Sources

Sources are the foundation of Clay and determine how data flows into your table—think of them as the roots of a tree feeding information into your database. Just like a tree needs strong roots to grow and thrive, every Clay table needs well-configured sources to function effectively.

Every Clay table starts with a source. You can import customer data from a CSV file, connect to your CRM system, or receive real-time updates through webhooks. Sources are your gateway to organizing and managing data in Clay.

Types of sources

• List builders (Find Companies, Find People)
• CRM systems (Hubspot, Salesforce)
• Webhooks
• CSV files

Adding sources to table

Add to a new table:

1. Click + Add at the bottom of a workbook to create a new table.
2. Search for and select your desired data source (such as Salesforce or Find People).
3. Configure the source settings.
4. Review the preview and click Import to new table.

Add to an existing table:

1. In a table, click Actions → Import.
2. Search for and select your desired data source (such as Salesforce or Find People).
3. Configure the source settings.
4. Review the preview and click Import.

Importing CSV

To import a CSV file into a new table:

1. Click + Add at the bottom of a workbook to create a new table.
2. Click Import from CSV and select your file.
3. Click Complete import.

To import to an existing table:

1. In a table, click Actions → Import.
2. Click Import from CSV and select your file.
3. Select and map columns from your CSV to the Clay table.
4. Click Add to table.

Modifying sources

1. In a table, click the source column title.
2. Click Sources and the name of the source.
3. Click Edit source and adjust the settings as needed.

Deleting sources

1. In a table, click the source column title.
2. Click Sources and the name of the source.
3. Click Delete source.

Scheduled sources

Scheduling source runs is one of the most powerful features, as it keeps your information automatically up to date. To learn more, check out scheduled sources.

FAQs

Why doesn't my Clay table update when I change the source filters?

Editing the source of a Clay table after it's been run won't retroactively update the results, because Clay doesn't reprocess previously generated data automatically.

Even if the source preview shows the new filters, the table won't refresh until you re-run the step that generated the data. To see the updated results, either delete and re-run the step or duplicate the table with the updated source.

I am trying to add a source to an existing table, but I get an error

When adding a new source to an existing table, you must have the appropriate columns set up. For example, to add a Find company source, you need LinkedIn URLs or Company Domains columns.

What are the row limits for Clay tables and sources?

Clay tables have a 50,000-row limit across all plans. This applies to all sources including CSV files, CRM systems, list builders, webhooks, and signals.

Source-specific limits:

• Salesforce Reports: 2,000 records (API restriction)
• Salesforce List Views: 50,000 records
• LinkedIn Sales Navigator: 2,500 records per import
• All other sources: 50,000 records

What happens when you hit the limit?

Clay imports records up to the limit and stops automatically. No error message is displayed.

Solutions for large datasets:

• Split your data using filters or date ranges into multiple tables
• Use auto-delete (Enterprise plan) for unlimited rows
• Use bulk enrichment (Enterprise plan) to process millions of records