Data Not Syncing
It's Monday morning, you open Vitals, and last Sunday's numbers aren't there. Don't worry — this is almost always a quick fix.
Before You Troubleshoot: When Does Data Actually Show Up?
Different integrations have different timing, and sometimes the data just hasn't arrived yet. Here's what to expect:
Data usually shows up by Monday at 6:00 AM your local time. If it's still Sunday night or very early Monday morning, everything is probably fine — just give it a few more hours.
YouTube can take up to 48 hours because Google processes video stats slowly on their end. If your livestream was yesterday, check back tomorrow before troubleshooting.
Website visitor data typically arrives within 24 hours, though some metrics can take a bit longer during busy traffic periods.
If you're within these windows, sit tight — your data is likely on its way. If it's past these timeframes, keep reading.
Quick Decision Tree: Find Your Fix Fast
Work through these steps in order. Most sync issues are resolved by step 2.
Is the integration still connected?
Go to Settings → Integrations. Each integration should show a green “Connected” badge. If you see “Disconnected” or a red error, that's your problem — click Reconnect and follow the prompts. This is the #1 cause of missing data.
If it says “Connected” — try a manual sync
Click into the integration and hit the Sync Now button. This tells Vitals to go grab your data right now instead of waiting for the scheduled window. Give it a few minutes, then refresh your dashboard.
Still nothing? Check the sync logs
On the integration detail page, click View Logs. Look for any red “Error” entries — these will tell you exactly what went wrong. Common errors include permission issues or expired connections.
Logs show an error? Disconnect and reconnect
Go to the integration settings, click Disconnect, wait a moment, then click Connect again. This refreshes the connection between Vitals and the service. You won't lose any historical data — this just re-establishes the link.
None of that worked? Reach out to us
Email support@vitals.church with the details listed at the bottom of this page. We'll get it sorted for you.
Planning Center Not Syncing
Planning Center is by far the most common integration, so let's walk through the specific things that can go wrong.
- 1
Check that the connection is alive
Go to Settings → Integrations → Planning Center. You should see a green “Connected” status. If it says “Disconnected,” click Reconnect and sign in with your Planning Center account. This re-establishes the connection between Vitals and Planning Center.
- 2
Make sure the right person connected it
The Planning Center account used to connect needs Viewer access or higher on Check-Ins, Giving, and Groups. If your worship pastor connected it with an account that only has access to Services, Vitals won't be able to pull attendance or giving data. Your church's Planning Center admin can check and adjust permissions at Planning Center → Settings → People & Permissions.
- 3
Did someone change passwords or security settings recently?
If your Planning Center admin recently changed passwords, enabled two-factor authentication, or revoked third-party app access, the connection between Vitals and Planning Center may have been broken. The fix is simple: just reconnect the integration. This is the most common cause of “it was working fine and suddenly stopped.”
- 4
Try a manual sync
On the Planning Center integration page, click Sync Now. This bypasses the scheduled Monday morning sync and pulls your data immediately. It usually takes 1–5 minutes. You'll see a “Last synced” timestamp update when it's done.
Real-world example: A church called us because their giving data stopped showing up mid-January. Turns out, their executive pastor's Planning Center account (which was used to connect Vitals) had been downgraded to “Viewer” on Giving during an annual permissions audit. Once they restored the access and reconnected, everything synced perfectly.
YouTube Not Syncing
YouTube data works a bit differently than Planning Center because Google controls the timing. Here's what to check.
Remember: YouTube data can take up to 48 hours
After your livestream ends, YouTube doesn't finalize view counts right away. Google processes video stats slowly on their end, and there's nothing we (or anyone) can do to speed that up. If your stream was yesterday, give it another day before troubleshooting.
Was the livestream set to “Public”?
YouTube only shares view counts for public videos. If your stream was set to “Unlisted” or “Private,” Vitals can't see it. Check your YouTube Studio settings for that stream. If it was unlisted, you can change it to public and Vitals will pick it up on the next sync.
Is the right channel selected?
Go to Settings → Integrations → YouTube and make sure the channel listed is your church's main YouTube channel. Some churches have multiple channels (maybe one for the main campus and one for the youth ministry) or a “Brand Account” that's separate from the personal account. Double-check you connected the right one.
The Google account connection may have expired
Google occasionally requires apps to re-verify their connection. If your YouTube integration suddenly stops working after months of being fine, try disconnecting and reconnecting. Sign in with the Google account that owns your church's YouTube channel.
Tip for multi-campus churches: If you stream from multiple YouTube channels (one per campus), you'll need to connect each channel separately in Vitals. Go to Settings → Integrations and add each YouTube channel for the appropriate campus.
Google Analytics Not Syncing
If your website visitor numbers aren't appearing in Vitals, here are the most common reasons.
Make sure you connected the right property
When you set up the Google Analytics integration, you chose a specific “property” (that's Google's word for a website). If your church has multiple websites or recently migrated to a new one, make sure the property in Vitals matches your current church website.
Check that Google Analytics is actually installed on your website
Vitals pulls data from Google Analytics, but Google Analytics has to be installed on your church website first. If your website was recently redesigned or moved to a new platform, the tracking code might have been accidentally removed. Ask whoever manages your website to confirm the Google Analytics tag is still in place.
The Google connection may need to be refreshed
Just like YouTube, Google Analytics uses the same type of Google account connection. If it stops working, try disconnecting and reconnecting the integration in Settings → Integrations → Google Analytics.
How to Trigger a Manual Sync
You don't have to wait for the scheduled sync. You can tell Vitals to go grab your data right now:
- 1Go to Settings → Integrations
- 2Click on the integration you want to sync (e.g., Planning Center)
- 3Click the Sync Now button
- 4Wait 1–5 minutes, then refresh your dashboard
The page will show a “Last synced” timestamp when it's complete. If the sync finishes but your data still isn't there, check the sync logs for error messages.
Understanding Sync Logs
Sync logs are like a diary of every time Vitals tried to pull data from your integrations. They're the fastest way to figure out exactly what's going wrong.
To view your sync logs:
- 1Go to Settings → Integrations
- 2Click on the integration name
- 3Select View Logs
What you'll see:
- Green entries= successful syncs. These show the date, how many records were imported, and when it happened.
- Red entries= errors. These include a description of what went wrong. Common ones include “Authentication expired” (reconnect the integration) and “Permission denied” (check your account permissions).
If you see an error message you don't understand, just copy it and include it in your email to us. It helps us diagnose the issue much faster.
Tried Everything? Let Us Help
If you've worked through the steps above and your data still isn't showing up, we're here to help. Email us at support@vitals.church and include the following so we can jump right into fixing it:
- Which integration is affected (Planning Center, YouTube, Google Analytics, etc.)
- What data is missing and for which date(s) — e.g., “Sunday March 16 attendance didn't show up”
- Whether you tried a manual sync (and what happened)
- A screenshot of your sync logs if you see any red error entries
We typically respond within a few hours during business days. If it's urgent (like your board meeting is tomorrow morning), mention that in the subject line and we'll prioritize it.
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Still have questions? Email us at support@vitals.church — we usually reply within a few hours.