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.

1. Hover over Subscribers.
2. Click Data Extensions.
3. Click Create, and then choose a data extension type.
   • Standard Data Extension: Use a standard data extension to create custom fields to store data.
   • Filtered Data Extension: A filtered data extension is generated by filtering fields, measures, and filters for sendable data extensions from a source data extension.
   • Random Data Extension: Use a random data extension to randomly select subscribers from a source data extension.
4. Click Standard Data Extension.
5. Complete the information in the Properties section.

   Creation Method	Click Create from Template, select a data extension template, and click Continue.
   Name	Name of the data extension. Use this name to identify the data extension in Email Studio.
   External Key	A unique value that identifies the data extension. Use this value to identify the data extension with an API call.
   Description	Description of data extension. Use this description to further help identify the data extension within Email Studio.
   Location	Select Change Location to store the data extension in a different folder location.
   Used for Sending	Indicates whether you can send messages to subscribers whose information is in the data extension.
   Used for Testing	Indicates whether you can send test messages to the contacts in the data extension. To select this option, you must also select Used for Sending.
   Campaign	To associate a data extension used for sending with a Campaign, select the radio button for the appropriate Campaign.

6. Complete the information in the Fields section for each field you want to add in addition to the fields that are required for the template. To create a new field in the data extension, click Add.
   • Name: The name of the column

   • Data Type: The data type of the contents of the field. Valid values include:

     • Text: A combination of letters, numbers, and spaces.
     • Number: An integer. Decimal values aren’t supported.
     • Date: A system date. You can use an AMPscript function to format this value when you present it in a message.
     • Boolean: A 0 or 1 value.
     • Email Address: An email address. A field of this type must exist in order for you to send an email to a data extension. The system doesn’t verify that the value in this field is a valid email address when importing data.
     • Phone: A phone number.
     • Decimal: A number with a decimal point.
     • Length: Maximum number of characters, including spaces, you can import into this column. If you select the Decimal data type, you specify both the total maximum number of characters and how many of the total appear after the decimal point. Enter the maximum number of digits allowed in the field in the Precision box, and enter the quantity of numbers located to the right of the decimal point in the Scale box. For example, a price field with the value 5 in the Precision box and the value 2 in the Scale box can display a price like 123.45.
     • Primary Key: Determines whether the system considers the field to be the primary key of the table. If you select this checkbox, the system requires that the value in this field is unique so it can use this field to uniquely identify a row. If you select this checkbox for more than one column, then the combination of the values in the columns must be unique. If you don’t select this checkbox, the system doesn’t require the value in this field to be unique.
     • Nullable: Determines whether this column can be empty. If you select this checkbox, you can import a NULL, empty, value for this column. If you don’t select this checkbox and try to import a NULL value for this column, the system responds as you specify in the Skip Rows with Bad Data field on the import definition.
7. Save your changes.