Import Data into ExactTarget

How to Create Profile and Preference Attributes

Every account includes a standard set of basic profile attributes. You can create a number of attributes (your limit is specified in your account contract) and manage them in the Profile Management and Preference Management sections.

The steps for creating a profile or preference attribute are the same. Profile attributes are created and accessed from the profile management workspace, and preference attributes are created and accessed from the preference management workspace, both of which are in the Subscribers area of the application.

Note: If the attribute is a yes or no value, create a preference attribute. If the attribute requires more complexity, create a profile attribute.

Follow these steps to add a new profile or preference attribute to your account:

Note: If the advanced profile/preference management feature is not enabled in your account, you can't see these sections in the navigation pane.

If you're creating a profile attribute, all profile attributes defined in your account appear in the profile management workspace on the right. If you're creating a preference attribute, you see the preference management workspace on the right, with all preference attributes that are defined in your account.

Note: In addition to basic alphanumeric characters, certain special characters can be used in the values that you enter as a subscriber value for an attribute. The special characters represented by the ASCII decimal ( dec) codes 32 through 254 are supported.

This attribute is now available for use in defining groups, dynamic content, and personalized substitution strings.

1. Click the Subscribers tab.
2. Click Profile Management or Preference Management.
3. Click Create Attribute, which opens the Attribute Properties dialog box.
4. Define the properties for this attribute.
5. Click OK in the Attribute Properties dialog box when done.

Note: If you marked the new attribute as a required field, all subscriber imports now must include this field. You may want to include a default value so that records can be saved even if a value isn't provided.

How to Import Subscribers Into a List

Before you can import a file, you must first create a list and create the import file.

Note: If you're using a Reseller or Enterprise account and have the limited-release Unsubscribe Management feature enabled, email addresses that appear on the ExactTarget global unsubscribe list or your account-level unsubscribe list will not be imported.

Before your import your file, read the Imports page for recommendations about preparing the file.

You can import subscribers from your Outlook contact list.
See Importing Microsoft Outlook Contacts into a Subscriber List.

To import the subscribers from your import file, follow these steps:

1. Click the Subscribers tab.
2. Click the My Lists folder.

If you've created a list subfolder under My Lists in which you want to import the new subscribers, click that subfolder.

3. Double-click the desired list (or select the list and then click the Open List button in the toolbar).
4. Click the Import button, which opens the Import Subscriber wizard.
5. Click Next in the wizard's introductory dialog box.
6. Read the content of the Opt-in Certification dialog box that appears next. If you have verified that every subscriber in your import file has agreed to receive emails from you, select the I agree check box, and click Next.
7. Complete the Identify Source File dialog box that appears next, as follows:

8. Click the Next button in the Import Subscriber Wizard dialog box.

The application reads the import file, which may take several moments depending on the size of the file.

Note: The data in the import file is not yet brought into your account.

The Map Attributes dialog box appears next. This dialog box consists of two sections:

9. If a field from your import file has not been mapped for you to an attribute, map it as follows:
   1. Click the field in the Source section. (Whether you're viewing the header row labels or a row of actual subscriber data in the Source section when you click the source field is unimportant. In either case, you're mapping all data from that column of your import file to the attribute.)
   2. Click the corresponding attribute in the Destination section.
   3. Click the Map button.

The column of data is now mapped to the attribute, as indicated by the grayed-out value in the Source section and the Mapped From value in the Destination section.

You also have these additional options:

• Remove a single mapping: To unmap an attribute from the import file field to which it's currently mapped, click the attribute row in the Destination section and then click the Unmap button.
• Remove all current mappings: If you want to remove all the current mappings (that is, delete all values from the Mapped From column in the Destination section), click the Clear Map button.
• Return to the original mappings: If you want to undo all changes you've made to the default mappings (the mappings that were in place when you first opened this dialog box), click the Default Map button.

Any fields still displayed in black font rather than gray in the Source section represent data that isn't imported.

10. When satisfied with your mappings, click the Next button at the bottom of the dialog box.

Note: Any attributes that have been defined as required must be mapped to fields in your import file. You can't continue with the wizard until these fields are mapped.

The Confirm Mappings dialog box appears next, summarizing your selected mappings and the number of columns (fields) and records (subscribers) in your file that the application attempts to import.

11. If you want to be notified when the import is complete, select the Email me upon import completion check box and enter your email address in the Email address field. Your email notification also includes a log of any subscriber records that could not be imported.
12. Click the Begin button.

The application begins the process of importing your data. How long the import takes depends on the size of your import file.

The final dialog box of the wizard appears.

If you imported using an Enterprise account, the email address appears on the ExactTarget global unsubscribe list or on your account-level unsubscribe list.

For best practices and tips on creating and executing the import file, see Imports.

How To Preview the Subscription Center

The Subscription Center is accessed from the Profile Center. To see what the Subscription Center looks like to a subscriber, follow these steps:

1. Click the Subscribers tab. 

2. Click Profile Management.

3. Click Preview Profile Center.

4. Click the Subscription Center link that you'll see on the left side of the Profile Center web page.

Note the following about the Subscription Center:

• The Available Publications section displays all lists that are defined in your account as public. The subscriber can choose to subscribe to or unsubscribe from any of them.

• The Unsubscribe from All option allows the subscriber to remove himself or herself from all of your publications.

Click here for more information about the unsubscribe option and its impact on your lists.

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.