Getting Started with MarketingSoda Refine™
Learn how to connect your HubSpot account and get your free database health scan in minutes.
Table of Contents
- Overview
- Requirements
- Step 1: Connect Your HubSpot Account
- Step 2: Wait for Your Scan
- Step 3: Unlock Your Report
- Step 4: Review Your Report
- Understanding Your Grades
- Data and Privacy
- Running Another Scan
- Frequently Asked Questions
Overview
MarketingSoda Refine's free database health scan analyzes your HubSpot contacts and gives you an overall A–F grade across seven data quality dimensions. In minutes, you'll know exactly where your database is strong and where it needs attention — no credit card required.
Your report includes:
- An overall health score with a letter grade (A through F)
- A grade distribution showing how your contacts break down by quality
- Scores across seven dimensions: completeness, accuracy, freshness, validity, consistency, uniqueness, and enrichment coverage
- A list of top issues found, ranked by severity
- Actionable recommendations to improve your data quality
Requirements
Before you start, make sure you have:
- A HubSpot account — any tier works (Free, Starter, Professional, or Enterprise)
- Admin or Super Admin access — you'll need this to authorize the OAuth connection
- A modern web browser — Chrome, Firefox, Safari, or Edge
That's it. No installation, no API keys, no technical setup.
Step 1: Connect Your HubSpot Account
- Navigate to /audit on the MarketingSoda Refine website
- Click the "Connect Your HubSpot" button
- You'll be redirected to HubSpot's authorization page
- Review the permissions and click "Connect app"
MarketingSoda Refine requests read-only access to the following HubSpot scopes:
| Scope | What It Accesses | Permission Level |
|---|---|---|
crm.objects.contacts.read | Contact records | Read-only |
crm.objects.companies.read | Company records | Read-only |
crm.objects.deals.read | Deal records | Read-only |
We never modify, delete, or write to your HubSpot data. The connection is strictly read-only.
Step 2: Wait for Your Scan
After connecting, you'll see a real-time progress screen. The scan goes through several phases:
- Connecting — establishing the connection to your HubSpot portal
- Reading contacts — pulling your contact records for analysis
- Scoring — evaluating each record across all seven quality dimensions
- Generating report — compiling your results into a comprehensive health report
- Saving — storing your encrypted report for retrieval
A typical scan takes 1 to 3 minutes, depending on the size of your database. Larger databases with 100K+ contacts may take slightly longer.
Step 3: Unlock Your Report
Once the scan is complete, you'll see a preview of your overall grade. To access the full report, enter your details:
- First name and last name
- Work email address (personal email addresses are not accepted)
- Company name
This information is used to create your MarketingSoda Refine account and deliver your report. We never share your information with third parties for their own marketing purposes.
Step 4: Review Your Report
Your full report includes several sections:
Overall Health Score
A single letter grade (A through F) representing the overall quality of your HubSpot database, along with the total number of contacts analyzed.
Grade Distribution
A breakdown showing how many of your contacts fall into each grade category (A, B, C, D, F). This helps you understand whether quality issues are isolated or widespread.
Seven Dimension Breakdown
Each dimension receives its own score from 0 to 100:
- Completeness — are key fields filled in?
- Accuracy — is the data correct and current?
- Freshness — when was it last updated or enriched?
- Validity — are values in the correct format?
- Consistency — does data match across related records?
- Uniqueness — are there duplicate contacts?
- Enrichment Coverage — how many records have been enriched with external data?
Top Issues
A prioritized list of the most impactful data quality problems found in your database, ranked by severity (High, Medium, Low) and the number of contacts affected.
Recommendations
Actionable steps you can take to improve your data quality score, ordered by impact.
Understanding Your Grades
MarketingSoda Refine uses a familiar A–F grading scale:
| Grade | Score Range | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| A | 90–100 | Excellent — your data is in great shape |
| B | 80–89 | Good — minor issues to address |
| C | 70–79 | Fair — noticeable quality gaps that may affect campaigns |
| D | 60–69 | Poor — significant issues that are likely hurting performance |
| F | 0–59 | Failing — critical problems that need immediate attention |
Dimension Definitions
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Completeness measures whether key contact fields (name, email, company, job title, etc.) are filled in. Missing fields limit your ability to segment and personalize.
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Accuracy evaluates whether the data in those fields is correct and current. Outdated job titles, wrong company names, and invalid email addresses all lower this score.
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Freshness looks at when records were last updated or enriched. B2B contact data decays at approximately 34% per year, so records that haven't been touched in months are likely stale.
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Validity checks whether field values are in the correct format. For example, phone numbers should follow standard formats, and email addresses should be syntactically valid.
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Consistency examines whether related records agree with each other. If a contact's company field doesn't match their associated company record, that's a consistency issue.
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Uniqueness identifies duplicate contacts in your database. Duplicates waste marketing spend and create confusion for sales teams.
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Enrichment Coverage measures how many of your contacts have been enriched with data from external sources. Low enrichment coverage means you're working with incomplete profiles.
Data and Privacy
We take your data security seriously:
- Read-only access — we never modify, delete, or write to your HubSpot data
- No raw data stored — your contact data is analyzed in real-time and never persisted on our servers
- Encrypted sessions — scan sessions use encryption and expire after 10 minutes for security
- Disconnect anytime — revoke access from HubSpot Settings > Integrations > Connected Apps > MarketingSoda Refine > Remove
- GDPR compliant — fully compliant with GDPR and data protection regulations
For full details, see our Privacy Policy.
Running Another Scan
Reports are generated in real-time and are not permanently stored. To get an updated grade:
- Navigate to /audit
- Connect your HubSpot account (or reconnect if your session has expired)
- Wait for the scan to complete
- Enter your details to unlock the new report
You can run scans as often as you like. We recommend re-scanning after making data quality improvements to track your progress.
Frequently Asked Questions
What HubSpot tiers are supported?
All tiers — Free, Starter, Professional, and Enterprise. The scan works with any HubSpot account that has contacts.
How long does the scan take?
Most scans complete in 1 to 3 minutes. Larger databases with 100K+ contacts may take slightly longer.
Can I scan multiple HubSpot portals?
Yes. Disconnect from one portal and connect to another to scan a different account. Each scan is independent.
Is my data safe?
Yes. We use read-only access, never store your raw contact data, and encrypt all scan sessions. Sessions expire after 10 minutes. See our Privacy Policy for full details.
What does each grade mean?
Grades range from A (excellent, 90–100) to F (failing, 0–59). Each grade reflects the overall quality of your database across seven dimensions. See the Understanding Your Grades section above for details.
Do I need to install anything?
No. MarketingSoda Refine is a web application. Just visit /audit, connect your HubSpot account, and get your report.
How do I disconnect MarketingSoda Refine from HubSpot?
Go to your HubSpot Settings > Integrations > Connected Apps, find MarketingSoda Refine, and click Remove. This immediately revokes all access.