Data Management18% of the exam
Reading data extensions, filters and segments
How to read data to find the right audience: when a data extension beats a list, what the primary key says about rows versus people, what the Properties tab shows, how data filter groupings and operators evaluate, and when to use filtered or random data extensions.
Given a scenario, recommend the best way to interpret a data extension to identify the desired target data
~5 min read · 8 practice questions ·
What the exam expects
- Recommend a data extension instead of a list when the data is relational or the audience is large.
- Work out whether a data extension's rows are unique people or something else, from its primary key.
- Read the Properties tab (record count, external key, retention) and explain why expected rows are missing.
- Predict which records a data filter keeps from its conditions, operators and AND/OR groupings.
- Choose a filtered or a random data extension for a segment.
- Key terms: list (a collection of subscribers whose attributes describe each subscriber); primary key (the field whose values are unique per row); data filter (conditions evaluated against each subscriber or row to build a segment); grouping (conditions joined by AND or OR); filtered and random data extensions (a criteria-based subset, or a random selection, of a source data extension).
Key facts
List attributes
- Detail
- Can't exist without a subscriber
Relational data
- Detail
- Data extensions, not lists
Primary key values
- Detail
- Unique for each row
Data Records
- Detail
- Number of rows in the table
Retention Period
- Detail
- Time after which unmodified data is deleted
Data extension filter
- Detail
- Uses that data extension's field columns
OR grouping
- Detail
- One or more conditions met
AND grouping
- Detail
- All conditions met
Random data extension
- Detail
- Random selection from a source data extension
Sources for this section (6)
- Organize Your Datatrailhead.salesforce.com (opens in a new tab)
- List vs. Data Extensionhelp.salesforce.com (opens in a new tab)
- Create a Data Extensionhelp.salesforce.com (opens in a new tab)
- Data Extensions in Contact Builderhelp.salesforce.com (opens in a new tab)
- Data Filter Definitionhelp.salesforce.com (opens in a new tab)
- Learn About Data Extensionstrailhead.salesforce.com (opens in a new tab)
- When would you open the Records tab instead of the Properties tab?
- When does an attribute's Required flag matter while reading the Properties tab?
- Why might a marketer look up one person in a list but not in a data extension?
- Which Properties tab date shows when a user last saved a change to the data extension?
The questions are free to read. Answers with their sources and self-grading are included with the pack.
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