Send table data

Send table data in Clay lets you route records between tables, making multi-table setups simple to manage and intuitive to use.

When to use Lookup Rows vs. Send Table Data

Both Lookup Rows and Send Table Data move information between tables, but they work in opposite directions and serve different purposes.

Use Lookup Rows when...

Lookup Rows pulls data from another table into your current table based on matching criteria. It's non-destructive and doesn't modify the source table.

• You need to enrich your current table with data that already exists in another table
• You want to check if a record exists in another table without modifying anything
• You need to count or aggregate rows that share a trait (e.g., how many people work at each company)
• You want to reference data from a central table (like a pricing list, messaging library, or Do Not Contact list)
• You're working with static reference data that multiple tables need to access

Learn more about Lookup Rows →

Use Send Table Data when...

Send Table Data pushes data from your current table into another table. It creates or updates rows in the destination table.

• You need to route or segment your data into different tables based on logic or filters
• You want to flatten lists into individual rows (e.g., turn a list of 5 people into 5 separate rows)
• You need to merge data from several tables into one consolidated table
• You want to separate concerns across multiple tables (e.g., companies in one table, people in another)
• You're building multi-stage workflows where each table handles a specific step in your process

Sending table data

To send data from one table to another:

1. While in a table, click Exports → Send table data.
2. Select the destination table.
3. Choose the method:
   • Send row: Choose which columns to send as a row to the other table.
   • Send row for each item in a list
4. Select data to send over.
5. Click Save.

Using Send row

Send row sends each row as-is to another table. Use it to filter or segment data, or to separate logic across multiple tables. It transfers specific columns, keeping your data aligned and reducing manual entry. Any extracted basic field can be sent to the destination table using the checklist selectors.

Additionally you can:

• Send nested data from the parent table. (This is useful when you want to avoid extracting basic fields from an action column's output.)
• Rename any field in the destination table using the destination column dropdown.

Using Send row for each item in a list

Each cell can hold a list of items—like a list of people found at a company. To turn each item in that list into its own row in another table, use Send row for each item in a list.

This is useful for flattening lists. For example, if you find multiple people at a company, you can send each person as a separate row in the destination table. This method always creates a new row for each item.

You can also select additional data to send along with the flattened list, just like with Send row.

Advanced settings

Update existing rows on re-run

When re-running, updates the matching row in the destination table instead of creating a new one.

Auto-extract new columns

Automatically creates new columns in the destination table for any that don't already exist.

Auto-map existing columns

For existing columns in the destination table, updates the formula to reference the configured source data. For columns without a formula (e.g., manually entered data or CSV imports), the formula won't be updated to avoid overwriting data.

Mapping table data in the destination table

Send table data creates a source column in the destination table.

To map data from the source column to an existing column or a new column in the table:

1. Click into the source cell.
2. Hover over the field.
3. Click Add to column.
4. Name the column and click Create column, or click Map to existing column for the chosen field.
   
   • For Map to existing column, if the column doesn't already have a formula configured, we display a warning about the risk of overwriting data when the formula updates. If the column is empty, it's safe to overwrite.

Guide: Merging two tables with Send table data

Best practices & troubleshooting

• There can be a maximum of 20 tables connected. This includes tables across workbooks.
• Data can only be sent in a linear direction (A → B → C). In other words, loops are not possible (A → B → C → A).
  • If you want to receive data in the table you're also sending data from, use one of these other actions:
    • Lookup Multiple Rows in Other Table
    • Lookup Single Row in Other Table