Creating segments for global use in multiple campaigns

Administrators use the CreateSeg process in session flowcharts to create segments that can be used in multiple campaigns. The resulting segments are called strategic segments.

Before you begin

The Save flowchart run results option under Admin > Advanced settings must be enabled for flowcharts that include CreateSeg processes. Otherwise, the strategic segments will not persist. To enable this option, the configuration property Campaign|partitions|partition[n]|server|flowchartRun|saveRunResults must be set to TRUE

About this task

Define a CreateSeg process in the Sessions area of the application so the segments are available globally. Users can then use the segments in any campaign.

Procedure

  1. Open a session flowchart for editing.
  2. Drag the CreateSeg process Person in square brackets with plus sign from the palette to your flowchart.
  3. Connect one or more data manipulation processes (for example, a Select process) as input to the CreateSeg process.
  4. Double-click the CreateSeg process.

    The CreateSeg process configuration dialog box opens and the Define segments tab is open by default.

  5. On the Define segments tab:
    1. Select one or more source cells from the Input list. These source cells will be turned into segments. If there is only one input, it is already selected.
    2. Select Create mutually exclusive segments if you want to ensure that each qualifying record belongs to no more than one segment.
    3. In the Result segments area, highlight an input cell and click Edit to configure the segment.

    The Edit segment dialog opens.

  6. In the Edit segment dialog:
    1. Give the segment a name that describes its purpose. The name that you assign is the name that will appear when users select this segment from lists.
    2. Provide a brief description of the segment contents (for example, what input was used to create the segment).
    3. From the Create under list, select a folder where the segment will be stored.
    4. From the Temp table data source list, select a data source in which to cache the strategic segment. Use the Ctrl key to select multiple data sources.

      If you prefer to store the temporary tables in a binary file on the server, rather than in a user data source, do not select a data source. To deselect a data source (for example, to revert to no data source selection), Ctrl+click the item again.

      Note: Selecting a data source is required only if doNotCreateServerBinFile on the Campaign|partitions|partition[n]|Server|Optimization configuration page is set to TRUE. If this property is set to TRUE, at least one valid data source must be selected.
    5. From the Security policy list, select a security policy, if applicable, to apply to the new segment.
    6. Click OK to return to the Define segments tab.
  7. (Optional) Use the General tab to assign a name and descriptive note. The name and note only appear in the session flowchart. They are not used to identify the generated segment in lists.
  8. Click OK to save and close the configuration.
  9. To create or update strategic segments, run the CreateSeg process in production mode or use the Run menu to save and run the flowchart in production mode. Test runs do not create or update strategic segments.

What to do next

After you save and run the flowchart in production mode, the strategic segments are available for use in other flowcharts. Typically, the next step is to associate the strategic segment with a campaign