Which Intercom workspace does the pipeline write to?

The workspace you were signed in to when you authorized, together with its data host region. A connection covers one workspace, so create a separate destination for every workspace you sync into.

Why is my custom attribute missing from the mapping dropdown?

The dropdown lists the data attributes your workspace already defines. Create the attribute in Intercom under **Settings** > **Data** > **People**, then reopen the pipeline settings.

Can Renta delete a contact from Intercom?

It can archive one, which is what Intercom calls **Remove from Intercom**. Archiving is available for contacts only, and companies and events are never removed.

Will a repeated run duplicate my events?

Events are insert-only, so every run that still sees the row sends it again. Keep event models to rows that appear once, such as a table of completed orders, rather than a full snapshot.

What identifies a contact when both email and external id are mapped?

The field you picked under **How should records be matched?**. Renta looks the contact up by that value, then updates it or creates a new one.

Do companies need a match field?

No. Intercom matches companies by company_id , so map that field in the mapping block and the sync updates the right company.

Intercom

Renta sends rows from your data warehouse to Intercom as one of three objects: contacts, companies, and data events.

A contact row carries the person's identifiers and the attributes on their profile. A company row carries the account and its attributes. An event row records something the person did, so it lands on their timeline and can trigger a message.

Authentication

Renta authenticates with Intercom OAuth. The authorization covers one workspace and its data host region, which Intercom picks up from the account you are signed in to.

On the consent screen Intercom lists what the app may reach: people, companies, conversations, messages, teams, tags, people activity, workspace counts, data attributes, tickets, and AI content. Renta reads the data attributes to fill the mapping dropdowns, looks contacts up before writing, and creates or updates the records a pipeline delivers.

Your credentials are encrypted. Revoke the authorization at any time from the authorized apps list in your Intercom account.

Connect Intercom destination

Go to the CatalogStep 1

Navigate to the Connections > Catalog section in the left sidebar and open the Destinations tab.
Open the Reverse ETL category and click the Intercom card.

Intercom card in the Reverse ETL category of the Renta destination catalog

Start the authorizationStep 2

Click Log in to your Intercom account. Intercom opens in the same tab.

Authorize connection page with the Log in to your Intercom account button

Grant accessStep 3

Review the permissions and click Authorize access. Check the Data host region at the bottom of the screen, because it decides which Intercom installation the pipeline writes to. Intercom returns you to Renta.

Intercom consent screen listing the requested permissions, the data host region, and the Authorize access button

Name the connection and saveStep 4

Renta confirms the granted access and shows the authorized account. Finish the setup:

Destination name.
Specify a name for this destination. This is used exclusively in the Renta interface.

Click Save to finish.

Set up your Intercom connection page with the destination name field and the Save button

Destination createdStep 5

The new destination appears in the Destinations list with the Active status. You can now use it in Reverse ETL pipelines.

Destinations list with the new Intercom destination in Active status

Prepare a data model

A Reverse ETL pipeline reads from a data model: a SQL query saved in the Data models section that decides which warehouse rows to sync and what each row holds. Build it before the pipeline, because the mapping dropdowns are filled from its columns.

Name the columns after the Intercom fields you plan to fill. The mapper then pairs them up one to one, and the pipeline is quicker to read later.

-- Contacts prepared for Intercom. The query returns rows only, no table is created.
WITH demo_contacts AS (
  SELECT
    'james.miller@example.com'  AS email,
    'u-1001'                    AS external_id,
    'James Miller'              AS name,
    '+12125550101'              AS phone,
    'pro'                       AS plan
  UNION ALL SELECT 'olivia.johnson@example.com','u-1002','Olivia Johnson','+13125550102','free'
  UNION ALL SELECT 'william.davis@example.com','u-1003','William Davis','+12145550103','business'
)
SELECT * FROM demo_contacts

Create the data model

Write the queryStep 1

In the left sidebar, open Data models and click New model. Then:

Source.
Choose the warehouse connection the query runs against.
Write your model query.
Paste your SQL. Keep SQL query as the query type.
Run preview.
Check the rows and column names before moving on. Click Next step when the result looks right.

Data source step with the warehouse connection, the SQL editor, and the query preview results

Choose the scopeStep 2

Pick Reverse ETL only for a model that feeds pipelines. Choose one of the AI agents options instead if the same model should also answer agent questions.

Scope step with the Reverse ETL only card selected

Confirm the columns and pick the keyStep 3

Review the columns Renta read from the query and mark the one that identifies a row. Reverse ETL needs this key to tell a changed row from a new one, so pick the column you will also match on in Intercom, such as the email.

Schema step with the column list and the unique key selected on the email column

Name the modelStep 4

Give the model a name and a short description, then click Create model. The name is what you pick from the Data model dropdown when you build the pipeline.

Metadata step with the model name and description fields and the Create model button

Model createdStep 5

The model appears in the list with the Reverse ETL scope and is ready to use in a pipeline.

Data models list with the new model in Reverse ETL scope

Create an Intercom pipeline

The destination and the data model have to exist before you start.

Select your warehouseStep 1

In the left sidebar, click New pipeline. On the Source step, switch the toggle to Reverse ETL and pick your data warehouse, such as Google BigQuery.

Select a source step with the Reverse ETL toggle and the Google BigQuery card

Select the warehouse connectionStep 2

Choose the warehouse connection that holds your data models and click Next step.

Select your Google BigQuery connection step in the pipeline wizard

Select Intercom as the destinationStep 3

On the Destination step, select Intercom under Already connected and click Next step.

Select a destination step with Intercom listed under Already connected

Select the destination connectionStep 4

Choose the Intercom connection you created earlier and click Next step. The card shows the region the workspace lives in, which is how you tell two workspaces apart.

Select your Intercom connection step with the owner and region on the card

Pipeline configuration

On the final step, choose what Renta writes to Intercom and which columns fill it.

What Renta sends

Pick the Intercom object and the data model behind it. The blocks below the choice adapt to it, so make this choice first.

Intercom pipeline settings with the Contacts object selected and the data model dropdown

Object	Description
Contacts	Each row becomes a person in Intercom, matched by email or external id. Use it to keep profiles current for messaging and segmentation.
Companies	Each row becomes an account, matched by its company id. Use it for account attributes such as plan or seat count.
Events	Each row becomes an event on a person's timeline. Events are the trigger for messages and the raw material for behaviour segments.

Then pick the Data model. The fields available for matching and mapping below come from it.

Events are insert-only. Intercom never updates or removes an event, so a row that stays in the model is sent again on every run. Build event models from rows that appear once, such as completed orders, rather than from a snapshot table.

Record matching

A contact pipeline needs to know which value identifies the person, because Renta looks the contact up before deciding to update or create.

The left dropdown offers the unique key of the data model. The right one offers the two identifiers Intercom searches by: email and external_id. Renta sends the matched value with every row, so you do not need to repeat it in the mapping block below.

Companies and events have no separate matching block. A company is matched by the company_id you map as an ordinary field, and an event carries its identifier in the body.

Field mapping

Connect the columns of your data model to Intercom fields.

Mapping data model columns to Intercom contact attributes

Mapping type	Description
Standard	Takes the value from a data model column.
Static	Writes the same fixed value into every record.
Variable	Writes a value from the sync itself, such as the data model name or the time the run started.

The right-hand dropdown holds two kinds of fields. Standard ones come with every workspace, such as Name, Email, Phone, User ID, Signed up, and Last seen. Below them sit the custom data attributes your own workspace defines.

An events pipeline has to map Event name and at least one identifier of the person. Without a name Intercom has nothing to record, and without an identifier it cannot tell whose timeline the event belongs on. A companies pipeline has to map Company ID for the same reason.

Sync behavior

Set what happens to an Intercom record whose row disappears from the data model.

When a source row is deleted dropdown with the Ignore and Archive options

Option	Description
Ignore	The record stays in Intercom as it is. This is the default, and the only option for companies and events.
Archive	Archives the contact, which is what Intercom calls Remove from Intercom. The person stops appearing in lists and stops receiving messages.

Then name the pipeline.

Integration name field in the Intercom pipeline settings

Integration name is the name of your pipeline. Edit it to match your preferences.

Schedule

Choose how often the pipeline runs.

Schedule type	Description
Manual	The pipeline runs only when triggered manually through the interface or via API.
Daily	The pipeline runs once a day at the specified update time.
Interval	The pipeline runs at specified time intervals.
Cron Expression	The pipeline runs on a schedule defined by a cron expression.

For Daily schedules, set the Update time (the exact time each run starts), then click Create pipeline.

Update time selection and the Create pipeline button

Renta also supports API triggers and integration with external orchestrators such as Apache Airflow, Dagster, and Prefect. See the full scheduling documentation for details.

The new pipeline appears in the Pipelines section under the Reverse ETL tab, where you can track its runs and progress.

Reverse ETL pipelines list with the new Intercom integration

Sync strategy

Renta syncs incrementally. A run compares the data model against the state the previous run recorded and sends only what moved, so a daily sync touches a handful of records instead of the whole model. The first run has nothing to compare against and delivers everything.

Row state	What Renta does
New	Creates the contact or company, or records the event.
Changed	Writes the mapped fields again with the new values. Attributes outside the mapping stay as they are.
Unchanged	Sends nothing.
Deleted	Follows the deleted-row policy: leaves the record alone, or archives the contact.

Limits

Records are written one at a time.
The Intercom API has no batch endpoint for contacts, companies, or events, so a run makes one request per record. A large first sync therefore takes noticeably longer than a later incremental one.
Events cannot be corrected.
Intercom stores an event as it arrives. There is no update and no delete, so a mistake in an event model can only be fixed going forward.
A run stops when rejections pile up.
Renta halts the run when more than 30% of a batch, or more than 10% of the rows delivered so far, come back rejected. Records already written stay in Intercom, and the next run picks up where this one stopped.
Data attributes are not created for you.
Renta writes into the attributes your workspace already defines. Add a missing one in Intercom first, then reopen the pipeline settings so it appears in the dropdown.

Frequently asked questions

Ready to get started?

Build your data pipeline today or get a personalized demo. Start free!

Need help?

Get expert support to ensure your project succeeds. We're here to help!

Feature requests?

Help shape our product! Share your ideas for new features and integrations.