Understanding Lists and Data Sources

You can use the list and data management features to assemble a rich database for executing highly targeted and individualized multi-channel marketing programs. Specifically, you can create and populate customer data to define your target audience (in terms of profile and behavior), as well as customize your marketing messages based on audience profile, behavior, and relevant products.

Oracle Responsys provides different types of data sources to accomplish your campaign and program requirements.

Tip: For new accounts provisioned after 19A, system administrators can choose to have a predefined set of assets (a profile list, PETs, and supplemental tables) automatically included in the account, based on an industry vertical. For more information, see Preloaded Data Assets.

  • Profile List: A Profile List is the primary source of customer records. A Profile List table stores information for all customers and maintains a profile for them. The Profile List contains basic, but important profile information such as the recipient’s email address, email subscription status, name, etc. Typically, there is one Profile List that acts as the main table that every account uses, and all other data like Profile Extension Tables, Supplemental Tables, Proof Lists, are associated with it. When a new customer is added to a Profile List, a new and unique ID called the RIID is assigned to the record by default. Responsys tracks all customer activities using the RIID.
  • App Channel List: The App Channel List is associated with a Profile List and stores all user and device information for all apps. You can have only one App Channel List for a Profile List.
  • Web Push Channel List: The Web Push Channel List is associated with a Profile List and stores all user, device, and browser information for all web push apps. You can have only one Web Push Channel List for a Profile List, but any number of web apps can be associated with the same Web Push Channel List.
  • Profile Extensions: Profile Extension Tables (PETs) are a logical extension of the Profile List. They store additional contact data for each unique contact in your Profile List table in a one-to-one relationship. An example of a PET is a contact’s preferences. A Profile List can have multiple PETs associated with it, but only one record in any PET will be related to its associated record in the list. App Channel Lists can also have PETs.
  • Supplemental Data: Supplemental Data are additional tables that can be used for personalization. They can have a one-to-many relationship with the Profile List. An example of a Supplemental Table is coupon offers, as a contact might be eligible for multiple offers.

Defining your audience and requirements

The following questions should be considered when creating and defining customer data-related requirements.

  • How many lists and other data sources are required?

    Generally, one profile list (always your primary customer database) is sufficient for defining and customizing all your data needs. This is particularly true if the Distributed Marketing (DM) feature is enabled for your account. Your DM profile list defines your organization's entire audience, special fields within the list define the list members to which your regional (if any) and local marketers can send campaigns, and filters on the list are available to target those campaigns to list members with specific characteristics.

  • What custom fields need to be added to standard list fields?
  • Where should the data be stored?
  • How should the data be collected and updated?
  • How will opt-in and preference center forms necessary for populating lists be set up?
  • What audience groupings (segments), profiles, and other personalizations are needed to drive messaging and report analysis?
  • What key fields and relationships must be maintained?

Uploading and managing data

The following lists the different options for creating and updating your customer records.

Segmenting list records

Segmentation groups divide a list into segments, and provide a better understanding of the composition and characteristics of your populated list values and clientele. After creating customer-specific segmentation conditions or rules, you can insert and control dynamic content in campaigns, personalize variables in your campaign messages and form documents, or track overall performance of a given segment in a campaign. EXAMPLE: A Purchase and List segmentation to include segments for 0 purchases, 1 to 5 purchases, and 6 or more purchases.

Valid email formats

Email addresses contain a local part and a domain, separated by a "@". They are formally defined in several Request for Comments (RFCs), published by the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF). These RFC specifications describe methods, behaviors, research, and innovations applicable to the working of the Internet and Internet-connected systems. RFC 5322 and RFC 5321 are especially relevant. Oracle Responsys performs validation on email addresses at the time of import and at the time of launch. Invalid email addresses are rejected during an import or launch operation.

Top-level domains

Top-level domains (TLDs) are at the highest level in the hierarchical Domain Name System of the Internet. Common TLDs include .com and .net; a complete listing can be found on the Internet Assigned Numbers Authority (IANA) website. There are several types of top-level domains that Oracle Responsys validates: generic top-level domains and country code top level domains.

Generic top-level domains

A generic top-level domain (gTLD) is one of the categories of TLDs maintained by the IANA for use in the Domain Name System of the Internet. The core group of generic top-level domains consists of .com, .info, .net and .org.

Country code top-level domains

A country code top-level domain (ccTLD) is a TLD generally used or reserved for a country (a sovereign state or a dependent territory). All ASCII ccTLD identifiers are two letters long, and all two-letter top-level domains are ccTLDs.

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