# Getting started with the Structural free trial

If you are a user who wants to set up an account in an existing Tonic Structural Cloud or self-hosted organization, go to [user-access-new-account](https://docs.tonic.ai/app/admin/tonic-user-access/user-access-new-account "mention").

## About the Structural free trial <a href="#free-trial-about" id="free-trial-about"></a>

The Structural 14-day free trial allows you to explore and experiment in Structural Cloud before you decide whether to purchase Structural.

When you sign up for a free trial, Structural automatically creates a sample workspace for you to use. You can also create a workspace that uses your own database or files.

The free trial provides tools to introduce you to Structural and to guide you through configuring and completing a data generation.

Structural tracks and displays the amount of time remaining in your free trial. You can request a demonstration and contact support.

When the free trial period ends, you can continue to use Structural to configure workspaces. You can no longer generate data or train models. Contact Tonic.ai to discuss purchasing a Structural license.

## Signing up for the free trial <a href="#getting-started-new-user-free-trial" id="getting-started-new-user-free-trial"></a>

To start a new free trial of Structural:

1. Go to [app.tonic.ai](https://app.tonic.ai/).
2. Click **Create Account**.

On the **Create your account** dialog, to create an account, either:

* To use a corporate Google email address to create the account, click **Create account using Google**.
* To create a new Structural account:
  1. Enter your email address.  You cannot use a public email address for a free trial account.
  2. Create and confirm a Structural password.
  3. Click **Create Account**.

Structural sends an activation link to your email address.

After you activate your account and log in, Structural next prompts you to select the use case that best matches why you are exploring Structural.

If none of the provided use cases fits, use the **Other** option to tell us about your use case.

<figure><img src="https://3378426797-files.gitbook.io/~/files/v0/b/gitbook-x-prod.appspot.com/o/spaces%2F-LSQCLFQ4bslJ-HYc8c3%2Fuploads%2FjRk81R0vlrS3PRM6dbKP%2FGettingStartedUseCase.png?alt=media&#x26;token=c950979e-3da5-468c-aa8a-3cdb629e271d" alt=""><figcaption><p>Use case selection for a free trial account</p></figcaption></figure>

After you select a use case, click **Next**. The **Create Your Workspace** panel displays.

## Determining whether to use your own data <a href="#getting-started-sample-or-own-data" id="getting-started-sample-or-own-data"></a>

When you sign up for a free trial, Structural provides access to a sample PostgreSQL workspace that you can use to explore how to configure and run data generation.

You can also choose to create a workspace that uses your own data, either from local files or from a database.

If you do connect to your own data, then you must allowlist the Structural static IP addresses. For more information, go to [#i-allowlist-access-to-my-database.-what-are-your-static-ip-addresses](https://docs.tonic.ai/app/frequently-asked-questions#i-allowlist-access-to-my-database.-what-are-your-static-ip-addresses "mention").

On the **Create your workspace** panel:

* To use the sample workspace, click **Use a sample workspace**, then click **Next**.\
  \
  Structural displays [**Privacy Hub**](https://docs.tonic.ai/app/generation/privacy-hub), which summarizes the protection status for the source data. It also displays the [**Getting Started Guide** panel](#free-trial-resources-getting-started) and the [quick start checklist](#free-trial-resources-checklist).
* To create a workspace that uses local files as the source data, click **Upload Files**, then click **Next**. Go to [#uploading-files](#uploading-files "mention").
* To create a new workspace that uses your own data, click **Bring your own data**, then click **Next**. Go to [#connecting-to-a-database](#connecting-to-a-database "mention").

<figure><img src="https://3378426797-files.gitbook.io/~/files/v0/b/gitbook-x-prod.appspot.com/o/spaces%2F-LSQCLFQ4bslJ-HYc8c3%2Fuploads%2FKnpvNXVs0S5HEl0b0wQW%2FGettingStartedCreateWorkspace.png?alt=media&#x26;token=9658ede4-9b70-4990-b8e6-7251dd65dd0f" alt=""><figcaption><p>Create your workspace panel with workspace options</p></figcaption></figure>

## Uploading files

The **Upload files** option creates a local files [file connector](https://docs.tonic.ai/app/setting-up-your-database/file-connector) workspace. The source data consists of groups of files selected from a local file system. The files in a file group must have the same type and structure. Each file group becomes a "table" in the source data.

For other workspaces that you create during the free trial, you can also create a file connector workspace that uses files from cloud storage ( Amazon S3 or Google Cloud Storage).

After you select **Upload files** and click **Next**, you are prompted to provide a name for the workspace.

<figure><img src="https://3378426797-files.gitbook.io/~/files/v0/b/gitbook-x-prod.appspot.com/o/spaces%2F-LSQCLFQ4bslJ-HYc8c3%2Fuploads%2FK6Y3N36mZAmC23oUjLP6%2FGettingStartedUploadFilesWorkspaceName.png?alt=media&#x26;token=53f8386c-5f3a-4276-837c-f6adb30e8534" alt=""><figcaption><p>Field to specify the workspace name</p></figcaption></figure>

In the field provided, enter the name to use for the workspace, then click **Next**.

Structural displays the **File Groups** view, where you can [set up the file groups for the workspace](https://docs.tonic.ai/app/setting-up-your-database/file-connector/file-connector-file-groups).

&#x20;It also displays the [**Getting Started Guide** panel](#free-trial-resources-getting-started) with links to resources to help you get started.

After you create at least one file group, you can start to use the other Structural features and functions.

## Connecting to a database

If you connect to your own data, then you must allowlist the Structural static IP addresses. For more information, go to [#i-allowlist-access-to-my-database.-what-are-your-static-ip-addresses](https://docs.tonic.ai/app/frequently-asked-questions#i-allowlist-access-to-my-database.-what-are-your-static-ip-addresses "mention").

### Provide a name for your workspace <a href="#getting-started-own-data-name" id="getting-started-own-data-name"></a>

If you choose to create a workspace with your own data, then the first step is to provide a name for the workspace.

In the field provided, enter the name to use for your first workspace, then click **Next**.

<figure><img src="https://3378426797-files.gitbook.io/~/files/v0/b/gitbook-x-prod.appspot.com/o/spaces%2F-LSQCLFQ4bslJ-HYc8c3%2Fuploads%2FeiDPPS6H3SijUUGoKA9f%2FGettingStartedWorkspaceName.png?alt=media&#x26;token=e3b6e0a9-6b9a-4323-8caf-5f2880f4e46f" alt=""><figcaption><p>Field to specify the name of your first workspace</p></figcaption></figure>

The **Invite others to Tonic** panel displays.

### Invite other users to Structural and your workspace <a href="#getting-started-own-data-invite-others" id="getting-started-own-data-invite-others"></a>

Under **Invite others to Tonic**, you can optionally invite other users with the same corporate email domain to start their own Structural free trial. The users that you invite are able to view and edit your workspace.

<figure><img src="https://3378426797-files.gitbook.io/~/files/v0/b/gitbook-x-prod.appspot.com/o/spaces%2F-LSQCLFQ4bslJ-HYc8c3%2Fuploads%2FTnz2B9NMjokLiejeDk6Y%2FGettingStartedInviteOthers.png?alt=media&#x26;token=25c3e565-720a-4dc6-a98b-65dbfde22abd" alt=""><figcaption><p>Option to invite other users to create an account</p></figcaption></figure>

For example, you might want to invite other users if you don't have access to the connection information for the source data. You can invite a user who does have access. They can then update the workspace configuration to add the connection details.

To continue without inviting other users, click **Skip this step**.

To invite users:

1. For each user to invite, enter the email address, then press Enter. The email addresses must have the same corporate email domain as your email address.
2. After you create the list of users to invite, click **Next**.

The **Add source data connection** view displays.

### Supported data connectors for free trial workspaces <a href="#free-trial-data-connectors" id="free-trial-data-connectors"></a>

The final step in the workspace creation is to provide the source data to use for your workspace.

Structural provides data connectors that allow you to connect to an existing database. Each data connector allows you to connect to a specific type of database. Structural supports several types of application databases, data warehouses, and Spark data solutions.

For the first workspace that you create using the free trial wizard, you can choose:

* [Google BigQuery](https://docs.tonic.ai/app/setting-up-your-database/google-bigquery)
* [MongoDB](https://docs.tonic.ai/app/setting-up-your-database/mongodb)
* [MySQL](https://docs.tonic.ai/app/setting-up-your-database/mysql)
* [PostgreSQL](https://docs.tonic.ai/app/setting-up-your-database/postgres)
* [Snowflake](https://docs.tonic.ai/app/setting-up-your-database/snowflake)
* [SQL Server](https://docs.tonic.ai/app/setting-up-your-database/sql-server)

For subsequent workspaces that you create from **Workspaces** view, you can also choose [Databricks](https://docs.tonic.ai/app/setting-up-your-database/databricks), [Salesforce](https://docs.tonic.ai/app/setting-up-your-database/salesforce), and [Amazon DynamoDB](https://docs.tonic.ai/app/setting-up-your-database/dynamodb).

### **Selecting the data connector**

To connect to an existing database, on the **Add source data connection** panel, click the data connector to use, then click **Add connection details**.

The panel also includes a **Local files** option, which creates a local files file connector workspace, the same as the **Upload files** option.

<figure><img src="https://3378426797-files.gitbook.io/~/files/v0/b/gitbook-x-prod.appspot.com/o/spaces%2F-LSQCLFQ4bslJ-HYc8c3%2Fuploads%2Fb4PlfTzBRvQK7brkqOxq%2FGettingStartedDataConnectorType.png?alt=media&#x26;token=399a149b-9dbf-4fbc-9ae9-bb97d17eb56a" alt=""><figcaption><p>Available data connectors for a free trial workspace</p></figcaption></figure>

Use the connection details fields to provide the connection information for your source data. The specific fields depend on the type of data connector that you select.

<figure><img src="https://3378426797-files.gitbook.io/~/files/v0/b/gitbook-x-prod.appspot.com/o/spaces%2F-LSQCLFQ4bslJ-HYc8c3%2Fuploads%2F49YujLb2pYxYaIUQSdGj%2FGettingStartedDataConnectorType.png?alt=media&#x26;token=c6c9f68e-4c88-466d-bed4-d1b25534acea" alt=""><figcaption><p>Connection details for a data connector</p></figcaption></figure>

After you provide the connection details, to test the connection, click **Test Connection**.

To save your workspace, click **Save**.

Structural displays [**Privacy Hub**](https://docs.tonic.ai/app/generation/privacy-hub), which summarizes the protection status for the source data.

It also starts a [Structural Agent](https://docs.tonic.ai/app/structural-agent/agent-about) chat. The Structural Agent is a chat-based tool to help you to understand your workspace data and help you to configure the workspace for data generation.

To display the **Getting Started Guide** panel, which provides access to Structural information and support resources,  in the Structural heading, click **Getting Started**.

<figure><img src="https://3378426797-files.gitbook.io/~/files/v0/b/gitbook-x-prod.appspot.com/o/spaces%2F-LSQCLFQ4bslJ-HYc8c3%2Fuploads%2FDx0HwoaLJ7AoKCX0NiOJ%2FGettingStartedHeadingLink.png?alt=media&#x26;token=1f247e71-28e9-4d56-a1a3-9f99c1287fa2" alt=""><figcaption><p>Link to the Getting Started Guide panel in the Tonic Structural heading</p></figcaption></figure>

The **Getting Started Guide** panel provides links to Structural instructional videos and this Structural documentation. It also contains links to request a Structural demo, contact Tonic.ai support, and purchase a Structural Cloud pay-as-you-go subscription.

## Completing the configuration and generating data

The Structural Agent prompts you to complete the workspace configuration and data generation.

### Create file groups for a file connector workspace

For a file connector workspace, to identify the source data, you create file groups. A file group is a set of files of the same type and with the same structure. Each file group becomes a table in the workspace. For CSV files, each column becomes a table column. For XML and JSON file groups, the table contains a single XML or JSON column.

For more information, go to [tonic-api-file-groups](https://docs.tonic.ai/app/api/quick-start-guide/tonic-api-file-groups "mention").

### Assign generators to data columns

To protect sensitive values in the source data, you assign generators.

A generator indicates how to transform the data in a column. For example, for a column that contains a name value, you might assign the Name generator, which indicates how to generate a replacement name in the generation output.

The Structural Agent provides a summary of the detected sensitive values in your source data and prompts you to instantly assign the recommended generators to all of the sensitive columns. For more information about recommended generators, go to [generators-review-apply-recommended](https://docs.tonic.ai/app/generation/generators-assign-config/generators-review-apply-recommended "mention").

You can use the Structural Agent to assign generators to individual columns, or to change the generator configuration for specific columns. Or you can also apply an individual generator manually from [**Privacy Hub**](https://docs.tonic.ai/app/generation/privacy-hub), [**Database View**](https://docs.tonic.ai/app/generation/database-view), or [**Table View**](https://docs.tonic.ai/app/generation/table-view).

### Configure the destination location <a href="#free-trial-destination" id="free-trial-destination"></a>

To run a data generation, Structural must have a destination for the transformed data.

For a local files workspace, Structural saves the transformed files to the application database.

For workspaces that use data from a database, and for workspaces that use cloud storage files, you configure where Structural writes the output data:

* For database-based data connectors, you can write the transformed data to a destination database. The [data connector summary](https://docs.tonic.ai/app/setting-up-your-database/data-connector-summary) contains a list of the available data connectors, and provides a link to the documentation for each data connector.
* For some Structural data connectors, Structural can [write the transformed data to a data volume in a container repository](https://docs.tonic.ai/app/workspace/managing-workspaces/workspace-configuration-settings/workspace-config-write-to-container-artifacts).
* For file connector workspaces that transform files from cloud storage (Amazon S3 or Google Cloud Storage), you [configure the cloud storage location where Structural writes the transformed files](https://docs.tonic.ai/app/setting-up-your-database/file-connector/file-connector-workspace-config#selecting-the-cloud-storage-folder-to-write-the-transformed-files-to).

### Run data generation <a href="#free-trial-run-data-gen" id="free-trial-run-data-gen"></a>

After you complete the workspace and generator configuration, you can run your first data generation.

The data generation process uses the assigned generators to transform the source data. It writes the transformed data to the destination location.

To start, click the **Generate Data** option at the top right of the Structural heading.

![Generate Data button to start data generation](https://3378426797-files.gitbook.io/~/files/v0/b/gitbook-x-prod.appspot.com/o/spaces%2F-LSQCLFQ4bslJ-HYc8c3%2Fuploads%2FN2yEHVMeVad344rZe4XW%2FGenerateDataButton.png?alt=media\&token=6f2d1b63-cf29-4a64-94f8-cc325ce4bd8a)

The **Confirm Generation** panel provides access to the current destination configuration, along with other advanced generation options such as subsetting and upsert. It also indicates when there are any issues that prevent you from starting the data generation.

<figure><img src="https://3378426797-files.gitbook.io/~/files/v0/b/gitbook-x-prod.appspot.com/o/spaces%2F-LSQCLFQ4bslJ-HYc8c3%2Fuploads%2F25J9ev7h5fjYlJkX6mhC%2FGettingStartedConfirmGeneration.png?alt=media&#x26;token=c9ad9185-a18b-4c25-83a6-af4cb0b7a977" alt=""><figcaption><p>Confirm Generation panel</p></figcaption></figure>

To start the data generation, click **Run Generation**. For more information about running data generation, go to [data-generation-run-job](https://docs.tonic.ai/app/workflows/data-generation-run-job "mention").

### View the data generation job details <a href="#ephemeral-connection-details" id="ephemeral-connection-details"></a>

To view the job status and details:

1. Click **Jobs**.
2. In the list, click the data generation job.

## Next steps for free trial users <a href="#free-trial-after-checklist" id="free-trial-after-checklist"></a>

During the trial, Structural prompts you to chat with our sales team or to schedule a demo.

You can also continue to get to know Structural and experiment with other Structural features such as [subsetting](https://docs.tonic.ai/app/generation/subsetting) or using [composite generators](https://docs.tonic.ai/app/generation/generators/generator-types/generators-composite) to mask more complex values such as JSON or XML.

If your free trial has expired, to get an extension, you can reach out to us using either the in-app chat or an email message.