Configure database load utility

A large component of a Unica Optimize session is reading data from the PCT and writing data to the OCT. Configuring a database load utility improves the performance of your Unica Optimize sessions.

Unica Optimize uses the same configuration settings as Unica Campaign for implementing a database load utility. If you configure Unica Campaign to work with a database load utility, you configure Unica Optimize to use the same commands. Similarly, if you configure Unica Optimize to work with a database load utility, you are configuring Unica Campaign to work with a database load utility. Each assumes a same root directory in your Unica installation directory. The root directory is /Campaign for Unica Campaign and Unica Optimize.

A database load utility also improves performance when populating PCT tables with an Unica Campaign flowchart.

When you configure a database load utility to work with Unica Optimize, it behaves as described for the following Unica Optimize tables:

PCT table. If the number of unique customers is greater than or equal to the MinReqForLoaderCommand or MinReqForLoaderCommandForAppend, Unica Optimize uses the database load utility.
POA table. Unica Optimize uses the database load utility irrespective of the values for MinReqForLoaderCommand or MinReqForLoaderCommandForAppend.
OCT table. Unica Optimize uses the database load utility irrespective of the values for MinReqForLoaderCommand or MinReqForLoaderCommandForAppend.
RC table. Unica Optimize uses the database load utility irrespective of the values for MinReqForLoaderCommand or MinReqForLoaderCommandForAppend.

To configure a database load utility for Unica Optimize, complete the following steps.

Complete the database load utility configuration in the Unica Campaign partitions as described in the Unica Campaign documentation.
Note: Unica Optimize does not update any user database data sources, so the following information does not apply to user database data sources.
Unica Optimize uses the UA_SYSTEM_TABLES data source loader settings to update Unica Optimize tables during session runs. Because these settings are common to Unica Campaign and Unica Optimize, you must configure the loader as follows
- Unica Optimize loader settings: Avoid using relative paths for loader scripts in the UA_SYSTEM_TABLES data source loader configuration. Instead, use absolute paths.
- If Unica Campaign and Unica Optimize are installed on different machines, create identical folder structures as the absolute path on the Unica Campaign machine and the Unica Optimize machine. Make sure that the absolute path is accessible to both the Unica Campaign listener and the Unica Optimize listener from their respective machines.
- If Unica Campaign and Unica Optimize are installed on the same machine, you do not have to create the folder structure because it exists.
In the following example, Unica Campaign and Unica Optimize are installed on separate machines, and Unica Campaign has the following loader configuration:
```
LoaderCommand: /Unica/Campaign/partitions/partition1/db2load.sh <CONTROLFILE> <DATAFILE>
LoaderCommandForAppend: /Unica/Campaign/partitions/partition1/db2load.sh <CONTROLFILE> <DATAFILE>
```
In the previous example, you create the /Unica/Campaign/partitions/partition1/ directory on the Unica Optimize machine, and copy all of the necessary loader-specific script files to that directory on the Unica Optimize machine.
Note: When you make changes to the loader script files in the Unica Campaign machine folder, similar changes must be updated to the loader script files on the Unica Optimize machine folder.
Confirm that the Unica Optimize installation has the control file template for the database load utility in the same location as Unica Campaign.