Building fundamentals
Course overview
Pulling data
Transforming data
Exporting data & dashboards
Exporting data &
dashboards
Bonus lessons
Pulling data
Transforming data
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Course overview
Pulling data
Transforming data
Exporting data & dashboards
Bonus lessons
Thank you! Your submission has been received!
Oops! Something went wrong while submitting the form.
Pulling data - bonus lesson

Pulling from emails

One of the most common methods for pulling data into Parabola is via email. This method is incredibly useful when working with third-party vendors, carriers, and other partners who send data in formats that don’t map directly to your internal structure and also when working with systems that support sending out automated email reports.

This step supports CSV, PDF, Excel, and JSON files, plus it allows you to pull in email subjects, bodies, file names, and information about the sender. 

How to use the step

  1. Drag a Pull from inbound email step onto the canvas. Every Flow comes with a dedicated email address: Open the Pull from inbound email step to access the address for your Flow. 
  2. Send an attachment to your dedicated email address.
  3. Click the Refresh data button to pull your file into the Flow. Note: It can take up to a minute for your file to Flow into Parabola. 

Pro tip

  • Once you’re ready to fully automate your process, you can set up an auto-forwarding rule to have emails automatically Flow into Parabola. 
  • Many systems allow you to automatically export a CSV report on a recurring schedule. You can have that auto-exported CSV Flow directly into Parabola. 

Visit our support docs to learn more about the step. 

Next lesson

Pulling Data from Emails in Parabola

One of the most common ways to bring data into Parabola is by pulling data from an email or an email attachment. This method is especially useful when working with:
✅ Third-party vendors, carriers, or partners who send reports in inconsistent formats.
✅ Systems without an open API but that allow scheduled CSV exports (e.g., daily reports at 8 AM).

How the "Pull from Inbound Email" Step Works

Each Parabola flow has a designated email address that can receive emails and attachments. When a file is received, the flow automatically runs, processing the new data.

Getting Started: Testing Your Setup

  1. Manually send an email with a CSV attachment to your unique Parabola email address.
  2. Wait about a minute, then click Refresh Data in Parabola.
  3. Watch the data flow into your workflow.

Automating with Email Forwarding

To fully automate the process:

  • Set up an auto-forwarding rule in Gmail (or your email provider).
  • Configure it to forward specific emails based on:
    • Sender address
    • Subject line or keywords
  • When an email meets the criteria, it will be automatically forwarded to Parabola, triggering the flow.

Beyond CSVs: Handling Excel & PDFs

In addition to CSV attachments, Parabola can also process:
✅ Excel files
✅ PDF documents (covered in the next video)

Try It Yourself!

Test the Pull from Inbound Email step in the building challenge below, and let us know if you have any questions! 🚀

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