An executive recruiter's research time is spent mainly on the telephone, not searching online databases but talking to people in an industry or a profession, asking for recommendations, sounding out qualified people. It is not a very efficient use of time and resources, but it's generally the only methodology a telephone-jockey recruiter knows. Information gathered from this time-consuming work goes into internal databases. When headhunters talk about searching databases, it is the internal databases they usually have in mind. This sometimes makes communication difficult between an executive recruiter and an online searcher.
Attorneys are also likely to rely on sources they know in addition to internal databases.
The Trial Lawyers Association, for example, maintains a database list of expert witnesses that is only available to members. Fundraisers tend to rely on internal databases. For a university, there is usually an internal database for graduates of the institution. Non-profit foundations also have lists of people who have donated in the past. Good journalists have sources which may or may not be in a formal database.