Launching Static Programs

When a program that is part of a static (regular) campaign has been thoroughly tested, it is ready to launch. A program can be launched days or weeks before its first outbound email execution date. Programs with inbound registration only must be launched also.

To launch a program

From the Program Details screen, click Launch Program.

The Launch Confirmation window appears requesting confirmation of the launch intent. It requests email addresses to notify when the program launch has completed; that is, it is either a successful launch or failure.

Oracle CRM On Demand Marketing automatically fills in the email address of the campaign or program owner.
(Optional) Enter additional email addresses.
Confirm by clicking Launch Now or cancel the launch.

About Program Launch

Program launch is an asynchronous process, meaning that the preprocessing of lists and program execution scheduling are performed in background mode. When you launch a program, you can move on to other tasks while the launch processes are executed. As each step in the list and program is performed, progress can be displayed by clicking the linked program status in the program header section. When program status changes to Program launch in Progress, clicking the linked status displays the launch steps, status, and date and time when each step is completed. This launch progress feature enables you to keep track as the program proceeds through the launch processing steps. Launch Progress shows all the steps executed in ascending order, including the start and end times and list counts. Pending steps are displayed with Pending status.

The program remains in Launch in Progress status while lists are being processed and the email execution is being scheduled. During this time, a Stop Launch link appears next to Program Launch in Progress, allowing you to stop the processing, if necessary.

As preprocessing advances, the program status in the program header (Program launch in progress) becomes a hyperlink. You can click the hyperlink to display the launch progress as each step is processed. Launch progress displays the following stages with start and end times. If the program is scheduled to launch immediately or the lists are small, processing is handled quickly.

About Email Quotas

The number of emails that your organization can send is limited. Your organization purchases a specific amount, called your email quota. Before each job is launched, Oracle CRM On Demand Marketing checks to make sure that the job will not exceed your email quota. Test emails do not count against your quota. You can use the Available Volume Report to see what your email quota is and how much of it is remaining. For more information, see Available Usage Volume Report. When you approach your email quota, a warning message appears in the left panel letting you know if you are at 70%, 80%, 90% of your email quota or have exceeded your email quota.

Actions Available While a Launch Is In Progress

The following actions are available while a launch has a status of In Progress:

During list preprocessing, the Stop Launch link can stop the step that is currently in progress, and the program is placed in Planning or Re-Planning status. You are asked to confirm your request to stop the launch. The specified email address receives a cancel confirmation email.
If the execution job has not yet been delivered to the email execution vendor, editing the outbound section of the program cancels the scheduled email execution job. Then the program is placed in the Planning or Re-Planning status.

After the program launch has been scheduled, you can view the program history. For more information, see Displaying Program History.

When the email execution job has been successfully scheduled, the program status changes to In Progress. When a program has reached In Progress status, a Deactivate button appears. Clicking the Deactivate button stops the program and stops all components. You cannot edit the program if you use the Deactivate button, but you can copy the program.

The following table illustrates the transitions available during a program launch:

Current Status	Possible Transitions
Planning	Launch In Progress
Launch In Progress	In Progress Planning (when Stop Launch is clicked) Re-planning (when Stop Launch is clicked)
In Progress	Re-planning Deactivated
Re-planning	Launch In Progress (On Apply Changes)

Allow plenty of time to test a program from start to finish. A test period of at least 24 hours to 48 hours is highly recommended. If issues arise during testing, then you have time to address them. Also, allow time between the program launch and email execution date. Also allow time for canceling a launch, if necessary.

Postlaunch Reporting for Static Programs

Email execution statistics for programs that have outbound email configured might not be available immediately after a launch. If the program execution is scheduled in the future, its statistics are not available until after the program launch executes. Allow at least 4 hours from the time the launch is passed to the email execution vendor to the time that results are made available. This delay represents the time necessary for the email vendor to process the job and report results to Oracle CRM On Demand Marketing.

Email Execution Report for Static Programs

When email execution statistics have been reported to Oracle CRM On Demand Marketing following program execution, results are available in the Email Execution Report. For more information, see Displaying the Email Execution Report.