Interactive Email Form Data FAQ

Data

Where is the data extension?

Data is stored in a new or existing data extension that the user chooses when building the content block. Data extensions created with the Create a data extension automatically option are saved in the Interactive Content folder under your top-level Data Extension folder in Email Studio or Contact Builder.

How is the data saved?

In the block, you set the data extension values for questions and answer options. When the recipient submits the email form, the data passes through the URL string to the CloudPages landing page and is saved in your data extension.

Your data extension configuration can impact how email forms write to the data extension. If your data extension doesn't have a primary key, the system adds a row upon form submission. If a primary key is defined, the system attempts an upsert to overwrite the record, but if the payload is missing any primary keys, the system generates a unique ID for the record.

What happens after a user clicks Submit?

Upon submitting, the user is directed to a CloudPages Interactive Email page. If the submission contains errors, like incomplete required fields or undefined minimum and maximum character requirements, the recipient receives resolution messages to correct the form and resubmit (no validation occurs in the email inbox). If the submission is valid, the recipient is shown the Confirmation Message content. You build the CloudPages Interactive Email page before selecting it in the Email Form block.

Is submitted form data secure?

Interactive email forms use existing Marketing Cloud Engagement infrastructure and encryption. Information submitted is encrypted and arrives in the browser URL. We recommend not using personal identifiable information in the URL, even with HTTPS encryption.

How do I use the submitted form data?

After it’s submitted, data is available in the target data extension and can be used for personalization in MC Scripting, Journeys, and more. If using the Redirect to a URL Confirmation Message option in the Email Form block on the Interactive Email CloudPage, the submitted data is also appended to the query string of the redirect URL specified, and can be used on the subsequent page.

Note Some data can be available during the submission process, but attempting to use it at any point other than from the target data extension or URL parameters on the redirect URL is subject to change without notice and should be avoided.

Does this form data integrate with other Clouds?

Customers can use native functionality in Journey Builder to move data from Data Extensions into Sales Cloud and Service Cloud. See Sales and Service Cloud Activities in Journey Builder.

Why isn’t data writing to my data extension?

Review these considerations if your data isn’t writing to your data extension:

• Is the data extension selected in your Email Form content block?
• Are all form inputs mapped to a data attribute?
• Are there required fields in the data extension that aren’t mapped to a form input? To write to a data extension, ensure that all required fields are mapped.
• Is the CloudPages Interactive Email page configured correctly with a Thank You message selected in the Form block that is in the middle content row? See Create an Interactive Email Page.
• Did you delete the data extension?

All submissions that don’t write to a data extension are added to an error log located in a Data Extensions > Interactive Content folder named 00 IC Error Log. Review this log to monitor submissions and to help troubleshoot configuration errors. The error log records this information:

• Time Stamp - The time of the submission error.
• Is Test Send - A true or false value indicating if the connected email was a test send.
• Subscriber Key - The defined subscriber key for the user who receives the email.
• Email Address - The email address for the user who receives the email.
• Target Data Extension Name - The name of the data extension we attempted to write to.
• Target Data Extension Customer Key - The customer key for the data extension we attempted to write to.
• Submission - The data we attempted to write in a JSON object.
• Error Message - The error message we recorded when attempting to write.
• Email Web Link - The URL for Web View link of the email.

Do I choose to write to an existing data extension or create one automatically?

There’s no best practice for choosing between these two options. Evaluate your use case and how you plan to use your data. Creating your own data extension allows greater control over the data extension options and individual fields. If you aren’t sure, choose to create one automatically.

How do I manage date fields?

There’s no best practice for how to manage date fields in the Email Form content block. The best option is to allow only the selection of dates that are hard-coded into inputs, like a set of radio buttons. If you use a normal text input to collect dates, and they don’t match the format required to write to a data extension, the dates don’t write to the data extension.

Can I add a time-stamp to my data extension so I know when the submissions occurred?

Yes, you can add the submission time to the data extension that you’re using. In Email Studio, add a Date field to the data extension and click + to select Use Current Date in the Default Value field.

In Contact Builder, add a Date field to the data extension and select the use the current system date Default Value checkbox. No additional configuration is required in the Email Form block.

Are clicks to the form tracked?

Clicks to the submit button from an email form that result in a successful submission are tracked in standard click reporting. Submissions from the interactive version are tracked using the "formsubmit" link alias. Submissions from the Automatic Fallback button are tracked using the "fallbackformsubmit" link alias.