Data Types

Text

• A combination of letters, numbers, and spaces
• Up to 4000 characters can be accepted
• Text field definitions can only be updated to increase the size of the field

Number

• An integer
• You cannot import decimal values into a column with this data type. If you need to import decimal values, use the Decimal data type instead
• This type accepts values from -2,147,483,648 to 2,147,483,648

Date

• A system date
• You can use an AMPscript function to format this value when you present it in a message
• Attributes of a date type will accept dates in various formats, such as 1/1/2005 or January 1, 2005
• All dates are stored in the format MM/DD/YYYY, and if a date is entered in a different format, the system will convert it to the proper format when storing it
• Valid date values begin after 12/31/1772 and before 01/01/10000
• You can add a HH:MM time value following the date value, such as 12/12/2012 12:12 PM.

Boolean

• A 0 (false) or 1 (true) value

Email

• An email address
• A field of this type must exist in order for you to send an email to a data extension

ExactTarget does not verify that the value in this field is a valid email address when importing data.

Phone

• A phone number
• This data type accepts accepts any string with 10 or 11 digits in it and strips out non-digit characters. For example, the following examples are acceptable:
  • 555-555-5555
  • 1-555-555-5555
  • 1-(555)-555-5555
  • (555)-555-5555

Decimal

• A number with a decimal point
• When you define a field with this data type, you indicate the total number of digits the field can hold as well as how many of those digits appear after the decimal point. For example, if you define a decimal field with a length of 18,2, the two digits that appear after the decimal point are included in the 18 character total limit.

Locale

• An ISO language and country code
• This field requires a minimum of two characters (to define the country of the subscriber), but it can be expanded to five characters to accommodate a language as well. For example, a resident of the United States who speaks English would receive the EN-US Locale value.