Getting Started with Census

This guide will walk you through setting up Census, creating your first sync, and syncing data from your warehouse to a business tool.

Prerequisites

Before starting, ensure you have:

• Access to a data warehouse (Snowflake, BigQuery, Redshift, Databricks, or PostgreSQL)
• Read access to at least one table/view in that warehouse
• Admin access to a destination tool (e.g., Salesforce, HubSpot, Google Sheets)
• Census account (sign up for free trial at https://www.getcensus.com/)

Step 1: Sign Up & Connect Your Warehouse

Create Census Account

1. Visit https://app.getcensus.com/signup
2. Sign up with work email
3. Complete onboarding questionnaire
4. Select your data warehouse type

Connect Snowflake (Example)

Create Census User in Snowflake:

Connect in Census:

Alternative: BigQuery

Step 2: Connect Your First Destination

We'll use Google Sheets as a simple first destination (no setup required).

Connect Google Sheets:

Alternative: Salesforce

Step 3: Prepare Your Source Data

For your first sync, use a simple table/view. If you have dbt models, use those. Otherwise, create a simple view.

Example: Customer Summary View

Key Points:

• Include unique identifier (customer_id)
• Include any fields you want to sync
• Filter out test/invalid data
• Ensure data types are consistent

Step 4: Create Your First Sync

Configure Sync

1. Census → Syncs → Create Sync

2. Select Source:

3. Select Destination:

4. Configure Sync Behavior:

5. Map Fields:

6. Schedule:

7. Click "Create Sync"

Run Your First Sync

1. Click "Run Sync" button

2. Watch live progress:

3. Review Results:

4. Open Google Sheet to verify data appeared!

Step 5: Monitor Your Sync

Check Sync History

View Logs

Set Up Alerts

Step 6: Advanced Sync Features

Conditional Syncing

Only sync specific rows:

Field Transformations

Basic transformations (prefer doing in warehouse):

Lookups

Map to existing records in destination:

Step 7: Schedule Automatic Syncs

Edit Sync → Schedule:

Enable Schedule:

Common First-Sync Issues

Issue: "No rows returned from source"

Cause: Query filters too restrictive or table empty

Fix:

Issue: "Sync key not unique"

Cause: Multiple rows with same sync key value

Fix:

Issue: "Rate limit exceeded"

Cause: Destination API limits

Fix: Census automatically handles this with exponential backoff. Reduce sync frequency if persistent.

Issue: "Permission denied on destination"

Cause: Census doesn't have write access to destination object

Fix:

• Salesforce: Ensure Census user has Edit permission on Account object
• Google Sheets: Ensure sheet is shared with Census (edit access)
• HubSpot: Verify OAuth scopes include write permissions

Next Steps

Expand to More Destinations

Common next destinations:

1. Salesforce: Sync account health scores, lead scores
2. HubSpot: Sync contacts with product usage data
3. Braze/Iterable: Sync customer segments for marketing
4. Slack: Send notifications based on data thresholds

Create Segments (Audiences)

Integrate with dbt

Trigger Census after dbt:

• dbt Cloud webhook → Census sync trigger
• Ensures fresh data in business tools

Monitor Performance

Best Practices

1. Start Small

• Begin with one sync to a low-risk destination (Google Sheets)
• Validate data looks correct
• Then expand to critical systems (Salesforce, HubSpot)

2. Transform in Warehouse

• Don't use Census transformations for complex logic
• Create dbt models or views with clean, ready-to-sync data
• Census should be "last mile" delivery, not transformation layer

3. Use Descriptive Sync Names

4. Monitor Regularly

• Set up Slack alerts for failures
• Review sync logs weekly
• Check for failed records

5. Document Dependencies

• Use dbt exposures to track which models feed Census
• Document sync purpose and stakeholder
• Note any special considerations

Troubleshooting Checklist

Before contacting support:

Getting Help

• Documentation: https://docs.getcensus.com/
• In-App Chat: Click "?" icon in Census dashboard
• Community Slack: https://www.getcensus.com/community
• Email Support: support@getcensus.com
• Office Hours: Weekly (Enterprise customers)

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You've completed your first Census sync! 🎉

Next steps:

• Use Cases - Real-world sync examples
• Best Practices - Production patterns
• Tutorials - Advanced sync scenarios