Syncing Migrated Self Managed Tables

PostHog no longer links tables that read a bucket directly. Eligible existing self-managed tables now have a managed source and a schema that is turned off. The table keeps working and keeps its name. It costs nothing until someone turns syncing on. Turning syncing on starts billing, so the user must agree first.

What happened

• PostHog made one source for each bucket and key prefix. Tables that need different access rules get different sources.
• Each table got one schema with should_sync set to false. The schema reads the same files that the table read.
• The table keeps its id and name. Queries, views and insights that use it keep working.
• Until the first sync, ClickHouse still reads the user’s bucket on every query. There is no charge for this.
• The first successful sync “adopts” the table. PostHog copies the data into its own storage and points the same table row at the copy. After that, the table is a normal imported table and is billed like one.
• Source descriptions show the origin: “Self-managed tables in “ for bucket sources and “Uploaded file for “ for file upload sources.

Available tools

Workflow

Step 1 - Find the tables

Call external-data-schemas-list. A table that waits for its first sync has pending_self_managed_table: true. You can also look for sources with external-data-sources-list and read their descriptions.

A table that is still listed as self-managed in the warehouse tables was not migrated. See “Tables that were not migrated”.

Step 2 - Ask the user before you change anything

Turning syncing on starts billing. Rows that a sync imports count toward data warehouse usage, like any other import. Tell the user which tables you plan to sync, and how often. Wait for a clear yes. Do not turn syncing on for tables the user did not name.

A table that the user does not want to import can stay as it is. It keeps reading the bucket for free.

Step 3 - Pick the sync method

Call external-data-schemas-incremental-fields-create for the schema to see what the table supports.

• full_refresh is the default and the safe choice. Each sync reads all files again and replaces the table.
• incremental and append for file tables use the file modification time (_file_modified_at). A sync reads only files that changed since the last sync.
  • incremental replaces the rows of a file that was rewritten and drops the rows of a file that was deleted. Use it when a writer updates existing files.
  • append only adds rows. A rewritten file is imported again on top of its old rows, so the table keeps stale rows and duplicates. Use append only when every file is written once and never changed.
• An incremental Delta table reads only the data files that changed since the last sync. When the writer deletes, updates or rewrites data, the sync replaces the rows of the removed files and reads the new files. It reads the whole table again only when the table was made again (a new Delta table id), its version went back, or the stored version can no longer be read.
• A table that a writer replaces on each run (for example a dlt replace write) is always read in full. Use full_refresh for it.

Do not change sync_type on a table that is already running. Wait for the sync to end, or cancel it first.

Step 4 - Turn syncing on

For one schema, call external-data-schemas-partial-update with only the fields that change:

{ "should_sync": true, "sync_type": "full_refresh", "sync_frequency": "24hour" }

For incremental or append, also send the cursor. Migrated schemas have no stored cursor, so the update is rejected without it. Take field and field_type from the incremental_fields entry that external-data-schemas-incremental-fields-create returned (_file_modified_at for file tables, _delta_version for Delta tables):

{
  "should_sync": true,
  "sync_type": "incremental",
  "incremental_field": "<field>",
  "incremental_field_type": "<field_type>",
  "sync_frequency": "24hour"
}

For many schemas of one source, use external-data-sources-bulk-update-schemas with one entry per schema.

Choose a sync_frequency that matches how often the bucket changes. A less frequent schedule bills fewer rows. Turning syncing on usually starts the first sync by itself. Do not call external-data-schemas-reload right away: a reload after a sync that already ran imports and bills every row again. Call external-data-schemas-retrieve first, and call the reload only if, after a minute or two, no sync has started (status is still empty and there is no last_synced_at). In the web app, turning syncing on shows a confirmation dialog for these tables.

Step 5 - Check the first sync

Call external-data-schemas-retrieve a few times, a minute or more apart, until status is no longer Running. A large table can take a long time; if it is still running after about 15 minutes, stop polling and tell the user to check back later.

• Completed: report last_synced_at.
• Failed: read latest_error and see “Troubleshooting”.
• BillingLimitReached or BillingLimitTooLow: the sync stopped because of the data warehouse billing limit. Stop polling and tell the user. The sync can run only after they raise the limit or the billing period resets.

What changes after the first sync

• The table is adopted. The id and the name stay the same, so existing queries keep working.
• The table no longer reads the bucket live. It changes only when a sync runs, on the sync schedule.
• Nested columns (Array, Map, Tuple, JSON) become JSON text. Read them with JSONExtract(col, '<type>'), where <type> is the ClickHouse type that the column had before.
• Old queries can need small changes for nested columns. Tell the user about this before the first sync when the table has such columns.

Uploaded files

A table that came from an uploaded file has a File upload source that reads one file. It does not sync on a schedule. To change the data, the user replaces the file with the “Replace file” action on the table in the web app (the replace_file endpoint). The replacement syncs the new file and bills its rows. The old file is deleted only after the new sync succeeds. No MCP tool uploads or replaces a file, so ask the user to do this step in the app.

Troubleshooting

Find the text in latest_error on the schema. These are the exact messages from the code. Some errors turn syncing off (should_sync becomes false), and latest_error then shows a shorter message, given below. After the user fixes the cause, turn syncing on again with external-data-schemas-partial-update ({"should_sync": true}); waiting alone does not resume the sync. Turning a failed schema back on only resumes its schedule and does not start a sync, and the schema keeps its old Failed status. So call external-data-schemas-reload to retry now; the last sync failed, so this does not import the rows twice. Then check the sync as in step 5.

• The storage provider denied access to the bucket '<location>'. Check the access key and secret, and that the key can list and read objects in this bucket. The key from the old table is no longer valid, or it cannot list and read the table’s folder. For a Delta table the message reads ... denied access to the bucket for the Delta table '<name>'. Check that the key can read its folder. The key must list and read the table’s whole path. This error turns syncing off and can show as The storage provider rejected these credentials. .... Ask the user to fix the key’s access in their storage provider, or to enter new credentials for the source in the PostHog app. Do not ask for keys in the chat or send them through a tool. Then turn syncing on again.
• No files are available for table '<name>'. No file in the bucket matches '<pattern>'. No file matches the table’s pattern now. The files may have been moved, renamed or removed. A variant says The files it was discovered from may have been renamed, moved, or removed from the bucket. Ask the user to check the bucket.
• No files are available for table '<name>'. The Delta table is no longer at its folder in the bucket. A writer replaced the table and its folder is missing. Within one sync, PostHog waits and retries a few times, because the table often comes back by itself.
• Both No files are available errors turn syncing off when they fail the sync, and can show as The files behind this table are no longer in the bucket. .... Ask the user to restore the files or the Delta folder, then turn syncing on again.
• PostHog did not replace the self-managed table '<name>', because <reason>. The table still reads its own files. To continue, an organization admin must make the access rules of this source the same as the rules of the table, then turn syncing on again. PostHog support can help with this. Access rules changed after the move. The sync fails once and stops on purpose, and the table keeps reading the bucket. An organization admin must match the rules of the source to the rules of the table. Then turn syncing on again.

Tables that were not migrated

A table that was not migrated stays self-managed and keeps reading its bucket. PostHog skips a table when:

• the URL is not a storage host that a managed source reads (it must be Amazon S3, Google Cloud Storage, Azure Blob or Cloudflare R2),
• an S3 URL does not name the bucket’s region and S3 does not return it,
• the table needs access rules that a source cannot carry (the table has its own rules, the project has rules for sources or for the warehouse, or the rules name too many roles),
• the file format or a column type has no import equivalent, or a column has the name of a column that the import adds.

PostHog does not create new self-managed tables any more. For these tables, tell the user to add the bucket as a new managed source, or to contact PostHog support.

Important notes

• Ask before you turn syncing on. It starts billing.
• Do not guess field names or errors. Read the schema first with external-data-schemas-retrieve.
• Do not run external-data-schemas-resync or external-data-schemas-delete-data on a migrated table that has not synced yet. They are not needed and they can remove data.