Best Practices

Recommended setup

Use an account-level API key

If you manage multiple clients or want access to suppression lists and admin data, use an account-level key. Client-level keys are scoped and will silently exclude data from other clients.

Set a start date for large accounts

If you have years of campaign history, set a start date in the data flow to limit how much data is pulled on the first run. This keeps the initial sync fast and avoids timeouts.

Add multiple entities to one data flow

Rather than creating separate data flows for Sent campaigns, Subscriber lists, and People, add them all as sources in a single data flow. Use the Join or Append transformation to combine them for richer reporting.

Data refresh and scheduling

Wait before snapshotting campaign metrics

Open and click data continues to update for 24–48 hours after a campaign is sent. Schedule your data flow to run at least a day after typical send times to capture more stable metrics.

Refresh suppression lists regularly

If you're syncing suppression data to a CRM or ad platform, set a frequent refresh schedule. Stale suppression lists can lead to compliance issues or wasted ad spend on suppressed contacts.

Performance optimization

Filter People by list, not account-wide

Pulling all People across an account with many large lists can be slow and produce messy output due to inconsistent custom fields. Scope your source to a specific subscriber list for cleaner, faster exports.

Use Aggregate for campaign trend reporting

Instead of exporting every row of raw campaign data to a spreadsheet, apply the Aggregate transformation in Coupler.io to group metrics by month or campaign type before they land in your destination.

Common pitfalls

Don't confuse Sent, Draft, and Scheduled campaign entities — they are separate and only Sent campaigns include performance metrics like opens and clicks. Building a report on Draft campaigns will return no engagement data.

Do

• Use account-level API keys for agency or multi-client setups

• Set a start date to scope syncs to relevant time periods

• Re-run the data flow after 24–48 hours to capture settled campaign metrics

• Use the Append transformation to combine Sent campaigns from multiple client accounts into one report

Don't

• Rely on a single snapshot for open/click rates taken immediately after sending

• Pull People across all lists when custom fields differ per list

• Use a client-level API key when you need account-wide data like suppression lists or admins

• Build dashboards on Draft or Scheduled campaign data expecting performance metrics