Planning Center Calendar Data Model

This document provides complete documentation of the Planning Center Calendar data model in Parable, including all tables, fields, and relationships.

OverviewCopy Anchor Link

The Calendar module contains 22 entity tables and 20 relationship tables supporting event management, resource booking, scheduling, and calendar synchronization.

Visual Data ModelCopy Anchor Link

Core Entity RelationshipsCopy Anchor Link

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Key Relationships ExplainedCopy Anchor Link

Event Hierarchy:

• EVENT is the master event (e.g., "Sunday Service")
• EVENT_INSTANCE is a specific occurrence (e.g., "Sunday Service on Jan 15, 2024")
• EVENT_TIME breaks instances into periods (Setup 8am-9am, Event 9am-11am, Teardown 11am-12pm)

Resource Booking:

• RESOURCEs are bookable items (rooms, equipment, vehicles)
• RESOURCE_FOLDERs organize resources hierarchically
• RESOURCE_BOOKING links resources to event instances
• ROOM_SETUP defines different configurations for room resources

Approval Workflow:

• EVENT_RESOURCE_REQUEST initiates booking request
• REQUIRED_APPROVAL specifies which groups must approve
• RESOURCE_APPROVAL_GROUP contains approvers
• RESOURCE_QUESTION collects additional information during booking

Conflict Management:

• CONFLICT tracks resource double-bookings
• Links are stored via calendar_conflicts_relationships
• Resolved when winner is selected

Cross-App Connections:

• EVENT_CONNECTION links calendar events to other Planning Center modules
• Connected to Services (worship plans), Groups (group events), etc.
• Enables unified scheduling across the platform

Generic Relationship Pattern:

• All inter-entity links are stored in dedicated *_relationships tables
• Each relationship table holds a parent entity ID, relationship_type, and relationship_id

Query RequirementsCopy Anchor Link

Schema PrefixCopy Anchor Link

IMPORTANT: All tables in the Planning Center Calendar module are in the planning_center schema. You MUST prefix all table names with planning_center. in your queries.

✅ CORRECT: SELECT * FROM planning_center.calendar_events ❌ INCORRECT: SELECT * FROM calendar_events

Row Level Security (RLS)Copy Anchor Link

This database uses Row Level Security (RLS) to automatically filter data based on:

• tenant_organization_id: You only see data for your current organization
• system_status: You only see 'active' records by default

DO NOT add these filters to your WHERE clause - they are applied automatically:

• ❌ WHERE tenant_organization_id = 1 (unnecessary)
• ❌ WHERE system_status = 'active' (unnecessary)

The RLS policies ensure you only access data you're authorized to see, making these filters redundant and potentially causing performance issues.

Core Tables OverviewCopy Anchor Link

Primary Entity TablesCopy Anchor Link

• calendar_events - Master event definitions
• calendar_event_instances - Specific occurrences of events
• calendar_resources - Bookable resources (rooms, equipment)
• calendar_resource_bookings - Resource reservations
• calendar_conflicts - Scheduling conflicts
• calendar_tags - Event categorization
• calendar_tag_groups - Tag groupings

Supporting Entity TablesCopy Anchor Link

• calendar_attachments - File attachments for events
• calendar_event_connections - Links to other PCO modules
• calendar_event_resource_requests - Resource booking requests
• calendar_event_resource_answers - Answers to booking questions
• calendar_event_times - Time blocks within events
• calendar_feeds - Calendar feed configurations
• calendar_organizations - Organization settings
• calendar_people - People associated with events
• calendar_report_templates - Report templates
• calendar_required_approvals - Approval requirements
• calendar_resource_approval_groups - Approval groups
• calendar_resource_folders - Resource organization
• calendar_resource_questions - Booking questions
• calendar_resource_suggestions - Suggested resources
• calendar_room_setups - Room configurations

Relationship TablesCopy Anchor Link

• calendar_attachments_relationships - Links attachments to related entities
• calendar_conflicts_relationships - Links conflicts to related entities
• calendar_event_connections_relationships - Links connections to related entities
• calendar_event_resource_answers_relationships - Links answers to related entities
• calendar_event_times_relationships - Links event times to related entities
• calendar_event_instances_relationships - Links instances to related entities
• calendar_event_resource_requests_relationships - Links requests to related entities
• calendar_events_relationships - Links events to related entities
• calendar_feeds_relationships - Links feeds to related entities
• calendar_people_relationships - Links people to related entities
• calendar_required_approvals_relationships - Links required approvals to related entities
• calendar_resource_approval_groups_relationships - Links approval groups to related entities
• calendar_resource_folders_relationships - Links folders to related entities
• calendar_resource_questions_relationships - Links questions to related entities
• calendar_resource_suggestions_relationships - Links suggestions to related entities
• calendar_resource_bookings_relationships - Links bookings to related entities
• calendar_resources_relationships - Links resources to related entities
• calendar_room_setups_relationships - Links room setups to related entities
• calendar_tag_groups_relationships - Links tag groups to related entities
• calendar_tags_relationships - Links tags to related entities

Table DefinitionsCopy Anchor Link

calendar_eventsCopy Anchor Link

Master event definitions containing the core event information.

calendar_event_instancesCopy Anchor Link

Specific occurrences of events, handling both one-time and recurring events.

calendar_resourcesCopy Anchor Link

Bookable resources including rooms, equipment, and other facilities.

calendar_resource_bookingsCopy Anchor Link

Reservations linking resources to specific events and times.

calendar_conflictsCopy Anchor Link

Detected scheduling conflicts between events or resources.

calendar_tagsCopy Anchor Link

Event categorization labels for organizing and filtering.

calendar_tag_groupsCopy Anchor Link

Groupings for tags to organize them by ministry, event type, etc.

calendar_attachmentsCopy Anchor Link

File attachments associated with events.

calendar_event_connectionsCopy Anchor Link

Links between calendar events and other Planning Center modules.

calendar_event_timesCopy Anchor Link

Specific time blocks within event instances (e.g., "Doors Open", "Main Service").

calendar_room_setupsCopy Anchor Link

Predefined room configurations with layout diagrams.

calendar_event_resource_requestsCopy Anchor Link

Resource requests for events, tracking booking requirements.

calendar_event_resource_answersCopy Anchor Link

Answers to resource booking questions.

Note: Relationships (created_by, updated_by, resource_question, event_resource_request) are stored in the calendar_event_resource_answers_relationships table.

calendar_feedsCopy Anchor Link

Calendar feed configurations for importing and syncing events.

calendar_organizationsCopy Anchor Link

Organization-wide calendar settings.

calendar_peopleCopy Anchor Link

People with calendar permissions and access.

calendar_report_templatesCopy Anchor Link

Report templates for calendar data.

calendar_required_approvalsCopy Anchor Link

Approval requirements for resource bookings.

calendar_resource_approval_groupsCopy Anchor Link

Groups responsible for approving resource bookings.

calendar_resource_foldersCopy Anchor Link

Hierarchical organization of resources.

calendar_resource_questionsCopy Anchor Link

Booking questions for specific resources.

calendar_resource_suggestionsCopy Anchor Link

Suggested resources for room setups.

Relationship TablesCopy Anchor Link

All relationship tables share this structure: a parent entity ID, relationship_type (VARCHAR(50)), and relationship_id (VARCHAR(64)) to identify the related record, plus standard system fields.

calendar_attachments_relationshipsCopy Anchor Link

Links attachments to related entities (events).

calendar_conflicts_relationshipsCopy Anchor Link

Links conflicts to related entities (resource bookings).

calendar_event_connections_relationshipsCopy Anchor Link

Links event connections to related entities (events).

calendar_event_resource_answers_relationshipsCopy Anchor Link

Links event resource answers to related entities (created_by, updated_by, resource_question, event_resource_request).

Common relationship types:

• Person (created_by) - Links to calendar_people (who created the answer)
• Person (updated_by) - Links to calendar_people (who last updated the answer)
• ResourceQuestion - Links to calendar_resource_questions
• EventResourceRequest - Links to calendar_event_resource_requests

calendar_event_times_relationshipsCopy Anchor Link

Links event times to related entities (event instances).

calendar_event_instances_relationshipsCopy Anchor Link

Links event instances to event times, resource bookings, and tags.

Common relationship types:

• Event - Links to calendar_events
• EventTime - Links to calendar_event_times
• ResourceBooking - Links to calendar_resource_bookings
• Tag - Links to calendar_tags

calendar_event_resource_requests_relationshipsCopy Anchor Link

Links resource requests to answers and bookings.

Common relationship types:

• ResourceBooking - Links to calendar_resource_bookings
• EventResourceAnswer - Links to calendar_event_resource_answers

calendar_events_relationshipsCopy Anchor Link

Links events to tags, attachments, and other related entities.

Common relationship types:

• Tag - Links to calendar_tags
• Attachment - Links to calendar_attachments
• Owner - Links to calendar_people

calendar_feeds_relationshipsCopy Anchor Link

Links feeds to related entities (event owners).

calendar_people_relationshipsCopy Anchor Link

Links people to related entities.

calendar_required_approvals_relationshipsCopy Anchor Link

Links required approvals to related entities (approval groups, resources).

calendar_resource_approval_groups_relationshipsCopy Anchor Link

Links approval groups to related entities (people, resources).

calendar_resource_folders_relationshipsCopy Anchor Link

Links resource folders to related entities.

calendar_resource_questions_relationshipsCopy Anchor Link

Links resource questions to related entities (resources).

calendar_resource_suggestions_relationshipsCopy Anchor Link

Links resource suggestions to related entities (resources, room setups).

calendar_resource_bookings_relationshipsCopy Anchor Link

Links resource bookings to related entities (events, instances, requests, resources).

Common relationship types:

• Event - Links to calendar_events
• EventInstance - Links to calendar_event_instances
• EventResourceRequest - Links to calendar_event_resource_requests
• Resource - Links to calendar_resources

calendar_resources_relationshipsCopy Anchor Link

Links resources to approval groups, questions, and room setups.

Common relationship types:

• ResourceApprovalGroup - Links to calendar_resource_approval_groups
• ResourceQuestion - Links to calendar_resource_questions
• RoomSetup - Links to calendar_room_setups

calendar_room_setups_relationshipsCopy Anchor Link

Links room setups to related entities (containing resource, associated room setup).

calendar_tag_groups_relationshipsCopy Anchor Link

Links tag groups to their tags (relationship_type = 'Tag'). To find the events in a tag group, join through the event's own tags in calendar_events_relationships.

calendar_tags_relationshipsCopy Anchor Link

Links tags to related entities (tag groups).

System FieldsCopy Anchor Link

All tables include these system fields for data management:

• tenant_organization_id - Multi-tenant organization identifier
• system_status - Data lifecycle status:
  • transferring - Being imported from Planning Center
  • active - Current active data
  • stale - Marked for removal
• system_created_at - When record was created in Parable
• system_updated_at - When record was last updated in Parable

Common Query PatternsCopy Anchor Link

Getting Events with TagsCopy Anchor Link

-- CORRECT: Schema prefix included, no manual RLS filters
SELECT
    e.*,
    STRING_AGG(t.name, ', ') as tags
FROM planning_center.calendar_events e
LEFT JOIN planning_center.calendar_events_relationships er
    ON e.event_id = er.event_id
    AND er.relationship_type = 'Tag'
LEFT JOIN planning_center.calendar_tags t
    ON er.relationship_id = t.tag_id
GROUP BY e.id, e.event_id;

Finding Available ResourcesCopy Anchor Link

SELECT r.*
FROM planning_center.calendar_resources r
WHERE NOT EXISTS (
        SELECT 1
        FROM planning_center.calendar_resource_bookings rb
        JOIN planning_center.calendar_resource_bookings_relationships rbr
            ON rbr.resource_booking_id = rb.resource_booking_id AND rbr.relationship_type = 'Resource'
        WHERE rbr.relationship_id = r.resource_id
            AND rb.starts_at < (CURRENT_DATE + TIME '14:00')
            AND rb.ends_at > (CURRENT_DATE + TIME '12:00')
    );

Detecting Booking ConflictsCopy Anchor Link

WITH resource_bookings AS MATERIALIZED (
    SELECT
        rb.resource_booking_id,
        rb.starts_at,
        rb.ends_at,
        rbr.relationship_id AS resource_id
    FROM planning_center.calendar_resource_bookings rb
    JOIN planning_center.calendar_resource_bookings_relationships rbr
        ON rbr.resource_booking_id = rb.resource_booking_id
        AND rbr.relationship_type = 'Resource'
)
SELECT
    rb1.resource_booking_id as booking1,
    rb2.resource_booking_id as booking2,
    r.name as resource_name
FROM resource_bookings rb1
JOIN resource_bookings rb2
    ON rb1.resource_id = rb2.resource_id
    AND rb1.resource_booking_id < rb2.resource_booking_id
    AND rb1.starts_at < rb2.ends_at
    AND rb1.ends_at > rb2.starts_at
JOIN planning_center.calendar_resources r ON r.resource_id = rb1.resource_id;

Today's ScheduleCopy Anchor Link

SELECT
    e.name as event_name,
    ei.starts_at,
    ei.ends_at,
    ei.location
FROM planning_center.calendar_event_instances ei
JOIN planning_center.calendar_event_instances_relationships eir
    ON eir.event_instance_id = ei.event_instance_id AND eir.relationship_type = 'Event'
JOIN planning_center.calendar_events e ON e.event_id = eir.relationship_id
WHERE (
    DATE(ei.starts_at) = CURRENT_DATE
    OR (ei.all_day_event = true
        AND DATE(ei.starts_at) <= CURRENT_DATE
        AND DATE(ei.ends_at) >= CURRENT_DATE)
)
ORDER BY ei.starts_at;

Data Integrity RulesCopy Anchor Link

1. Schema Qualification: Always use planning_center. prefix for all table references
2. Row Level Security: RLS automatically handles multi-tenancy and status filtering - do not add manual filters
3. Monetary Values: Resource fee and cost columns are stored in cents - divide by 100.0 for display
4. Time Windows: Use starts_at/ends_at comparisons and the all_day_event flag rather than relying on system_status
5. Relationship Tables: All inter-entity links are stored in *_relationships tables — never in direct columns on the entity tables

Common Mistakes to AvoidCopy Anchor Link

1. Missing Schema Prefix

   • ❌ FROM calendar_events
   • ✅ FROM planning_center.calendar_events

2. Adding Redundant RLS Filters

   • ❌ WHERE tenant_organization_id = 1 AND system_status = 'active'
   • ✅ Trust RLS to handle this automatically

3. Joining Without Schema

   • ❌ JOIN calendar_resource_bookings rb ON ...
   • ✅ JOIN planning_center.calendar_resource_bookings rb ON ...

4. Using the wrong parent column in relationship tables

   • ❌ WHERE event_resource_request_id = ... in calendar_event_resource_requests_relationships
   • ✅ WHERE event_resource_request_id = ... (the live column is event_resource_request_id)

5. Using the wrong parent column in eventinstances relationship table

   • ❌ WHERE event_instance_id = ... in calendar_event_instances_relationships
   • ✅ WHERE event_instance_id = ... (the live column is event_instance_id)

Performance ConsiderationsCopy Anchor Link

1. Indexes: All tables have optimized indexes on:

   • Primary keys and entity IDs
   • Join columns and foreign keys
   • Date columns for time-based queries

2. Query Optimization:

   • Always use the planning_center. schema prefix
   • RLS handles tenant and status filtering automatically
   • Filter by approval or conflict flags when relevant
   • Consider CTEs for complex hierarchical queries
   • Use relationship tables for all cross-entity joins

Data Types and ConventionsCopy Anchor Link

Approval StatusesCopy Anchor Link

• A - Approved
• P - Pending approval
• R - Rejected
• NULL - No approval required

Resource Types (kind)Copy Anchor Link

• Room - Physical spaces
• Resource - Other bookable items (equipment, etc.)

All-Day EventsCopy Anchor Link

• all_day_event = true indicates full-day events
• Check date portions of starts_at and ends_at
• May span multiple days

Recurrence PatternsCopy Anchor Link

• recurrence holds a single keyword, not an iCal RRULE: 'None', 'Daily', 'Weekly', 'Monthly', 'Yearly', 'CustomDates', 'YearMonth', or 'MonthDay'. It is never NULL — filter with recurrence <> 'None' to select recurring events
• Human-readable detail (days, times, start and end dates) is in recurrence_description, also never NULL
• Each occurrence is a separate event_instance

Next StepsCopy Anchor Link

• Start with Basic Queries for simple examples
• Progress to Advanced Queries for complex analysis
• Use Reporting Examples for production reports
• Return to Overview for overview