Planning Center Groups Data Model

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

OverviewCopy Anchor Link

The Groups module contains 18 entity tables and 10 relationship tables supporting small groups, classes, teams, group events, attendance tracking, enrollment management, and event RSVPs.

Visual Data ModelCopy Anchor Link

Core Entity RelationshipsCopy Anchor Link

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Key Relationships ExplainedCopy Anchor Link

Group Structure:

• GROUP_TYPE categorizes groups (small groups, classes, teams, etc.)
• GROUPs are organized by type with flexible hierarchies
• MEMBERSHIPs link people to groups with roles (member, leader, owner)

Enrollment Process:

• ENROLLMENT tracks join requests and approvals
• Separate from MEMBERSHIP to handle pending/requested states
• Once approved, becomes an active MEMBERSHIP

Event Management:

• Groups host EVENTs (meetings, activities, gatherings)
• ATTENDANCE tracks who actually attended
• RSVPs track who plans to attend
• EVENT_NOTEs provide additional context

Generic Relationship Pattern:

• Location association via groups_groups_relationships (relationship_type: Location)
• Campus linkage via groups_groups_relationships (relationship_type: Campus)
• Resource assignments via groups_groups_relationships

Tagging System:

• TAG_GROUPs organize related tags
• TAGs enable flexible categorization across groups
• Applied via relationship tables

Query RequirementsCopy Anchor Link

Schema PrefixCopy Anchor Link

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

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

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

• groups_groups - Small groups, classes, and teams
• groups_people - People who can join groups
• groups_memberships - Connections between people and groups
• groups_events - Group meetings and gatherings
• groups_attendances - Event attendance records
• groups_rsvps - Event RSVP responses from group members
• groups_group_types - Categories for organizing groups
• groups_locations - Physical meeting places
• groups_enrollments - Sign-up and registration management

Supporting Entity TablesCopy Anchor Link

• groups_campuses - Campus locations
• groups_campus_groups - Links between campuses and groups
• groups_event_notes - Notes for events
• groups_group_applications - Applications to join groups
• groups_organizations - Organization settings
• groups_owners - Group ownership information
• groups_resources - Group resources
• groups_tags - Labels for group characteristics
• groups_tag_groups - Tag groupings
• groups_group_tags - Which tags are applied to which groups

Relationship TablesCopy Anchor Link

• groups_groups_relationships - Links groups to other entities
• groups_memberships_relationships - Links memberships to related entities
• groups_events_relationships - Links events to related entities
• groups_attendances_relationships - Links attendances to related entities
• groups_rsvps_relationships - Links RSVPs to events, groups, and people
• groups_enrollments_relationships - Links enrollments to related entities
• groups_group_applications_relationships - Links applications to related entities
• groups_event_notes_relationships - Links event notes to related entities
• groups_resources_relationships - Links resources to related entities
• groups_tags_relationships - Links tags to related entities

Table DefinitionsCopy Anchor Link

groups_groupsCopy Anchor Link

Small groups, classes, teams, and other group entities.

groups_peopleCopy Anchor Link

People who can participate in groups.

groups_membershipsCopy Anchor Link

Connections between people and groups with roles.

Note: Group and person associations are stored in the groups_memberships_relationships table (relationship_type: Group, Person). Use that table to join memberships to groups or people.

groups_eventsCopy Anchor Link

Group meetings, gatherings, and activities.

groups_attendancesCopy Anchor Link

Records of who attended which events.

Note: Event and person associations are stored in the groups_attendances_relationships table (relationship_type: Event, Person). Use that table to join attendances to events or people.

groups_rsvpsCopy Anchor Link

RSVP responses for group events, tracking whether people plan to attend.

Note: RSVPs are linked to Events, Groups, and People through the groups_rsvps_relationships table. Use relationship joins to access the event, group, or person associated with each RSVP.

groups_group_typesCopy Anchor Link

Categories for organizing and configuring groups.

groups_locationsCopy Anchor Link

Physical locations where groups meet.

groups_enrollmentsCopy Anchor Link

Group enrollment and registration management.

groups_tagsCopy Anchor Link

Labels for categorizing and filtering groups.

groups_tag_groupsCopy Anchor Link

Groupings for organizing tags.

groups_campusesCopy Anchor Link

Campus locations for multi-site organizations.

groups_group_applicationsCopy Anchor Link

Applications to join groups requiring approval.

groups_event_notesCopy Anchor Link

Notes and annotations for events.

Note: Event and person associations are stored in the groups_event_notes_relationships table. Use that table to join event notes to events or people.

groups_organizationsCopy Anchor Link

Organization configuration and settings.

groups_ownersCopy Anchor Link

Group ownership and management information.

groups_resourcesCopy Anchor Link

Resources associated with groups.

Note: Group type associations are stored in the groups_resources_relationships table. Use that table to join resources to group types.

groups_campus_groupsCopy Anchor Link

Links between campuses and groups.

groups_group_tagsCopy Anchor Link

Which tags are applied to which groups. This is the only table that answers "does this group carry this tag" — groups_tags_relationships links a tag to its TagGroup, not to a group.

Join groups_groups and groups_tags on tenant_organization_id and system_integration_id alongside the ID columns; the same Planning Center ID can belong to a different source instance.

Tag coverage is not guaranteed to exist yet. Check groups_group_tag_coverage_view for every source instance in the query before reading an absent row as "this group has no tags": complete = false, or no coverage row at all, means the classification is unavailable rather than empty.

Relationship TablesCopy Anchor Link

groups_groups_relationshipsCopy Anchor Link

Links groups to related entities like types, locations, and enrollments. It does not carry tag or campus membership: use groups_group_tags for tags and groups_campus_groups for campuses.

Common relationship types:

• GroupType - Links to groups_group_types
• Location - Links to groups_locations
• Enrollment - Links to groups_enrollments

groups_memberships_relationshipsCopy Anchor Link

Links memberships to additional related entities.

Common relationship types:

• Group - Links to groups_groups
• Person - Links to groups_people

groups_events_relationshipsCopy Anchor Link

Links events to groups and locations.

Common relationship types:

• Group - Links to groups_groups
• Location - Links to groups_locations

groups_attendances_relationshipsCopy Anchor Link

Links attendance records to events and people.

Common relationship types:

• Event - Links to groups_events
• Person - Links to groups_people

groups_rsvps_relationshipsCopy Anchor Link

Links RSVPs to their associated events, groups, and people.

Common relationship types:

• Event - Links to groups_events
• Group - Links to groups_groups
• Person - Links to groups_people

groups_enrollments_relationshipsCopy Anchor Link

Links enrollments to related entities.

Common relationship types:

• Group - Links to groups_groups
• Person - Links to groups_people

groups_group_applications_relationshipsCopy Anchor Link

Links group applications to related entities.

Common relationship types:

• Group - Links to groups_groups
• Person - Links to groups_people

groups_event_notes_relationshipsCopy Anchor Link

Links event notes to related entities like events and people.

Common relationship types:

• Event - Links to groups_events
• Person - Links to groups_people

groups_resources_relationshipsCopy Anchor Link

Links resources to related entities like group types.

Common relationship types:

• GroupType - Links to groups_group_types

groups_tags_relationshipsCopy Anchor Link

Links tags to related entities like tag groups.

Common relationship types:

• TagGroup - Links to groups_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

Finding a Person's GroupsCopy Anchor Link

SELECT
    g.name as group_name,
    g.description,
    m.role,
    m.joined_at
FROM planning_center.groups_memberships_relationships mr_person
JOIN planning_center.groups_memberships m
    ON m.membership_id = mr_person.membership_id
JOIN planning_center.groups_memberships_relationships mr_group
    ON mr_group.membership_id = m.membership_id AND mr_group.relationship_type = 'Group'
JOIN planning_center.groups_groups g
    ON g.group_id = mr_group.relationship_id
WHERE mr_person.relationship_type = 'Person'
    AND mr_person.relationship_id = 'PERSON_ID'
    AND g.archived_at IS NULL
ORDER BY m.joined_at DESC;

Getting Group Members with RolesCopy Anchor Link

SELECT
    g.name as group_name,
    p.person_id,
    m.role,
    m.joined_at
FROM planning_center.groups_groups g
JOIN planning_center.groups_memberships_relationships mr
    ON mr.relationship_id = g.group_id AND mr.relationship_type = 'Group'
JOIN planning_center.groups_memberships m
    ON m.membership_id = mr.membership_id
JOIN planning_center.groups_memberships_relationships mr_person
    ON mr_person.membership_id = m.membership_id AND mr_person.relationship_type = 'Person'
JOIN planning_center.groups_people p
    ON p.person_id = mr_person.relationship_id
WHERE g.group_id = 'GROUP_ID'
ORDER BY m.role DESC, m.joined_at;

Finding Events for a GroupCopy Anchor Link

SELECT
    e.name as event_name,
    e.starts_at,
    e.ends_at,
    e.location_type_preference,
    e.canceled
FROM planning_center.groups_events e
JOIN planning_center.groups_events_relationships er
    ON e.event_id = er.event_id
    AND er.relationship_type = 'Group'
WHERE er.relationship_id = 'GROUP_ID'
    AND e.starts_at >= CURRENT_DATE
ORDER BY e.starts_at;

Tracking Event AttendanceCopy Anchor Link

SELECT
    e.name as event_name,
    e.starts_at,
    COUNT(CASE WHEN a.attended = true THEN 1 END) as attended_count,
    COUNT(DISTINCT a.attendance_id) as total_invited
FROM planning_center.groups_events e
LEFT JOIN planning_center.groups_attendances_relationships ar
    ON ar.relationship_type = 'Event' AND ar.relationship_id = e.event_id
LEFT JOIN planning_center.groups_attendances a
    ON a.attendance_id = ar.attendance_id
GROUP BY e.event_id, e.name, e.starts_at
ORDER BY e.starts_at DESC;

Event RSVPs SummaryCopy Anchor Link

SELECT
    e.name as event_name,
    e.starts_at,
    COUNT(CASE WHEN r.response = 'yes' THEN 1 END) as yes_count,
    COUNT(CASE WHEN r.response = 'no' THEN 1 END) as no_count,
    COUNT(CASE WHEN r.response = 'maybe' THEN 1 END) as maybe_count,
    -- Most RSVP rows are still 'awaiting_response'; count them so the
    -- buckets add up to the total.
    COUNT(CASE WHEN r.response = 'awaiting_response' THEN 1 END) as awaiting_count,
    COUNT(CASE WHEN r.response = 'not_sent' THEN 1 END) as not_sent_count,
    COUNT(*) as total_rsvps
FROM planning_center.groups_events e
JOIN planning_center.groups_rsvps_relationships er
    ON e.event_id = er.relationship_id
    AND er.relationship_type = 'Event'
JOIN planning_center.groups_rsvps r
    ON er.rsvp_id = r.rsvp_id
WHERE e.starts_at >= CURRENT_DATE
GROUP BY e.event_id, e.name, e.starts_at
ORDER BY e.starts_at;

Finding RSVPs for a PersonCopy Anchor Link

SELECT
    e.name as event_name,
    e.starts_at,
    g.name as group_name,
    r.response
FROM planning_center.groups_rsvps r
JOIN planning_center.groups_rsvps_relationships er
    ON r.rsvp_id = er.rsvp_id
    AND er.relationship_type = 'Event'
JOIN planning_center.groups_events e
    ON er.relationship_id = e.event_id
JOIN planning_center.groups_rsvps_relationships gr
    ON r.rsvp_id = gr.rsvp_id
    AND gr.relationship_type = 'Group'
JOIN planning_center.groups_groups g
    ON gr.relationship_id = g.group_id
JOIN planning_center.groups_rsvps_relationships pr
    ON r.rsvp_id = pr.rsvp_id
    AND pr.relationship_type = 'Person'
WHERE pr.relationship_id = 'PERSON_ID'
    AND e.starts_at >= CURRENT_DATE
ORDER BY e.starts_at;

Groups by TypeCopy Anchor Link

SELECT
    gt.name as group_type,
    COUNT(DISTINCT g.group_id) as group_count,
    SUM(g.memberships_count) as total_members
FROM planning_center.groups_group_types gt
LEFT JOIN planning_center.groups_groups_relationships gr
    ON gt.group_type_id = gr.relationship_id
    AND gr.relationship_type = 'GroupType'
LEFT JOIN planning_center.groups_groups g
    ON gr.group_id = g.group_id
    AND g.archived_at IS NULL
GROUP BY gt.group_type_id, gt.name, gt.position
ORDER BY gt.position;

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: Group event fees or donations stored in cents should be divided by 100.0 for display
4. Archived Groups: Use archived_at IS NULL or archived_at comparisons to control visibility instead of checking system_status
5. Direct ID Columns: Core tables such as groups_groups and groups_memberships expose direct IDs for performance-sensitive joins

Common Mistakes to AvoidCopy Anchor Link

1. Missing Schema Prefix

   • ❌ FROM groups_groups
   • ✅ FROM planning_center.groups_groups

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 groups_memberships m ON ...
   • ✅ JOIN planning_center.groups_memberships m ON ...

4. Reaching Group Tags Through a Relationship Table

   • ❌ JOIN planning_center.groups_tags_relationships tr ON tr.relationship_id = g.group_id
   • ❌ JOIN planning_center.groups_groups_relationships r ON r.group_id = g.group_id AND r.relationship_type = 'Tag'
   • ✅ JOIN planning_center.groups_group_tags gt ON gt.group_id = g.group_id AND gt.system_integration_id = g.system_integration_id
   • groups_tags_relationships links a tag to its TagGroup, never to a group, and the sync never emits a Tag row into groups_groups_relationships; both return zero rows and read as "no tagged groups"

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 archived groups or attendance flags when relevant
   • Consider CTEs for complex multi-join queries
   • Join through the *_relationships tables — entity tables carry no foreign-key columns

Data Types and ConventionsCopy Anchor Link

Location PreferencesCopy Anchor Link

• physical - In-person meetings
• virtual - Online meetings

RolesCopy Anchor Link

• member - Regular group member
• leader - Group leader with additional permissions

RSVP ResponsesCopy Anchor Link

• yes - Person plans to attend
• no - Person will not attend
• maybe - Person is undecided

Application StatusCopy Anchor Link

• pending - Awaiting review
• approved - Accepted into group
• rejected - Not accepted

Next StepsCopy Anchor Link

• Return to Overview for high-level understanding
• Review Basic Queries for simple examples
• Check Advanced Queries for complex analysis
• See Reporting Examples for production-ready reports