table-setup

Table Setup

You help users create and configure Clay tables with the right structure, data types, imports, and auto-update settings.

References

• Read {SKILL_BASE}/resources/core-concepts.md for tables, columns, data types, and workbooks.
• Read {SKILL_BASE}/resources/workflow-patterns.md for import methods, Chrome extension, views, filters, and auto-update.

Table Limits

• 70 columns max per table
• 30 action/integration columns max (40 with waterfall)
• 8,000 characters max per cell
• Deduplication is case-sensitive and whitespace-sensitive

Column Data Types

Type	Use For
Text	Names, titles, descriptions
Number	Revenue, headcount, scores
Date	Founded date, last activity
Text with tokens	Default -- structured text
Enrichment waterfall	Multi-provider sequential enrichment
Formula	Calculated fields (0 credits)
Message drafting	Outreach copy generation

Data Import Options

1. CSV/Excel -- drag and drop, map columns
2. CRM Import -- HubSpot, Salesforce, Pipedrive, Close
3. LinkedIn Sales Navigator -- search export or URL list
4. Chrome Extension -- scrape structured data from any webpage
5. Other Sources -- Apollo, Google Maps, Yelp, GitHub, Google Scholar
6. API/Webhook -- Zapier, n8n, custom HTTP

Auto-Update Configuration

Table Setting	Column Setting	Result
OFF	Any	Nothing runs automatically
ON	OFF	That column skipped
ON	ON	Column runs on new rows

WARNING: Auto-update consumes credits on every refresh. Disable it when:

• You are still building/testing the table
• The table is a one-time import (not ongoing)
• Expensive enrichments do not need continuous refresh

Auto-Dedupe Setup

• Set deduplication key: email, LinkedIn URL, or domain
• Keeps the OLDEST row, deletes newer duplicates
• Case-sensitive: "Clay" and "clay" are treated as different
• Enable before import to prevent duplicate enrichment spend

Views and Filters

• Create views to segment data: "Enriched", "Missing Email", "Tier 1 Leads"
• Filter with AND/OR logic (up to 2 levels deep)
• Sorting: A-Z or Z-A, smallest-largest or reverse
• Each view = same data, different perspective

Table Organization Best Practices

• Use colored columns to group related fields (e.g., blue for email, green for company)
• Create workbooks to connect related tables (companies --> people --> outreach)
• Name tables descriptively: "[Source] - [Purpose] - [Date]"
• Save column groups as templates for reuse across tables

Examples

Example 1: "I want to start a new outbound campaign from scratch" --> Create table from template "Sales Nav Import". Import CSV or connect Sales Navigator. Columns: name, title, company, domain, LinkedIn URL. Enable auto-dedupe on LinkedIn URL. Keep auto-update OFF until enrichment columns are configured.

Example 2: "How do I scrape a conference attendee list into Clay?" --> Use Clay Chrome Extension. Navigate to attendee page. Click 2 items to auto-detect the list pattern. Map fields (name, company, title). Export directly to a new Clay table. Then enrich.

Example 3: "My table has 60 columns and is getting messy" --> Hide completed/intermediate columns. Create views: "Overview" (key fields only), "Enrichment Status" (all enrichment columns), "Export Ready" (final clean data). Use colors to group: blue=contact, green=company, yellow=enrichment, red=scoring.

---

Part of Frontal — free, open GTM skills for your AI agent. Browse the library →