Data Extensions with Enhanced Subscriber Features in Marketing Cloud Engagement

Use data extensions with Email Studio to satisfy the need for flexible data storage. Using data extensions requires an understanding of relational database structures and other technical expertise.

A standard data extension is a table within the application database that contains your data. Usually, the data you keep in a data extension relates to a subscriber but doesn’t fit in the subscriber profile and preference attributes for one of the following reasons: Filtered data extensions are segments of standard data extensions. You create a filtered data extension by filtering on fields, filters, and measures. Random data extensions are segments of standard data extensions. You create a random data extension by splitting standard data extensions, a filtered data extension, or a random data extension. Only 12 random data extensions can be created at one time.

• A subscriber can have varying numbers of values. For example, a subscriber's first name fits as a subscriber attribute because you probably refer to a subscriber by only one first name. Or a list of the subscriber's transactions in the last month doesn’t fit well because it’s difficult to predict how many transactions a subscriber has completed in the last month.

  

• The information is related to the subscriber through a third piece of information. For example, you maintain the subscriber's preferred airport code as a subscriber attribute, but maintain the name of the airport in a data extension.

  

• Create a Data Extension in Email Studio
  A data extension is a table that contains data that you provide. Use data extensions to hold customer data, track loyalty points, collect tracking and usage data, and many more use cases that require you to store information in a table.
• Create a Data Extension from an Existing Data Extension in Marketing Cloud Engagement
  Create a data extension from an existing data extension in Email Studio. Creating a data extension from an existing data extension allows you to copy the fields and their configurations but doesn’t copy the data stored in the data extension itself.
• Create a Data Extension from a Template
  Create a data extension with a data extension template. A few data extension templates are provided with Email Studio to enable specific use cases, such as data extensions used in coupon-based solutions.
• Create a Filtered Data Extension
  A filtered data extension is generated by filtering fields, filters, and measures and takes on the same characteristics as the source data extension. To identify a filtered data extension to sendable or non-sendable, change the source data extension to sendable or non-sendable. To remove data from a filtered data extension, remove the data from the source data extension, and then refresh the filtered data extension.
• Refresh a Filtered Data Extension
  Newly added or modified records are not automatically added to filtered data extensions. To add new records to a data extension, refresh the filtered data extension in Marketing Cloud Engagement.
• Create a Data Extension That Contains Randomly Selected Subscribers
  A random data extension splits up subscribers from a selected standard data extension and places the subscribers into new data extensions in Email Studio. You can create as many as 12 data extensions at a time.
• Data Extension Properties for Marketing Cloud Engagement
  View statistics about the data extension and change properties of the data extension in the data extension details section of Email Studio. To access data extension properties, select the data extension name.
• Set Enterprise 2.0 Shared Data Extension Permissions
  Data Extension Permissions is a Marketing Cloud Engagement tool that controls business unit access to shared data extensions in Email Studio. By checking the box next to a permission, you can enable or disable that permission.
• Import into a Data Extension
  Import subscriber data into a data extension in Email Studio.
• View Data Extension Records
  View data extension records in Email Studio for Marketing Cloud Engagement.
• Export a Data Extension
  Export subscribers from Email studio to a Marketing Cloud Engagement data extension.
• Send to Subscribers in a Data Extension
  Send an email to subscribers in a data extension in Email Studio for Marketing Cloud Engagement. For your convenience, you can preview email sends to a data extension, for example, to see personalization and dynamic content.
• View Tracking for Data Extensions
  View tracking for data extensions in Email Studio for Marketing Cloud Engagement.
• Data Relationships
  A data relationship in Email Studio specifies that a column in one data extension contains the same kind of information as a column in another data extension or in a subscriber attribute. Use a data relationship to relate two data extensions based on a common column contained in both data extensions. You can then apply a filter to the two data extensions and create a new segment of data.
• Data Extension Error Messages
  Use this information to resolve errors involving data extensions in Email Studio.
• Data Extension Data Types
  When you create a column in a data extension in Marketing Cloud Engagement, select one of these data types.
• Operators
  Learn about the expression operators that you can use with profile and preference attributes in data extensions.