Filters

This topic describes how to create a new Filter through the Filter screen. In addition, Filters can also be created through the New Item screen (see Create a New Item: Filter), or defined though an API request (see Filter API for more details).  

To create a new Filter through the Filter screen:

1. In the Tool Ribbon, click + New Filter.

2. A "New Item" pop-up window is displayed. To select the folder where you want to save this new Filter, click the folder name in the Navigation Tree on the left side of this pop-up. The "Where?" field is updated with the selected folder name.

3. In the "Name" field, enter a name for your new Filter. This name must be unique within the selected folder.

4. From the "Data Source" drop-down menu, select the source table that this Filter will search.

Note: You can never modify this source table after the filter is created.

5. Click Create. The Workspace is refreshed to show a blank Filter screen.

6. Add your Filter logic (all the different options for assigning Filter logic are described in detail in a separate Help topic -- Working with Filter Logic).

Note: For tips and suggestions on how to build the most efficient Filter possible, see Filter Best Practices.

7. Optionally, you can assign one or more tags to your Filter. To assign a tag, select Edit Filter Logic > Actions > Edit Tags in the Tool Ribbon, click on the "Add tag" field. The system displays a pop-up menu of all the existing tags. You can select one of these tags, or type in a new one and press Enter. You can repeat this process to add more tags. To remove a tag, click the "X" icon next to the tag label.  

8. If you're utilizing Approval Workflows, you can set your new Filter to "draft," which will trigger the approval request process (see Approval Workflows for more details on this feature). To set the Filter to "draft," click Edit Filter Logic > Actions > Set to Draft in the Tool Ribbon.

9. If your Filter uses date / time fields or calculations, you can set the time zone used to perform these calculations. In the Tool Ribbon, click Edit Filter Logic > Actions > Set Time Zone. The "Set Time Zone" dialog box is displayed. From the "Time Zone" drop-down menu, select the desired time zone, then click ok.

10. To save your new filter, click Edit Filter Logic > Save in the Tool Ribbon.

11. If your user account has been configured to use an Approval Workflow, you can submit a request to the approver to review and approve this Filter. In the Tool Ribbon, click Edit Filter Logic > Actions > Request Approval. You won't be able to use this Filter in a Campaign until it's been approved.

 

To copy an existing item to use as the basis for a new item:

1. Search for the desired item (see Search for an Item for more details).

2. Click on the item name. The main item screen is displayed and populated with the details of the selected item.

3. In the Tool Ribbon, click Edit Filter Logic > Actions > Save As. A "Save as" dialog box is displayed.

4. Enter a name for the new item.

5. By default, the new item will be saved in the same folder location as the base item. Optionally, click the magnifying glass icon to browse to and select a different folder location.

6. Click save a copy. The system creates a copy of the selected item.

 

 

To view or edit an existing Filter:

Note: While editing a Filter, if another user has this same Filter open at the same time, and he or she modifies and saves the Filter, the system will alert you with a "Changes Detected" pop-up window. This window tells you that changes have been made, and by whom. If you want to discard your local changes and reload the screen to show the other user's version of the Filter, click reload filter. Or, if you want to overwrite the other person's changes, click ignore changes.

1. Search for the desired Filter (see Search for an Item for more details on the available search methods).

2. Click on the Filter name. The Filter screen is displayed and populated with the details of the selected Filter.

3. Optionally, to view detailed information about the Filter, click the Filter tab in the Tool Ribbon. The Item Details screen is displayed, showing who created the item, who modified it last, and what the last actions taken on the item were. The direct link URL to the Filter is available here, which can be copied to the clipboard using the "Copy Link" icon.This can be used to easily share and also open the Filter in a browser. On this screen, click "Related Items" in the Function Menu to see other items in the system that reference or utilize this Filter. When finished, click the Edit tab in the Tool Ribbon to return to the main edit screen.

4. Make any necessary changes to the existing Filter logic (see Working with Filter Logic for more details). To view or modify the details of a specific Filter component, simply click on the component name in the Workspace.

5. Optionally, to rename the Filter, click Edit Filter Logic > Actions > Rename. A "Rename Item" dialog box is displayed. Enter a new name for the Filter, then click save new name.

6. Optionally, you can assign one or more tags to your Filter. To assign a tag, click on the "Add tag" field in the Edit > Tags section of the Tool Ribbon. The system displays a pop-up menu of all the existing tags. You can select one of these tags, or type in a new one and press Enter. You can repeat this process to add more tags. To remove a tag, click the "X" icon next to the tag label.  

7. If you're utilizing Approval Workflows, you can set your new Filter to "draft," which will trigger the approval request process (see Approval Workflows for more details on this feature). To set the Filter to "draft," click Edit Filter Logic > Actions > Set to Draft in the Tool Ribbon.

8. If your Filter uses date / time fields or calculations, you can set the time zone used to perform these calculations. In the Tool Ribbon, click Edit Filter Logic > Actions > Set Time Zone. The "Set Time Zone" dialog box is displayed. From the "Time Zone" drop-down menu, select the desired time zone, then click ok.

9. To save your changes, clickEdit Filter Logic > Save in the Tool Ribbon.

 

To delete an item:

1. Search for the desired item (see Search for an Item for more details).

2. Click on the item name. The main item screen is displayed and populated with the details of the selected item.

3. In the Tool Ribbon, click Edit Filter Logic > Actions > Delete. A confirmation dialog box is displayed.

4. Click delete item to confirm the deletion.

Foldered items are moved to the Recycle Bin. Non-foldered items are permanently deleted.

 

Engage+ offers two different methods of generating the count of records that match your Filter criteria -- a Standard method and a Quick method. However, please note that the Quick calculation method is an optional feature that must be enabled within your account; please speak to your Client Services Representative for more information.

These two methods are described below in more detail.

Note: if you're intending to use this Filter to define a Campaign audience, please note that the Filter count doesn't necessarily represent the number of recipients eligible to receive your marketing message. The Filter doesn't take into account preference flags such as opt-outs or banned addresses; those records are removed at Campaign deployment time. However, you can view counts for these flags using the Cross Tab Report.

Calculate -- Standard Method

The Standard calculation method is always available for every Filter. If you use this method, you can view a "waterfall count" of the number of records that met each Filter component, and that were then passed along to the next component. The drawback to this method is that it's slower to execute than the Quick method.

To execute your Filter using the Standard calculation method:

1. In the Tool Ribbon, click Edit Filter Logic > Save and Calculate. The system begins processing your Filter. A progress bar is displayed in the top-right corner of the Workspace. When the Filter is complete, the progress bar is replaced with a final count of records that matched your Filter criteria.

2. Optionally, to view details of how many records matched each individual component in your Filter, click the "View Stats" link at the top of the Workspace. Each Filter component is expanded to show how many records were selected by that component, and were then passed along to the next component.

Load and Send Filters

If the source table for your Filter is a Load and Send Table, you have the option of selecting which import file to use when calculating your Filter results. To execute your Filter using the Standard calculation method for a Load and Send Filter:

1. In the Tool Ribbon, click Edit Filter Logic > Save and Calculate. A "Choose File Import for Calculation" dialog box is displayed.

2. In the "Choose File Import for Calculation" dialog box, select which specific import file you want to use to calculate the Filter results:

   • Most Recent: To use the most recent import file, place a check mark next to "most recent." This is the default option.

   • Most Recent from a Folder: To use the most recent import file from a specific folder, place a check mark next to "most recent from a folder. The system displays your folder hierarchy. Select the desired folder.

   • Specific Import: To use a specific import file, place a check mark next to "specific import from a folder." The system displays your folder hierarchy. Select a folder to see a list of all the import files within that folder. Select the desired import file.

3. Click calculate. The system begins processing your Filter. A progress bar is displayed in the top-right corner of the Workspace. When the Filter is complete, the progress bar is replaced with a final count of records that matched your Filter criteria.

4. Optionally, to view details of how many records matched each individual component in your Filter, click the "View Stats" link at the top of the Workspace. Each Filter component is expanded to show how many records were selected by that component, and were then passed along to the next component.

For more information on the Load and Send feature, please Load and Send Overview.

Calculate -- Quick Method

The Quick calculation method is an optional feature that must be enabled within your account. This method uses a different query architecture than the Standard method, and provides a significant increase in processing speed. However the Quick method doesn't support every Filter component type. For example, Property Joins and certain Activities & Items aren't supported by the Quick method. Also, the Quick method doesn't generate waterfall counts. If you need to see the number of records selected by each component in your Filter, then you'll need to execute the Filter using the Standard calculation method (see above for details).

To execute your Filter using the Quick calculation method:

1. In the Tool Ribbon, click Edit Filter Logic > Quick Calculate. The system begins processing your Filter. A progress bar is displayed in the top-right corner of the Workspace. When the Filter is complete, the progress bar is replaced with a final count of records that matched your Filter criteria.

Note: If you add a Filter component that's not supported by the Quick Calculate feature (such as a Joined field, for example), then the system will disable the Quick Calculate button. Also, the Quick Calculate feature is not available if you're building a Filter off a Load and Send table.

Cancel a Filter Calculation

If you need to cancel a Filter calculation while the process is still running:

1. In the Tool Ribbon, click Edit Filter Logic > Stop Calculation.

2. The system cancels the Filter calculation process.

Note:  Depending on the current state of the Filter calculation and the complexity of the Filter logic, the "cancel" command might not take effect immediately. When you cancel a Filter calculation, the system always completes the current logical step, then checks to see if it has received a "cancel" command. Therefore, it's possible you might experience a short delay when you click the "Stop Calculation" button.

 

Engage+ allows you to execute a Filter, then export the results of that Filter into a text file (.txt).

Note: This feature is not supported if you're building a Filter off a Load and Send table.

To export the Filter Results:

1. In the Tool Ribbon, click Edit Filter Logic > Generate Export. A "New Export" screen is displayed.

2. Enter the Export parameters and options (see Exports for more details on this process).

3. In the Tool Ribbon, click Edit > Save and Generate File.

4. To monitor the status of the export process, click "Exported Files" in the Function Menu. Your new export process is displayed, along with its current status and number of rows. When the export process is complete, click the "download" link in the "Export ID" column. An Open File dialog box is displayed. Click open to open the export file, or click save to browse to and select a destination folder.

 

To verify that your Filter is selecting the desired records, you can view (and optionally edit) the details of the selected records.

Note: This feature is not supported if you're building a Filter off a Load and Send table.

To view or edit the records that matched your Filter criteria:

1. Generate the counts for your Filter (see "Calculate Filter Counts" above for more details on this process).

2. In the Tool Ribbon, click Edit Filter Logic > Preview. The system displays a grid, showing all of the records that matched your Filter criteria.

3. To edit a record, click the "Edit" link the Action column next to the desired record. The Record Details screen is displayed and populated within a new tab in the Top Navigation Pane.

4. Make any necessary revisions to this record, then click save (see Record Lookup for more details on this process).

5. To return to the Filter, click the Filter tab in the Top Navigation Pane. Click Edit Filter Logic  in the Tool Ribbon to toggle back to edit mode.

 

If your Filter won't calculate, the process could be stuck in a queue waiting for processing threads to become available, in which case you'll simply need to wait a bit. Or, it's possible the Filter has surpassed the allowable number of Nested Levels (see Nested Levels in Filters for more details). 

 

If your Filter counts aren't what you expect, use the View Stats feature to see the number of records selected at each condition in the Filter. This feature can help you locate a problematic Filter condition. 

If you can't assign a Filter to a Campaign, the Filter and Campaign likely have different source tables. To assign a Filter to a Campaign, they both must have the same source table. 

 If the problem persists, please contact Global Support for further assistance.