Create a Shared Entry Event

An Entry Event is an action that prompts one or more contacts to enter a journey in Journey Builder. This topic contains information for IT administrators to set up shared entry events for marketer use.

1. Click New Event.
2. Choose an event type. Usually, marketers choose a Contact Data event.
   

   Note Event types don’t dictate the data source that contacts enter a journey from. Choose the data source in a subsequent step.
3. Add a name, description, event definition key, and icon. The event definition key is used when calling an event via API. If you don’t have one, Journey Builder provides it automatically.
4. Select a sendable data extension, the data source where customer actions and data is recorded, and tell Journey Builder when and how often to check it. When Journey Builder finds new customer records, it automatically tries to enter them into the journey. If they meet the filter criteria set on the next step, Journey Builder admits them.
   Journeys that include the email activity must use an event source data extension that includes these fields:

   Name	Data Type
   EmailAddress	Email Address
   SubscriberKey	Text

   If one or both fields aren’t in this format, Journey Builder creates them and appends them to the event source data extension.

   

   Note To prevent errors, ensure that no other fields in the data extension contain the following:

   • A field named SubscriberKey, with a data type other than Text
   • A field named EmailAddress, with a data type other than Email Address

   When the event source is modified, added to, or overwritten, this action constitutes an entry event. A single entry event can be used to kick off multiple journeys.
5. If necessary, create a filter using contact attributes so the journey only admits contact records that meet the filter criteria set on this step.
   An entry event's configuration details appear on the journey canvas. Determine when and how often Journey Builder checks the event source for new records to enter the journey.
6. If contacts enter the journey via API or using Automation Studio, select Not Applicable. Setting an entry schedule here isn’t necessary.
7. To have contacts enter the journey according to a schedule, select Run using the following schedule.
8. Set the date, time zone, and repetition schedule. The default repeat setting is None, which means the entry event runs only on the scheduled date and time.
   The schedule dictates when Journey Builder checks the event source for new records. The schedule set here doesn’t admit contacts into the journey unless the journey is activated. In cases where the schedule set begins before journey activation, Journey Builder only admits contacts that are added to the event source following activation.