Getting Started with Supabase Automations
Certifier Automations is a simple 2-step “trigger → action” system that issues credentials the moment your data arrives. With Supabase automations, you have two main options:
Push Data From Any Source to Supabase (Automated Flow)
Use Supabase as a universal bridge – send data from your CRM, LMS, event form, or any other system into a table, and Certifier will issue credentials for each new row.
Work Directly in Supabase (Manual Flow)
Use a table to insert rows directly – whether you’re working solo or sharing it with your team. Once a row is fully completed, Certifier issues the credential instantly.
How Supabase Automations Work
Trigger – The event that starts the automation. Here, it’s when a new row is added to the Table.
Action – What happens next. Certifier reads the new row's data, then issues the credential.
Before You Begin: Prepare your Supabase Project
To get started quickly, create an empty table with 3 columns:
id: default primary key column.
recipient_name: column that stores the recipients' names.
recipient_email: column that stores the recipients' emails.
Choose Text type for both recipient_name and recipient_email columns.
⚠️ Important: To prevent issues with the automation, avoid setting the recipient_name or recipient_email columns as your primary key.
Add a header row – Supabase requires at least one row in the table for the automation to run smoothly. Click on Insert and type in header row values: Recipient Name and Recipient Email.
⚠️ Important: Regardless of your workflow, we recommend starting with an empty table. Only add rows with actual recipients' data after activating the Automation.
If you're using a table that already contains rows, those records will be processed, and credentials will be issued as soon as you activate the Automation.
Automated vs. Manual Flow
The main difference between Automated Flow and Manual Flow is the way new rows with data will be added to the connected table.
Here's how each Flow works in practice:
Automated Flow
Your external tool (CRM, LMS, form) adds a new row to the Table.
Certifier instantly issues the credential for that row – no manual work after setup.
Manual Flow
You add a new row to the table manually.
Certifier sees the new row and issues the credential immediately.
Step-by-Step Setup
This guide walks you through setting up your first automation using Supabase. Let's get started!
Step 1. Create Your Automation
Go to Automations → + Create Automation.
Select the Supabase template.
Press Use Template.
Step 2. Configure the Trigger
Open the Trigger Configuration
To get started, click on the Trigger. The setup will be preconfigured for you – you'll just need to press Continue to move to Configuration.
Configure the New Rows Added Trigger
Connect your Supabase Account via API key: Press the Connect Supabase button and click on Continue to start.
Then, you'll be prompted to enter your Subdomain ID (1) and Service Key (2).
Subdomain ID: Go to Project Settings → Data API and locate your API URL in the Project URL section. Then, copy the subdomain from the link - part between https:// and .supabase.co
Service Key: Go to Project Settings → API Keys and locate the secret key in the Legacy API section. Then, press Reveal → Copy.
Enter your details to Certifier and press Continue to connect your Supabase account.
Once you do that, your account will appear as selected. If you need to use a different account, just unfold the options and select or connect another one:
Insert the Table name and the column to Order By: Copy the name of the table from Supabase. Then, type in the column name to set Order by.
💡Tip: For automation to run smoothly, we recommend setting a primary key column to Order by.
Optional Props: Feel free to skip this step – it's not obligatory in our automation.
Once you're ready, press Submit. And that's it! Your Trigger is set up 🤓
Step 3. Configure the Action
Open the Action Configuration
Click on the Action. The setup options are automatically selected, so just press Continue to move to Configuration.
Configure the Issue Credential Action
The final step involves mapping the data and configuring how you want to issue your credentials.
Group: Select the group to which you want to issue credentials. Click on the field to expand it, then choose the group's name from the list.
💡 Tip: To map a field to a column in your table, type {{ into the input box and select the matching column name from the list.
For example:
Recipient Name →
{{Recipient Name}}Recipient Email →
{{Recipient Email}}
Repeat this for any additional custom attributes you’ve set up.
Recipient Name: Map to the column that stores the recipients’ full names.
💡 Tip: If first and last names are in separate columns, combine them in the Recipient Name field by adding a space between the two columns.
Example: {{First Name}} {{Last Name}}
Recipient Email: Map to the column that stores the recipients' emails.
Issue Credential: Choose whether you want your credentials to be automatically issued when your automation is triggered (True) or if you prefer to save credentials as a draft and publish them manually from the Certifier dashboard (False).
💡 Tip: If you want to test an automation before making it live, set Send Credential to False. This will create credentials as drafts only – nothing will be sent to recipients. Once you’ve confirmed the workflow works as expected, recreate the automation with Send Credential set to True to send them out.
Send Credential: Choose whether you want your credentials to be automatically emailed to the recipient once issued (True) or not (False).
Custom attributes (optional): If you see additional fields, these are custom attributes available on your account (for example, course name, speaker name, etc.).
To use them in the automation, map each one to the corresponding column in your table – just like you did with Recipient Name and Recipient Email.
⚠️ Important: Certifier tracks the column position and column name you mapped (e.g., {{Recipient Name}}, {{Recipient Email}}).
After activating your automation, do not reorder columns or insert new ones in between – this will break the mapping and cause the automation to fail.
Once you're happy with everything, press Submit.
Step 4. Finalize & Activate
Now, there's just one more step – you'll need to:
Click Save & Activate.
Give your automation a clear name (e.g., “Conference Invites via Supabase”) and press Next.
💡 Tip: Give your automation a clear name (e.g., include your group name) so you can easily spot it – especially if you're planning to connect multiple tables. Don’t worry, you can rename it anytime after activation.
You’ll see a confirmation warning saying that Certifier will issue credentials for all future rows in your connected table. Check the box and click Confirm & Automate to proceed.
And that's it! Once you choose to activate it, your new automation will be live. 🥳
⚠️ Important: Once your automation is active, it can’t be edited.
If you need to change anything – such as re-mapping columns, adding new custom attributes, or updating your credential settings – you’ll need to delete the automation and create a new one from scratch.
What It Looks Like in Practice
A new row appears in the Table – either pushed from some source (Automated Flow) or added by hand (Manual Flow).
Within 15 minutes, Certifier issues the credential and marks the row as “Processed.”
Your recipient receives their credential.
Critical Rules After Activation
Once your automation is active, these rules are essential to prevent errors, duplicates, and broken setups. Read each one carefully.
Rule 1: Existing Rows Will Be Processed Immediately
When you connect a sheet with pre-filled rows – even just headers – Certifier treats every row as data.
Our header row (Recipient Name | Recipient Email) will trigger one “Failed” run in Automation Runs because there’s no valid email. This is expected and harmless.
💡 Tip: Keep the header row for guidance. Just start adding your real data below it. If you connect a table with existing name/email rows, Certifier will process them immediately and count against your usage.
Rule 2: Don’t Rename the Project or Tables
Renaming the project or any table will break the automation – Certifier looks for the exact names you selected during setup.
Rule 3: Don’t Reorder Tables
Moving tables into a different order will cause Certifier to lose its connection to the correct table.
Rule 4: Don’t Move or Insert Columns
Certifier tracks columns by name and order. Moving them or inserting new ones will break your mapping and cause errors.
Rule 5: Be Careful with Processed Rows
Certifier always starts from the next unprocessed row. This leads to several pitfalls:
Inserting above processed rows → duplicates: If you’ve already processed rows 1–5 and then insert a new row anywhere above row 6, your original row 5 shifts into row 6. Certifier sees row 6 as “next” and issues a duplicate for that person, while your new entry stays unprocessed.
Deleting and re-adding in the same positions → skipped: If you delete rows 1–5 (all processed) and paste new entries into positions 1–5, nothing happens. Certifier is still waiting for row 6, so your new rows won’t trigger.
Rule 6: Always Include Name & Email
Each row needs a valid Recipient Name and Recipient Email. Rows missing either – or with improperly formatted emails – will be skipped.
Rule 7: Allow Processing Time
Allow 15 minutes for each row to process. Re-adding or moving rows while processing is underway can cause conflicts or duplicates.
Rule 8: Don’t Edit Processed Rows
Any edits to already-processed rows will be ignored. To correct data, update credentials in the Certifier dashboard.
Keep that in mind and enjoy the automated workflow! 👑
Need more help?
If you still have some questions, do not hesitate to contact us via the chat icon or email us directly: [email protected].