Defining Custom Events with the Account Page

A custom event is a signal from an external source that alerts Oracle Responsys when notable customer activity occurs and should be recorded, or alternatively when a notable activity occurs to a customer. Since custom events are time-based, they can occur multiple times for a customer with a recorded timestamp for each occurrence. Learn more about custom events. Learn more about defining custom events in the Responsys Event Interface.

Custom events serve as entries into a published Responsys Program. Custom events can be triggered by any of these methods:

  • List table loads
  • Form submits
  • Web Services API calls
  • Event feeds (via Connect)

Creating custom events

To create a custom event from the Account page:

  1. From the side navigation bar, select Icon for the Account choice on the side navigation menuAccount . (If you do not see the side navigation bar, click the Menu button (aka Hamburger menu) icon.)
  2. Select Program Settings, and then select Custom event types. (Not seeing this choice? Refer to the Account management changes topic.)
  3. On the Define Custom Event Types page, click Add New Type.

    A blank row is added at the bottom of the event list.

  4. Enter custom event type name and a description.
  5. If you want the event to be a real-time event, select Real-time for the Custom Event Type.

    Important: This option is only available if the Real-time Events feature is enabled for your account.

  6. Optionally, select the Include Mobile APP Channel RIIDs checkbox.

    Important: This option is available only if App Channel is enabled for your account.

    This option gives you the ability to market to known users on all their devices. For more information, see About Custom Events with App Channel List.

  7. Review your entry before you click Save. Once created, you can only edit the event description.

Important: Multichannel enabled accounts no longer need the option to select raising App Channel enactments. For existing custom events, you must disable the App Channel enactment preference. If your account has the Multichannel feature enabled, please go to the Custom Events page and disable any checkboxes for App Channel enactments. Multichannel handles context-switching between channels and looks up App Channel enactments.

Deleting a Custom Event Definition

Although the account administrator can delete custom event definitions, doing so can cause errors throughout the system. For example:

  • Programs, data loads, and forms that trigger the deleted custom event type will fail.
  • Programs listening for that custom event type will fail.
  • For deleted custom events that are referenced in a program – Affected program stages appear as “blocked” when viewing the Program Analyze page.
  • Custom Events of that type will not be recorded in the Data Mart. Behavior filters and reporting relying on that custom event will also be unusable.

Each defined custom event is assigned an ID. This ID is cleared when the event is deleted. With unique ID references, each custom event type is treated as a new instance. Therefore, trying to reinstate the deleted custom event by adding a new one with the same name is not possible.

If you accidentally delete a custom event, you can recover it as follows:

  1. Create a new custom event.
  2. Edit any affected program, load, or form to select the new event type.

Web service calls reference event types by name, so they will work with the new custom event type.

Learn more