> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://support.detrics.io/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.
# Creating Transfers
> Connect a table group to a destination with a schedule and start syncing data
**Last updated:** March 18, 2026
A **transfer** is the core of the Detrics Data Warehouse pipeline. It binds together:
* A **data source** (your platform connection and accounts)
* A **table group** (what data to fetch)
* A **destination** (where to put it)
* A **schedule** (when to sync)
## Creating a Transfer
1. Go to [**Data Warehouse → Transfers**](https://app.detrics.io/data-warehouse/transfers)
2. Click [**New Transfer**](https://app.detrics.io/data-warehouse/transfers/new)
3. Follow the steps below
### Step 1: Select Data Source
Choose the platform connection to use. This is the same OAuth connection you set up in Detrics for Google Sheets or Looker Studio, no need to reconnect.
### Step 2: Select Accounts
Choose which platform accounts to sync:
* **All accounts**: Syncs every account available under the connection. If new accounts are added to the connection later, they're automatically included
* **Selected accounts**: Pick specific accounts from the list
For platforms with a single account per connection (Shopify, Stripe, WooCommerce, Klaviyo, TiendaNube, HubSpot, TikTok Organic), account selection is skipped, there's only one account to sync.
**All accounts** is recommended for most use cases. Each row in BigQuery includes `_detrics_account_id`, so you can always filter to specific accounts in your SQL queries. This way, new accounts are automatically picked up without modifying the transfer.
### Step 3: Select Table Group
Choose an existing table group or create a new one. The table group must match the platform you selected in Step 1 (e.g., a Meta Ads table group for a Meta Ads connection).
### Step 4: Choose a Sync Strategy
First, choose a **sync strategy** that sets the initial sync mode for all tables in the transfer:
| Strategy | What It Does | Best For |
| ---------------------------------- | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **Replicate Source** (recommended) | Applies smart defaults based on each table's configuration, time-series tables with daily aggregation get **Incremental**, snapshot and non-daily tables get **Full Refresh** | Most use cases. Detrics picks the right mode per table automatically |
| **Full Refresh All** | Sets every table to **Full Refresh** mode | When you want a clean, complete replacement of all data on every sync |
| **Append Full Snapshots** | Sets every table to **Full Append** mode | When you want to track how all data changes over time by keeping every snapshot |
**Replicate Source** is recommended for most transfers. It uses platform-specific logic to assign the optimal sync mode to each table, for example, daily ad performance tables get Incremental with a platform-appropriate refresh window, while campaign settings tables get Full Refresh.
#### Customize per-table sync modes
After selecting a strategy, you can override the sync mode for individual tables. The three sync modes are:
* **Incremental**: Best for daily time-series data (spend, impressions, clicks). Deduplicates by date using a refresh window
* **Full Refresh**: Best for snapshot/reference data (campaign settings, product catalogs). Replaces the table on each sync
* **Full Append**: Best for tracking changes over time (metric evolution, audit trails). Appends without removing
For tables assigned Incremental mode, you'll also configure the **refresh window** (how many days to re-fetch on each sync).
See [Sync Modes](/bigquery/sync-modes) for guidance on choosing the right mode.
### Step 5: Select Destination
Choose which BigQuery destination to write data to. The destination must have a **Connected** status (pass the connection test).
### Step 6: Configure Schedule
Set how often the transfer runs:
| Setting | Options |
| ---------------- | ------------------------------------------------- |
| **Frequency** | Every 1h, 2h, 3h, 6h, 12h, Daily, Weekly, Monthly |
| **Hour of day** | 0-23 (for daily, weekly, monthly frequencies) |
| **Day of week** | Sun-Sat (for weekly frequency) |
| **Day of month** | 1-31 (for monthly frequency) |
| **Timezone** | Set on the destination |
See [Scheduling & Refresh Windows](/bigquery/scheduling-and-refresh-windows) for guidance on choosing a frequency.
### Step 7: Additional Settings
* **Transfer name**: A descriptive name (e.g., "Meta Ads - Daily Campaign Metrics")
* **Table name prefix**: Optional prefix added to all BigQuery table names in this transfer (e.g., `meta_ads_` makes tables like `meta_ads_campaign_performance`). If not set, a default prefix based on the platform is used
### Step 8: Create
Click **Create Transfer**. Detrics immediately starts the **initial sync**, which fetches historical data based on each table's configured historical sync range.
## After Creation
### Initial Sync
The first sync fetches historical data. Depending on the number of tables, accounts, and historical range, this can take from a few minutes to over an hour for very large syncs.
You can monitor progress in real time on the transfer detail page:
* Which table is currently syncing
* How many rows have been loaded
* Progress through chunks (for large syncs)
### Subsequent Syncs
After the initial sync, the transfer runs on schedule:
* **Incremental tables** fetch only the refresh window (e.g., last 3 days)
* **Full Refresh tables** re-fetch the full dataset
* **Full Append tables** append the full dataset
## Transfer Status
| Status | Meaning |
| ----------- | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **Active** | Transfer is running on schedule |
| **Paused** | Transfer is paused, no syncs will run until resumed |
| **Pausing** | A pause was requested but a sync is currently running, will pause after completion |
| **Error** | Transfer encountered a system error, check the detail page for specifics |
### Pausing and Resuming
* **Pause**: Stops scheduled syncs. Data in BigQuery is preserved as-is
* **Resume**: Restarts the schedule. The next sync runs at the next scheduled time (or immediately if the scheduled time has passed)
### Auto-Pause
If a transfer fails **3 consecutive times**, it automatically pauses to prevent unnecessary API calls and error noise. You'll receive an alert (if configured). Check the error details, fix the issue (e.g., re-authenticate the connection, fix BigQuery permissions), then resume.
## Organizing with Folders
You can organize transfers into folders:
* Create folders from the transfer list page
* Drag transfers between folders
* Nest folders for hierarchical organization
This is purely for organization in the Detrics UI, folders don't affect how transfers run or where data lands in BigQuery.
## Sharing Transfers
Share a transfer with other workspace members:
* **View only**: Can see the transfer status and run history
* **Edit**: Can modify settings, trigger syncs, and pause/resume
Go to the transfer detail page and click **Share** to manage access.
## Alerts
Configure email alerts per transfer:
| Alert Type | When It Fires |
| -------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------ |
| **On failure** | When a sync fails (any table) |
| **On success** | When a sync completes successfully |
| **On schema change** | When BigQuery table schema is modified (new columns added/removed) |
Add one or more email addresses to receive alerts. This is useful for monitoring transfers you don't check daily.