Procedures

How to Create a Data Extension

Use the following steps to create a data extension. After you complete this procedure, you can import data to the data extension and create a data relationship.

1. Click the Subscribers tab from the navigation bar.
2. Click Data Extensions.
3. Click the Create button. You have three options:
   • New Data Extension: creates a brand new data extension
   • Copy of an Existing Data Extension: creates a copy of an existing data extension's schema
   • Data Extension based on a Template: creates a data extension based on a template in the application that you select
4. Complete the information in the Properties section:
   • Name - Name of the data extension. Use this name to identify the data extension in the  ExactTarget application.
   • 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 the data extension. Use this description to further help identify the data extension within the ExactTarget application.
5. Complete the information in the Type section.
   • Used for Sending checkbox - Indicates whether you intend this data extension to have messages sent to it. This checkbox determines whether the data extension is available to use as part of a user-initiated send.
     If you select this value, you must complete the following fields:
     • Relates to subscribers on - If you select the Used for Sending checkbox, this field determines the field in the data extension that relates to the Subscriber table.
     • Used for Testing checkbox - If you select the Used for Sending checkbox, this field indicates whether you intend this data extension to have test messages sent to it.

   NOTE: You must include a field with the Email Address data type for email sends or a Phone data type for SMS sends in a sendable data extension with no other information that relates to an existing subscriber. If the Email Address or Phone data types are not present, the subscriber will not receive any messages sent using the data extension.

6. Complete the information in the Fields section for each field. Click Add to create a new field in the data extension.
   • 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 are not 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. Note: 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.
     • 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 as well as the how many of the total appear after the decimal point. For example, if you define a decimal field with a length of 18,2, the two characters that appear after the decimal point are included in the 18 character total limit.
   • Primary Key - Determines whether the ExactTarget system considers this field to be the primary key of the table.
     If you select this checkbox, the system requires that the value in this field be 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 do not select this checkbox, the system does not 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 do not select this checkbox and you try to import a NULL value for this column, the system will respond as you specify in the Skip Rows with Bad Data field on the import definition.
7. Click Save.

How to Create a Data Extension with a Template

Use the following steps to create a data extension with a data extension template. A small number of data extension templates are provided with the ExactTarget application to enable specific use cases, such as data extensions used in coupon-based solutions.

1. Click the Subscribers tab from the navigation bar.
2. Click Data Extensions.
3. Click My Data Extensions.
4. Click the Create from Template button.
5. Select the checkbox next to the template to use.
6. Click the Select button. The Data Extension screen appears.
7. Complete the information in the Properties section:
   • Name - Name of the data extension. Use this name to identify the data extension in the  ExactTarget application.
   • 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. You use this description to further help identify the data extension within the ExactTarget application.
8. Complete the information in the Type section.
   • Used for Sending checkbox - Indicates whether you intend this data extension to have messages sent to it. This checkbox determines whether the data extension is available to select in the message send wizard.
     If you select this value, you must complete the following fields.
   • Relates to subscribers on - If you select the Used for Sending checkbox, this field determines the field in the data extension that relates to the Subscriber table.
   • Used for Testing checkbox - If you select the Used for Sending checkbox, this field indicates whether you intend this data extension to have test messages sent to it.
9. 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. Click Add to create a new field in the data extension.
   • 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 are not 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. Note: ExactTarget does not 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 as well as the 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 amount of numbers located to the right of the decimal point in the Scale box. For example, a price field might have the value 5 in the Precision box and the value 2 in the Scale box to display a price like 123.45.
   • Primary Key - Determines whether the ExactTarget system considers field to be the primary key of the table.
     If you select this checkbox, the system requires that the value in this field be 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 do not select this checkbox, the system does not 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 do not select this checkbox and you try to import a NULL value for this column, the system will respond as you specify in the Skip Rows with Bad Data field on the import definition.
10. Click Save.

How to Copy a Data Extension

Copying a data extension allows you to copy the fields and their configurations but does not copy the data stored in the data extension itself. Follow this procedure to copy a data extension. 

1. Click the Subscribers tab. 
2. Click Data Extensions. 
3. Select the checkbox next to the data extension you wish to copy. 
4. Click Copy. 
5. Rename the new data extension. 
6. Click Save. 
   The data extension now appears in the Data Extension folder. 

How to Clear Data from a Data Extension

Clearing data deletes the data extension's data, and it cannot be retrieved. 

This feature is for Enterprise 2.0 users only. By default, this functionality is turned off except for Enterprise 2.0 account admins. To enable this feature, an admin must enable the Clear Data permission under Subscribers > Data Extension for each role.

If you have a shared data extension, only the owner of the shared data extension with the permission to "clear data" will be able to clear the data extension. Even if you're a user with the clear data permission enabled, you can't clear a shared data extension unless you're the owner. 

1. Click the Subscribers tab. 
2. Click Data Extensions. 
3. Select the checkbox next to the data extension you wish to clear. 
4. Click the Clear Data button. 
5. Read the confirmation message and click OK. 
   The system cleared the data extension. 

How to Change Your Data Retention Policy

NOTE: To enable or change the data retention policy, you must have the data retention feature enabled on your account and be logged in as the data admin user. Contact your ExactTarget representative for more information.

1. Click the Use Data Retention check box to enable the default 6 months data retention policy.
2. If you wish to add additional conditions, click the Use Object Based Retention check box. You can specify several different types of data retention options.
   • Amount of time where data is not used - Enter the time after which you want unused data to be deleted in the Retention Period field and select the appropriate unit of time (days, weeks, months, or years) in the dropdown menu. You can also check the Reset Retention Period On Import check box to restart the countdown for that data extension when you import new data.
   • Delete after a fixed date - Enter the date after which you want the data extension to be deleted.
   • Delete data from data extension - Check the Delete At End Of Retention Period check box to delete only the data and leave the data extension in place.

How to Create a Data Relationship

Use the following steps to create a data relationship. Before you complete this procedure, you must create the data extensions that are involved in the relationship. After you complete this procedure and populate the data extensions with data, you can include information from a data extension in a message to subscribers.

1. Click the Subscribers tab in the navigation bar.
2. Click my data relationships.
3. Click the Create button.
4. Complete the information in the Properties section:
   • Name - Name of the data relationship. Use this name to identify the data relationship in the  ExactTarget application.
   • External Key - A unique value that identifies the data relationship. Use this value to identify the data relationship with an API call.
   • Description - Description of the data relationship. Use this description to further identify the data relationship within the ExactTarget application.
5. Complete the information in the Fields section:
   • <select object> list boxes - Identifies the data extensions involved in the data relationship. You can also include the ExactTarget subscriber record if you're relating a data extension to a subscriber attribute.
   • <select field> list boxes - Identifies the fields in the data extensions that are involved in the relationship.
6. If more than one column in each data extension is involved, click Add to display another set of <select field> list boxes.
7. Click Save.

How to Import Data to a Data Extension

Create an import activity to import data to a data extension. You can also populate a data extension with the results of a query activity.

You can schedule activities or include them as part of a program. See the Activities Guide for more information.

How to Send a Message to a Data Extension

To send a message to a data extension, select the data extension as the list to receive the message. Before you perform this procedure, you must create the data extensions, create the data relationships, and populate the data extension. You can choose to schedule this message or include this message in a program.

How to Export Information from a Data Extension

Create a data extension extract activity to export data from a data extension into another file format.