Intercom to MySQL Migration: 2 Easy Methods

Are you looking for simple methods to quickly load data from Intercom to MySQL and gain actionable insights? If so, you have reached the right place. This article will provide you with two popular methods that can help you migrate data from Intercom to MySQL. It provides a detailed step-by-step guide for both methods so that you can choose one that suits your needs best.

Introduction to Intercom

Intercom is a popular Business Messenger service that helps companies acquire, engage, and retain customers. A Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) offering like Intercom provides companies with a complete customer engagement module without having to actually build it. Intercom helps in Lead Generation as well as Lead Conversion through its variety of services that includes automated workflows and chatbots. Intercom’s Messenger service allows users to perform various activities in their customer journey from the chatbox itself. 

Companies using services like Intercom often need to load the data generated by these services to their own database systems for further analysis. Having this data in their own systems allows them to expand the horizon of their data investigations because of the ability to combine this data with data from other applications. This will enable them to derive deeper insights.

More information about Intercom can be found here.

Understanding the Key Features of Intercom

The key features of Intercom are as follows:

• Business Messenger: Intercom allows businesses to engage with and support customers via chat, conversational bots, self-service tools, interactive apps, proactive product tours, etc.
• Management Tools: Intercom gives businesses the ability to efficiently manage customer interactions across numerous channels in one place with collaborative inboxes, automated workflows, reporting, etc.
• Customer Data Platform: Businesses can use customer, company, and behavioral data in Intercom to help personalize and target customer interactions based on requirements.
• Apps & Integrations: Intercom offers 250+ out-of-the-box applications that can be used to automate actions, keep data in sync, and improve efficiency.

Introduction to MySQL

MySQL is considered to be one of the most popular Open-Source Relational Database Management Systems (RDBMS). MySQL implements a simple Client-Server Model that helps its users manage Relational Databases i.e. data stored in the form of rows and columns across tables. It uses the well-known query language, Structured Query Language (SQL) that allows users to perform all required CRUD (Create, Read, Update, Delete) operations.

MySQL was first developed by a Swedish company called MySQL AB in 1994. The company was then taken over by Sun Microsystems in 2008 which was finally taken over by the US tech giant, Oracle. Oracle is now responsible for the development and growth of MySQL. Even though MySQL is Open-Source and free of cost for everyone, it houses some premium features that are offered by Oracle only to those customers who are willing to pay for its usage.

Even though there is very high competition in the database market today, MySQL is considered to be the preferred database for more than 5000 companies including Uber, Netflix, Pinterest, Amazon, Airbnb, Twitter, etc.

More information about MySQL can be found here.

Understanding the Key Features of MySQL

Some of the key features of MySQL are as follows:

• Robust Transactional Support: Implementation of ACID (Atomicity, Consistency, Isolation, Durability) properties that ensures no data loss or inconsistency.
• Ease of Use: Considering that it makes use of SQL for querying data, anyone with basic knowledge of SQL can perform the required tasks easily.
• Security: Implements a complex data security layer that ensures that only authorized users can access sensitive data.
• Scalable: Considered to be highly scalable due to support for multi-threading. 
• Roll-back Support: MySQL supports roll-backs, commits, and crash recovery for all transactions.
• High Performance: Houses various fast load utilities along with Table Index Partitioning and Distinct Memory Caches that can ensure high performance.

Methods to Set up Intercom to MySQL Migration

Users can set up Intercom to MySQL Migration by implementing one of the following methods:

• Method 1: Manual Intercom to MySQL Migration
• Method 2: Intercom to MySQL Migration Using Hevo Data

Method 1: Manual Intercom to MySQL Migration

Users can manually set up Intercom to MySQL Migration by implementing the following steps:

• Step 1: Exporting Data from Intercom as CSV
• Step 2: Creating MySQL Table
• Step 3: Importing Data into MySQL

Step 1: Exporting Data from Intercom as CSV

• Log in to your Intercom account.
• Click on People in the top Menu bar and select All Users.

• You will now be able to see the list of all users in your Intercom account.
• Select the list of users whose data you wish to export.
• Click on the Displayed User Attributes in the upper right corner and select all user attributes you wish to export.

• Click on More and select Export.

• Select one of the two options displayed based on your requirements.

• A background job will now start preparing your file, and you will receive a download link via Email once it’s complete.
• Click the link in the Email you receive to download the CSV file containing the required data.

Step 2: Creating MySQL Table

You now have to create a MySQL table based on the attributes that you exported in the last step. The following query can be used as a reference, and a query based on the attributes exported can be executed:

CREATE TABLE intercom_users
(
  id INT(6) UNSIGNED AUTO_INCREMENT PRIMARY KEY,
  contact_id BIGINT,
  name VARCHAR(50),
  email VARCHAR(50),
  location  VARCHAR(50)
)

Step 3: Importing Data into MySQL

Once the CSV with the user data has been downloaded, and the table has been created in MySQL, you can import the data from the file by running the following SQL query:

LOAD DATA LOCAL INFILE intercom_users.csv’ 
INTO TABLE intercom_users
FIELDS TERMINATED BY ',' 
LINES TERMINATED BY 'n'
(contact_id, name, email, location);

That concludes the building blocks of loading data from Intercom to MySQL. As already evident, this is a very simplified version of the tasks at hand in implementing this process. In a real-life scenario, there are numerous other factors and challenges that will make the job harder for developers.

Limitations of Manual Intercom to MySQL Migration

The limitations of manual Intercom to MySQL Migration are as follows:

• Data transformation is a typical requirement during such a load process. The steps mentioned here do not handle it. In reality, most load processes will need transformations according to the destination database structure and design. 
• Manual Intercom to MySQL Migration is a complex process that might be tough to perform for someone who does not have enough technical knowledge of Intercom and MySQL.
• The process of exporting the data from Intercom and importing it into MySQL has to be done manually every time the data has to be updated in the database.

Method 2: Intercom to MySQL Migration Using Hevo Data

Hevo helps you directly transfer data from Intercom and various other sources to MySQL, Business Intelligence tools, Data Warehouses, or a destination of your choice in a completely hassle-free & automated manner. Hevo is fully managed and completely automates the process of not only loading data from your desired source but also enriching the data and transforming it into an analysis-ready form without having to write a single line of code. Its fault-tolerant architecture ensures that the data is handled in a secure, consistent manner with zero data loss.

Hevo takes care of all your data preprocessing needs required to set up Intercom to MySQL Migration and lets you focus on key business activities and draw a much powerful insight on how to generate more leads, retain customers, and take your business to new heights of profitability. It provides a consistent & reliable solution to manage data in real-time and always have analysis-ready data in your desired destination. 

Sign up here for a 14-Day Free Trial!

The following steps can be implemented to set up Intercom to MySQL Migration using Hevo:

• Configure Source: Connect Hevo Data with Intercom by providing a unique name for your Pipeline, along with details about your authorized Intercom account.

• Integrate Data: Complete Intercom to MySQL migration by providing information about your MySQL database and its credentials such as database name, username, and password, along with information about port number associated with your MySQL database.

Conclusion

This article provided you with a step-by-step guide on how you can set up Intercom to MySQL Migration manually or using Hevo. However, there are certain limitations associated with the manual method. If those limitations are not a concern to your operations, then using it is the best option but if it is, then you should consider using automated Data Integration platforms like Hevo.

Visit our Website to Explore Hevo

Hevo helps you directly transfer data from a source of your choice to a Data Warehouse, Business Intelligence, or desired destination in a fully automated and secure manner without having to write the code. It will make your life easier and make data migration hassle-free. It is User-Friendly, Reliable, and Secure.

Want to take Hevo for a spin? Sign Up here for a 14-day free trial and experience the feature-rich Hevo suite first hand. You can also have a look at our unbeatable pricing that will help you choose the right plan for your business needs!

Share your experience of moving data from Intercom to MySQL. Tell us in the comments below!