you run the application on Windows, you might see a blue Microsoft Defender SmartScreen warning upon the first launch attempt. As a precaution, it delays the launch with an "unrecognized app" message.
Why does this happen and is it safe?
Our application is fully verified and published by AVANTRO s.r.o. This is standard Windows behavior for entirely new applications. It takes time for the protective filter to build the necessary reputation from the download count for a new app. Once that happens, this window will stop appearing. Until then, you can safely allow the launch manually.
To run the app safely:
- in the blue window, click on More info (it will display the publisher AVANTRO s.r.o.),
- then, click the Run anyway button.
After launching, the visual wizard interface will automatically open in your web browser.
Connecting the app with your Foxentry account
Creating an API key is an essential step for any integration with the Foxentry REST API. The API key is used to authenticate your requests, so validations in the Cleaner won't work without it. Each project can have an unlimited number of API keys.
How to generate a key
- Go to app.foxentry.com and create a new project of the Application / API type (not Web Form / JS). If you already have a project, go to its Settings. (A 14-day free trial is available for every new project).
- Open the API keys tab.
- Click the empty card labeled Create API key. A side panel with a form will open.
- Fill in the required details in the side panel:
- API key name: Choose a clear name (e.g., "Data Cleaner") so you know what the key is for in the future.
- Expiration: An optional field; set this if you want the key to stop working after a certain time (leave empty for unlimited validity).
- Restrict to IP: Enter specific IP addresses if you want the key to be usable only from certain servers, significantly increasing security.
- Click the Create new key button. The key will be generated immediately and displayed on the card.
Security first
Save the newly generated API key securely. For security reasons, Foxentry displays the entire key only once, right after creation. Later in the administration, you will only see a part of it. If you lose the key, you will have to generate a new one.
Inserting and managing the key
You can paste the copied key directly in the Data Cleaner app into the menu under the gear icon, or enter it in the final step (Order) right before running the validation.
On each key's card in the Foxentry administration, you can see an overview of the creation date, IP restrictions, and potential expiration. Clicking the three dots icon in the top right corner of the key card opens a menu with additional actions, such as the option to delete the key or regenerate it (if you suspect it has been compromised).
Is your app running and the key ready? In the next part of our manual, we'll show you how to easily upload a file and smartly map columns.
