Criteria Tab
- Laura Hounshell (Unlicensed)
- Decision Software
- Former user (Deleted)
Define Selection Criteria by Building Segments
Entering selection criteria, or defining the types of individuals you are selecting, involves building one or more segments that outline and refine your target results. This is known as segmentation. Segments represent the groups of customers you want to select for your campaign. Each segment may contain several conditions to specifically define a group of customers in detail, or just a few. You build these segments either by dragging a new Segment from the segments tab to the Design tab or by selecting a pre-made segment under Libraries. Your selection conditions dictate which customers to select or omit for each segment's TouchPoint groups.
Topics:
By default, segments are mutually exclusive. TouchPoint evaluates segments starting with the first and working toward the last until it finds a match. If a customer is eligible for more than one segment, he or she is selected only once, at the first match. However, you can instruct TouchPoint to select customers on every matching segment, rather than on just the first segment by making the segment Discrete. To learn more about this process read Making Segments FallThru or Discrete . Regardless of how many segments you choose to match, TouchPoint starts at the first, or top segment, and works towards the bottom.
The first stage of a TouchPoint campaign, after selecting a template, is the creation of selection criteria. Selection criterion are the Excludes and Pass-Thru fields that you use to select your targeted customers from your database. This is otherwise referred to as 'Segmentation.'
Note
If you wish to run or create two TouchPoint campaigns simultaneously, go to the MarketWide main window and click the TouchPoint icon again for an additional TouchPoint window rather than clicking the 'New' icon, which closes the current TouchPoint.
Excludes
Excluded customers are treated as if they do not exist. TouchPoint provides three ways to exclude data. Deciding what exclude method to use depends on what you need to accomplish.
Defining Excludes
Global Excludes Global Exclude is a way to make sure that certain consumers are suppressed from your entire campaign. For example, you might want to exclude people who are deceased or opted out of marketing communications. Global excludes make sure that no consumers who otherwise qualify for the exclude logic are selected by the campaign at any segment.
Segment Excludes Segment Excludes are applied within the TouchPoint selection tree at the exact position where they are placed, and affect only consumers who reach the exclude. For example, if a Segment Exclude is created to exclude recent buyers, and is placed beneath a parent that selects females, the Recent Buyer exclude is only applied to females and not to males. Segment Excludes are useful for managing campaign logic and preventing consumers from reaching certain segments, while still allowing other segments to evaluate them.
Table Filters Table Filters are used primarily for performance, and as such they restrict the amount of data TouchPoint processes. It's important to remember that a Table Filter is applied only to the table on which it is built, and is not evaluated for any other table. So, if you create a "Gender = Female" filter on a Customer table but your campaign has segments referencing other tables, the campaign can select consumers that are not females.
Global Excludes
In some campaigns, you may want to suppress a group of customers from your campaign from being selected into any segment.
Excluded customers are not evaluated and will not be counted as either matches or non-matches in your campaign. Excluded customers are treated as if they do not exist.
The Excludes Dialog
The Excludes window allows you to choose groups of customers to exclude from your current campaign.
|
Option |
Description |
|---|---|
|
|
Opens a saved exclude. |
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Saves the selected exclude. |
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Opens SQLManager so that you can change the table that is highlighted. |
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Deletes the selected exclude. |
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Allows you to clear the selected exclude criteria. |
To Add Global Excludes
-
- Click the Excludes toolbar button (
) or select Query then choose Excludes from the menu. - Click the Database Exclude button (
) to open SQLManager and select a table. It will add a new row to the Exclude tab. - Click the Add Filter... link to generate a filter defining the customers to be excluded.
- When finished adding all the appropriate excludes, click OK.
- Click the Excludes toolbar button (
The Global Exclude outlined on this page may not be the best option for your campaign. Please see Exclude Segments or Table Filters for more information.
Note
An Exclude icon will be displayed in the bottom right corner of the TouchPoint window to indicate that an exclude has been defined.
Executing Your Selection
During the execution phase, TouchPoint reads the database and accepts or rejects customers based upon your segment conditions. Selected customers are saved in a temporary work area managed by TouchPoint. You can view the number of selections returned for each segment in the Tracking Tab.
Once you review the returns, you can decide how many individuals from each cell you wish to keep. TouchPoint's default is to keep all selected customers. To choose to use only a portion of the individuals selected in your campaign, click the Tracking Tab found at the bottom of the TouchPoint window. You can also attach additional pertinent information to your selected customers using extra columns as defined during the TouchPoint Template creation process.
How to Execute Your Selection
After defining your segments, click the submit icon (
) or select File and click Submit.
Using Table Filters
Using Table Filters to Expedite Your Selections
Table Filters are useful if you have a large amount of data and only need to process a small subset; e.g., out of hundreds of millions of transactions over a 10-year period, you may only want to select from orders generated in the last 12 months. This way the filter prevents TouchPoint from examining rows unnecessarily and taking additional processing time. Successful use of Table Filters can save extensive amounts of time when processing large or complicated campaigns.
To Add a Filter
- Click on the Table Filters button (
) or select Campaign and then choose Table Filters. -
In the Tables and Filters tab of the Properties window, click on the [No filter defined. Click to add filter] link.
- In the Filter window, drag and drop all the appropriate fields from the table into the panel on the right.
- Choose your condition and value(s) for each field.
- Click OK to add your filter.
TouchPoint Options
Override Select Buffer Size
This is the number of rows per Customer Key that TouchPoint will look at before it moves on to the next customer key. For example, suppose one customer has 1,000 rows on your orders table and you have your buffer size set to 500, if they don't meet your criteria in the first 500 rows checked they will not be selected.
Treat Missing Library Objects as Error
Checking this option tells the engine that if an object can't be in the library, it should fail with an error instead of falling back to the local copy.
When Scheduled, Run Selection Only
If checked selection will run but your campaign will not be committed.
Maximum Nth Values
Displays the maximum number of values that can be Nth in the MarketFlow tab.This applies to the number of values for the selected "Nth By:" field in the Nth Setup window.
Display Customer Key in Main Window
Displays the Customer Key while the task is running in the main MarketWide window.
Display Segment Name and Description
Shows both the Segment Name and Description
Show Full Segment Descriptions in Hierarchical View
Shows both the Segment Name and Description
Remain Open during Long Running Operations
This will leave the TouchPoint window open when running operations like Commit or Frequency Distributions.
Enable MarketFlow Notifications by Default
Anytime a notification option is available in the MarketFlow it will automatically check that you would like to be notified.
Pass-Thru Fields
The TouchPoint Pass-Thru field feature lets you access additional pieces of data pertaining to the customers or prospects selected by your campaign, whether or not you’re using this data as part of the selection criteria. By default, during customer selection, TouchPoint captures the 'Customer Key' field for everyone it selects. Pass-Thru fields are how you add other fields you may need to create your MarketFlow Journey. Reasons for using Pass-Thru fields include:
- Snapshots – you can capture dynamic information at the time of selection and save it to Promotion History for analytical purposes. A common example is a model score, where you might wish to know whether a campaign impacts model scores favorably or adversely for customers targeted by that campaign.
- Match Limits - allow you to choose the “best” subset of customers based on the value of a Pass-Thru field.
- Constraints – let you limit the number of solicits being sent to a household or business based on Pass-Thru fields such as recency or lifetime value.
- MarketFlow Journeys – Pass-Thru fields help you in creating branches, filters, excludes, and splits in your campaign MarketFlow.
- Dynamic Content – Pass-Thru fields can be used as dynamic content within email HTML, direct mail (e.g., envelope teasers), and even other channels such as telemarketing or social media.
Types of Pass-Thru Fields
Pass-Thru fields can be created as either static or reference:
- Static Pass-Thrus make a copy of the actual data during the initial selection and segmentation (i.e., when you submit from the “Criteria” tab). This data is physically stored inside your campaign, meaning your campaign takes up more space. This option is primarily useful for Snapshot fields. Since the snapshot is taken at selection time, static Pass-Thru fields are frozen and do not get updated if the original field value changes while the campaign is active. Finally, static Pass-Thrus have to be defined before your campaign is submitted; you have to resubmit the campaign after adding or removing one.
- Reference Pass-Thrus function much like a windows shortcut or browser URL string. A reference Pass-Thru is essentially a pointer to an actual field in the database, which might change constantly much like a web page. If the value of a reference Pass-Thru changes while your campaign is active, the new value appears immediately. Reference Pass-Thrus can be added to or removed from your campaign at any time without needing to resubmit.
Examples of When to Use Pass-Thru Fields
Example 1: An organization wants to track specific donor segments for each customer, classifying donors by giving levels. This classification gives a snapshot of the giving status of a customer each time he or she is solicited. Using Pass-Thrus to update client status allows the organization to make the solicitation more specific to the individual or to perform reporting analysis.
Example 2: A business wishes to choose whom to solicit based on a model rank score. The marketer could use a Model Score field as a Pass-Thru, and then when selecting Match Limit, elect to base the Priority on the highest model scores. This would ensure that the customers receiving mail are the ones best situated to make purchases.
To Choose Pass-Thru Fields
- Click the Pass-Thru Fields button (
) on the toolbar or select Campaign and click Pass-Thru Fields from the menu. - Scroll through the list of displayed tables and locate the field you wish to add. To add a table to the list, click the Add Table button (
). - Choose your Pass-Thru field(s) by dragging and dropping each one from the Available List panel to the Selected List panel.
- By default, Pass-Thru fields are added as a reference. For static Pass-Thrus, simply uncheck the Reference box next to the field name.
- Add an alias to your Pass-Thru fields if desired. This is the name TouchPoint uses for the field throughout the campaign process.
- When finished, click OK.
Note
- If you add or remove a static Pass-Thru on a campaign that’s already been submitted for counts, TouchPoint forces you to resubmit the campaign.
- Reference Pass-Thrus can be added to a campaign at any time, without the need to resubmit.
User Defined Field(s)
User Defined Fields are math expressions, similar to the formula dialog found in Analyzer. Using this feature, you can perform practically any sort of arithmetic expression involving database fields, aggregates, and variables; and return the result as a field that can be referenced in your segment criteria. For example, you might take a consumer’s dollar amount from their last order and subtract from it their average order amount for the past year, and the result is over $30 you send them a gift card. This would be very difficult if not practically impossible without this feature. Note that the interface lets you type in conditions directly if you know the syntax.
This feature is extremely powerful and the MXParser library we use supports over 400 advanced functions, operators, and mathematical constants like Pi.
Placeholders, PUTs, and Assignments
TouchPoint’s Placeholder, PUT, and Assignment features work hand in hand to add considerable power to your marketing campaigns. They let you create and populate fields based on your own conditions, then reference these fields in subsequent segments or output them to your mail file or email engine. For example, you might decide to create a field called PURCHASE_CATEGORY, then populate it with values such as “Outdoor” or “Cooking” according to the types of products purchased and amount spent by each customer. Having created this field, you can then reference it in your campaign segments as if it were in your database; or you can write it to an output file or pass it as dynamic content in an email.
Placeholders are custom campaign variables that attach to each individual in your campaign universe. They’re called Placeholders because they’re created as blank fields in your campaign work table, but then get assigned by the segmentation logic (using the PUT command) during campaign processing.
The PUT command is how you assign values to placeholders. You can assign a constant value, like ‘Y’ or ‘N’, a database field like Gender or Income, or even a calculated value such as total dollars spent within a given time period. PUTs can be useful for prospecting and list allocation, where a single individual can exist on multiple lists, because you can use a PUT to capture what list - or even all matching lists - to credit for the prospect. Also, a segment can have multiple PUT commands.
Finally, Assignments are special segments that exist solely for assigning values to Placeholders. Assignment segments never select individuals. Instead, the logic is evaluated and if found true, the PUT commands attached to these segments are executed. You can think of this as setting a flag on each consumer based on whether a set of conditions is true, although technically a PUT command can assign any type of data to a Placeholder: numeric, character, dates, etc.
- Placeholders are not useful without PUTs.
- PUTs cannot be created without Placeholders.
- Assignment segments cannot be created without Placeholders and PUTs.
Placeholder Fields
TouchPoint Placeholders are blank fields on your campaign work table that you assign values to during the campaign processing. Unlike Pass-Thru fields, Placeholders are useful in cases where you need to capture specific data based on what segment selected each individual. Placeholders fields are required before you can create a PUT Command.
To Create a Placeholder Field
Placeholder fields can be created from the Assignments dialog or from the PUT Manager.
From the Assignments Dialog:
- From the TouchPoint Criteria tab, either click the Assignments toolbar button (
) or click the Criteria menu and choose Assignments. - From the Assignments dialog, Switch to the Put Placeholders
- From the toolbar, choose the New Placeholder button (
). - Complete the Placeholder dialog, then click OK.
From the PUT Manager:
- Click any selection segment in your campaign.
- Click on the PUT property in the Properties Pane to open PUT Manager.
- From the toolbar, choose the New Placeholder button ().
- Complete the Placeholder dialog, then click OK.
The PUT Command
PUT commands are used inside TouchPoint segments to write (or PUT) data specific to each person selected by that segment into Placeholder variables. The data can be a constant string, a field from another table, an expression, an aggregate, and even a User Defined Function (UDF).
To Add a PUT Command to a Segment
- Locate the segment PUT property in the Properties Pane.
- Click the ellipsis button to open PUT Manager.
- Enter your PUT data, choose a Placeholder Field, and set an option if needed.
- Click OK to commit your changes and close the dialog.
- PUT commands are only executed if the segment evaluates to TRUE for the individual being processed.
- Exclude segments cannot have PUT commands, but parent segments can.
- Multiple PUT commands can be created for a segment.
PUT Manager
TouchPoint’s PUT Manager lets you create, delete, and edit PUT commands.
Elements of PUT Commands
There are three elements needed to create a PUT command.
|
Element |
Purpose |
|
PUT Data |
The data being put into the Placeholder field. Can be a field, aggregate, user-defined function (UDF), variable, or constant text. |
|
“Into” Destination |
The Placeholder field that will contain the PUT data. |
|
“Or” Option |
Indicates what PUT should do if the Placeholder has already been assigned data. Available options are Discard, Append, and Overwrite. |
The PUT Manager Toolbar
The following commands are available on the PUT Manager toolbar.
|
|
Command |
Purpose |
|
|
Add |
Creates a new PUT command |
|
|
Remove |
Deletes the selected PUT command |
|
|
New Placeholder |
Opens the Placeholder dialog to create a new Placeholder field |
|
|
Copy |
Copies the selected PUTs to the clipboard |
|
|
Paste |
Pastes PUTs from the clipboard to the cursor position |
Assignment Segments
TouchPoint Assignment Segments are used for the sole purpose of executing PUT Commands, which assign values to Placeholder Fields. Assignment segments don’t appear in the campaign selection criteria because they don’t actually “select” anything, they’re simply evaluated for each person being processed by the campaign. Think of Assignment Segments as a way to create variables that you can use just like a field in other places within TouchPoint.
To Create an Assignment Segment
- From the TouchPoint Criteria tab, either click the Assignments toolbar button () or click the Criteria menu and choose Assignments.
- On the Assignments dialog, either (a) click the New Assignment Segment button (
), or (b) drag the “(New Segment)” item from the tree on the left and drop it beneath the Assignments node on the right. You can also drag an existing segment from the library and drop it beneath the Assignments node. - In the Segment Editor, define your segment conditions, then click OK to return to the Assignments dialog.
- Click the PUT ellipsis button to open PUT Manager.
- On the PUT Manager, add one or more PUT commands, then click OK to return to the Assignments dialog.
- Click OK to save your Assignments and return to TouchPoint.
- Assignment Segments cannot be completed without one or more Placeholder Fields.
- At least one PUT Command is required for each Assignment segment.
The Assignments Dialog
The Assignments dialog lets you create Assignment segments, Placeholder Fields, and PUT commands. It has two tabs:
- The Assignment Segments tab is where Assignment segments are created, edited, and deleted, along with their associated PUT commands.
- The PUT Placeholders tab is where you manage Placeholder Fields.
Assignment Segments Tab
There are three steps involved in creating an assignment segment:
- Make sure you have at least one Placeholder Field
- Using the Segment Editor, create your Assignment segment criteria, give the segment a name, and click OK.
- Click the ellipsis button in the Puts column to open the PUT Manager, then create the PUTs you want the segment to execute.
Put Placeholders Tab
This tab lets you view, create, edit, and delete Placeholder Fields. To create one:
- From the toolbar, choose the New Placeholder button ().
- Type in a name for the field, choose a datatype, and enter a default value if desired.
- Click OK.
The Assignments Dialog Toolbar
The following commands are available on the Assignments dialog toolbar.
|
|
Command |
Purpose |
|
|
New Assignment Segment |
Creates a new Assignment Segment. |
|
|
New Placeholder |
Creates a new Placeholder Field. |
|
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Edit |
Edits the selected Assignment Segment or Placeholder Field. |
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Remove |
Deletes the selected Assignment Segment or Placeholder Field. |
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Clear |
Clears all Assignment Segments or Placeholder Fields. |
Constraints
TouchPoint Constraints are used to apply additional filtering against your campaign universe. Common uses of constraints include:
- Householding; e.g., one catalog or direct mail piece per household.
- Max-per-site, such as 5 pieces per company.
- One solicit per email address, for email campaigns.
Note
You can create multiple constraints; for example, a campaign targeting both businesses and consumer can apply both a max-per-site constraint to businesses as well as a one-per-household constraint to consumers. Generally speaking, whenever you need to limit campaign output to a certain number of solicits for each value of another field, constraints are probably the best option.
Constraints are available from three places within TouchPoint:
- From TouchPoint’s Criteria and Tracking tabs, either by clicking the Constraints toolbar button ( ) or by choosing Campaign > Apply Constraints from the menu.
- From TouchPoint’s MarketFlow tab, in Branch Manager, by clicking the Constraints toolbar button.
- From TouchPoint’s MarketFlow tab, in the Touch action, by clicking the Constraints toolbar button.
The Constraints Dialog
The Constraints Dialog lets you add, edit, and delete constraints. Each constraint is shown as a separate row in a grid, and they’re evaluated from the top down.
Constraint Attributes
Following are the attributes shown for each constraint.
|
Column |
Purpose |
|
Field |
The field on which a constraint is based. For example, a “one per household” constraint will be based on a household identifier (e.g., HouseholdID). |
|
Filter |
This column lets you apply a filter to your constraint. For example, if you want to apply a constraint to businesses, you might enter a filter like “BusinessFlag = ‘Y’”. |
|
Description |
Enter a description of your constraint here. |
|
Limit |
This is the number of solicits you want to allow for each value of the selected field. For example, if you want to mail one per household, your field will be the household identifier, and your limit will be one. |
|
Priority |
This attribute lets you decide how TouchPoint should choose the records that are chosen for output. Refer to the Constraint Priority section for more information. |
|
Order |
Order works in conjunction with Priority, letting you sort the data either ascending or descending. |
|
Sites |
This column indicates the total number of values for the Field that was chosen in column one, after applying the Filter specified in column two. |
|
Contacts |
This column shows the total number of records (i.e., selected consumers) that match the specified Filter. |
|
Kept |
The Kept column shows the number of Contacts that survived the constraint. These are the consumers that will be solicited. |
|
Type |
This indicates the type of constraint. There are basically two: a standard constraint and an advanced SQL constraint. The SQL version can be saved to a script file or type directly into a window. SQL constraints are advanced features that require knowledge of SQL programming, but they’re very powerful. |
|
Script |
If the Type column is set to “SQL Script”, this points to what script is being used. |
The Constraint Toolbar
The following commands are available on the Constraint Toolbar.
|
Option |
Description |
|---|---|
|
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Adds a constraint. |
|
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Duplicates the active constraint (row). |
|
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Deletes the active constraint (row). |
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Creates a filter on the highlighted constraint. |
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Moves a constraint (row) up. |
|
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Moves a constraint (row) down. |
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If the highlighted constraint is SQL, this option opens the SQL query for editing. |
|
- |
Applies the constraints |
|
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Runs only the highlighted constraint |
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Validates your constraints by checking for errors |
Constraint Priority
Once you enter the number of contacts you want to solicit per site, TouchPoint lets you choose which contacts to select. You can prioritize your solicitation in three ways:
Random - This option randomly selects contacts from your universe up to the number, or limit, you specify.
Cell - This option selects contacts based on where in the selection hierarchy they were chosen. Setting [Cell] as the priority directs TouchPoint, by default, to favor contacts that fall in the highest cells in the hierarchy.
(Pass-Thru Field) - If you select a field, TouchPoint sorts by that field (either ascending or descending based on the “Order” setting), then chooses the top xx records until the “Limit” is met.
TouchPoint Selection Criteria Menu and Toolbar
The TouchPoint toolbar provides quick access to commonly used commands in the TouchPoint Criteria tab. Click the icon once to carry out the action represented by that icon.
|
Icon |
Description |
Menu Equivalent |
|---|---|---|
|
|
Opens a new TouchPoint |
File > New |
|
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Opens the "Open" Dialog. |
File > Open |
|
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Saves the TouchPoint |
File > Save |
|
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Opens the Print Preview Dialog. |
File > Print |
|
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Opens the Campaign/Frequency Report Dialog. |
File > Reports |
|
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Opens the Scheduler module. |
File > Schedule |
|
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Opens the Properties Dialog. |
File > Properties |
|
-- |
Exits the TouchPoint module. |
File > Exit |
|
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Allows you to Sequentially undo up to the last 20 actions. |
Edit > Undo |
|
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Allows you to Sequentially redo up to the last 20 actions. |
Edit > Redo |
|
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Copies the selected content. |
Edit > Copy |
|
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Pastes the clipboard content. |
Edit > Paste |
|
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Removes everything in the description section. |
Edit > Clear Criteria |
|
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Applies change to all highlighted cells. |
Edit > Fill... |
|
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Displays the description section in the classic view |
Edit > Classic |
|
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Displays the description section in the classic view |
Edit > Compact |
|
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Opens the Constraints dialog, allowing you to enter criteria for selecting contacts. |
Edit > Apply Constraints |
|
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Checks your campaign to see if it is valid prior to submitting or posting. |
Edit > Validate |
|
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Submits your open campaign for execution. |
Edit > Submit |
|
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Commits your campaign. |
Edit >Commit |
|
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Submits your MarketFlow for execution. |
Edit >Start |
|
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Allows you to view the tables used in the campaign. |
Edit > Table Filters |
|
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Allows you to select Pass-Thru fields to attach additional information to your selected customers. |
Edit > Pass-Thru Fields |
|
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Allows you to add/remove Excludes. |
Edit > Excludes |
|
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Opens the Segment Editor window. |
Criteria > Edit Segment |
|
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Duplicates the highlighted segment. |
Criteria > Duplicate |
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Deletes the highlighted segment. |
Criteria > Delete |
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Removes the dependency, if any, of the highlighted segment. |
Criteria > Demote |
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Makes the highlighted cell a dependent upon the previous segment. |
Criteria > Promote |
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Moves the highlighted segment up. |
Criteria > Move Up |
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Moves the highlighted segment down. |
Criteria > Move Down |
|
-- |
Opens the Frequency Split window. See Frequency Split for more information about this option. |
Criteria > Frequency > Split |
|
-- |
Opens the Frequency Insert window. See Frequency Insert for more information about this option. |
Criteria > Frequency > Insert |
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Opens the Properties dialog. |
Criteria > Properties |
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Opens the Templates dialog. |
Campaign > Choose Template |
|
-- |
Opens the Frequency Report Setup window. |
Campaign > Matching Customers |
|
-- |
Opens the Work Table |
Campaign > Work Table |
|
-- |
Opens and displays the table to which your current campaign has been posted. This feature is not available if the post has not been performed. |
Campaign > Posted Customers |
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Displays general information from the Tracking tab |
Campaign > Campaign Tracking |
|
-- |
Removes all criteria from the current campaign |
Campaign > Uncommit |
|
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Opens the TouchPoint Campaign Editor |
Tools > Launch TouchPoint Campaign Editor |
|
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Opens the TouchPoint Template Wizard window. |
Tools > Manage TouchPoint Templates |
|
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Opens the Solicit Template Wizard window. |
Tools > Manage Solicit Templates |
|
-- |
Opens the Options dialog. |
Tools > Options |
|
-- |
Opens the TouchPoint help files. |
Tools > TouchPoint Help |
