Import Events Tool
Use the
Import Events tool on the
Campaign Events tab to configure files of event or response data for import into the system. Once processed, these events can then be used to provide the triggers for subsequent actions.
The tool is often used in conjunction with the
When in Segment tool to ensure all relevant campaign events are captured.
Procedure
- Drag the tool to the Workspace on the
Events tab.
- Configure FTP settings:
- FTP Site: Select the required FTP site from the list of sites configured by your administrator.
- FTP Folder: Select the required FTP folder that the campaign will monitor for files of event data that match the configuration that you specify here.
- Sub Folder: Select this option to enter the name of a sub-folder within the FTP Folder. The name of this folder must be exactly as it is on the FTP site. If the use Event Source check box is selected then the GUID will be used for that import events node.
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It is best practice to configure a separate folder for each active campaign as it is not possible to differentiate between event files where the FTP and file configurations are identical. A campaign picks up event files in the configured location if the settings match, even if it is from a different environment.
When importing, the maximum character length of an event parameter is 450 characters.
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- Select the
External (API) Event Only field to remove the File Settings, and to add the events in real time using the Event API.
| Note: |
The External (API) Event Only automatically uses the current date and time on which the event is received.
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- Configure
File Format settings:
Enter the file's text Qualifier and field Delimiter. If the file includes extraneous lines, enter the number in the Skip Rows field and these will be excluded. Check the
File has headers box if this is the case, and the first line of the file will be skipped.
- Qualifier: Enter the file's text qualifier if there is one.
- Delimiter: Enter the file's field delimiter.
- Skip Rows: If the file includes extraneous lines, enter the number of rows that should be skipped before processing starts.
- File has headers:
If the file has headers, check this box and the first row will be skipped for processing.
- Event File Extension: This is the default extension for files that will be picked up and processed as event files for the current campaign. Files that do not have this extension will not be processed, even if they are valid in every other way.
- Processed File Extension: This is the file extension that the system will automatically append to files that it has finished processing. This indicates that the file has been processed and will not be picked up again. The default is 'done'.
- In the
Event Settings section, specify the key columns in the event file for import into the system. Columns are identified by their unique name and their ordinal location in the import file.
For example, if the recipient reference number is being used as the key column, and it is the first column in the file, select 1 from the drop-down next to the
Key Column field.
- The
Key Column maps to the campaign recipient key and ensures that events are associated with a specific record. Entering a value of 0 means that the column will be ignored.
- The
Event ID Column identifies the Event that is being imported where multiple event types may exist in the file. If this field is left blank there will only be one event (the first one in the list).
- Event Date, the date which an event occurred is important, and this can be derived in a number of ways:
- File Date: Takes the system date of the file that it is being imported, that is the date that it was last saved.
- Fixed Date: Allows the user to specify a specific date in the field provided.
- Column Number:
Can be used to indicate the column position of a date in the imported file that will be used as the event date. This could be something like
Renewal Date or
Purchase Date.
- Click
Add to add an event.
- The event file may contain events that you are not interested in capturing. You can therefore specify the events, and associated parameters, that you do want to use based on their IDs and column position in the file.
- The Event ID is the unique identifier for the event that is matched against data found in the file at the specified offset and is case sensitive.
- Event Name and
Description are optional fields.
- The
Parameters field allows you to configure and capture additional detail related to the Event. For example, if the Event is a Purchase then the parameters may include information like
Purchase Value or
Payment Method.
- Enter parameters by clicking into the field and then clicking
Click here to add new item. You will need to include the
Column position of the field in the file, as well as the data
Type. You can have multiple event parameters associated with an event, as long as the information is included in the import file.
What to do next
Import Events uses Polling to control how often the specified segment is checked. Configure Polling on the
Polling tab displayed above the ribbon bar.
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