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Activation Templates for Segment-Triggered Flow Setup
Define and save reusable contact point selection logic, including channel selection, source priority configuration, and contact point filters by using activation templates. Flows use this logic to select the correct contact points consistently when contacting individuals.
Required Editions
| Available in: All Editions supported by Data 360. See Data 360 edition availability. |
As activations have evolved to include features such as contact point filtering and source priority ordering, the configuration required to select the right contact points has become more complex. Teams often reuse the same filtering and priority logic across many campaigns, especially for consent compliance and contact point selection.
Activation templates solve this problem by letting you save commonly used contact point configurations one time and then reference them from segment-triggered flows. Instead of configuring contact point selection logic from scratch in each flow, the flow reads the predefined logic stored in the template.
Benefits of Activation Templates
- Save time: Define contact point selection logic one time and reuse it across multiple flows.
- Reduce errors: Apply source priority rules and contact point filters consistently without manual reconfiguration.
- Improve compliance: Standardize consent and contact point filter configurations to meet regulatory requirements, such as GDPR.
- Enable flows: Give segment-triggered flows access to sophisticated contact point selection logic that was previously available only in the activation UI.
How Activation Templates Work
An activation template is a nonpublishable configuration that stores contact point selection metadata. The template itself is never published to a destination and has no publish schedule or activation jobs. Instead, it serves as a metadata container that holds the logic for contact point selection.
Each template is associated with a specific data space and data model object (DMO), such as Individual or Unified Individual. The DMO association determines which flows can reference the template.
When a flow references an activation template, the flow engine reads the template's stored logic to identify the correct contact points for each individual in the segment. This feature provides consistent, reliable contact point selection without requiring the Flow Builder to re-create complex filtering logic manually.
Template Components
An activation template includes these configurations.
- Contact point channels: Pre-selected channels such as email, phone (SMS), or WhatsApp.
- Source priority: The evaluation order for contact point values when multiple values
exist for the same channel. Each row in the source priority table represents a combination
of source, source object, contact point type, and active status.
For example, you can configure the priority so that a primary email from the Marketing Cloud source with a Lead source object is selected before a primary email from the same source with a Prospect source object. Rows higher in the table take priority.
- Contact point filters: Filter criteria applied to contact point DMOs or consent DMOs to make sure that only compliant, valid contact points are selected.
To comply with GDPR consent regulations, a global company operating in Europe needs to ensure proper compliance when contacting individuals via segment-triggered flows. The marketing operations manager addresses this by creating an activation template, named "GDPR email Compliance," which includes:
- Email as the contact point channel
- A source priority configuration where a primary email from the Marketing Cloud source with a Lead source object is first priority, followed by a primary email from Marketing Cloud with a Prospect source object, and then a business email from S3 as the lowest priority
- Contact point filters requiring explicit email opt-in consent
When a flow builder creates a segment-triggered flow, it references the "GDPR email Compliance" template. The flow engine uses the template's stored logic to select the correct, consent-compliant email address for each individual in the segment based on the defined priority order. The flow builder doesn't need to process all GDPR consent requirements or manually configure the contact point selection.
- Create a Reusable Template for Contact Point Selection
Create an activation template to define a reusable contact point selection logic that segment-triggered flows can reference. Templates store channel selections, source priority configuration, and contact point filters in a single, reusable configuration.
