Push: Doing a test run

This task pertains to using IBM Campaign to send mobile push notifications from IBM Engage. It is important to do a test run before committing to a production run.

About this task

Important: See the IBM Marketing Cloud documentation for complete information about doing test runs. This topic only covers a small portion of the process (testing from IBM Campaign to IBM Engage).

A test run is extremely important because it is your opportunity to confirm that the notification is properly configured before you deliver it to customers.

Typically, you do a test run after you finish configuring the Push process in an IBM Campaign flowchart.

The purpose of this test run is to confirm connectivity between Campaign and Engage and to spot-check several notifications in IBM Engage.

Note that a test run in Campaign never sends a production push to customers, even if Send push notifications to all contacts immediately (in the Push configuration dialog) is checked.

Remember: Never do a production run without first doing a test run.

Procedure

Use IBM Campaign to open the flowchart (in Edit mode) that contains the configured Push process.
Limit the test run to just a few records. You will remove this restriction later, after the test run is complete.

Note: This step is recommended but not required.

If you do not limit the test run, the entire contact list is sent to IBM Engage during the test run, which is unnecessary and time consuming.
1. Double-click the process box that provides input to the Push process. For example, if a Select process is connected to the Push process, open the Select process configuration dialog.
2. Select the Cell size limit tab.
3. Use the Limit output cell size option under Test run output cell size limitations to restrict the number of records. Typically, 5 or 10 records are sufficient for a test run.
Save the flowchart.
Open the Run menu and use one of the Test run options to do a test run of the flowchart, branch, or process.

The contact list is sent to IBM Engage but no push notifications are sent (regardless of whether Send push notifications to all contacts immediately is selected).
Use IBM Engage to test the push as you normally would, and confirm that the notification content and contact list are correct.
Be sure to confirm that all of the selections that were made in IBM Campaign are accurately reflected in IBM Engage. For example:
- If you changed the Push name in Campaign, confirm that the name change appears in Engage.
- Confirm that the Engage contact list includes all of the expected fields from IBM Campaign.
- Confirm that the contact list was either created or updated, depending on which selection was made in Campaign.
Important: Follow all of the instructions in the IBM Engage documentation to confirm that the push is properly prepared, and that you have met all of the requirements for doing a push. For example, confirm that opt-ins and opt-outs will be handled properly.

For more information, see http://www.ibm.com/support/knowledgecenter/SSTSRG/Mobile_App_Messages.html.

What to do next

If you encounter any errors, resolve them and then do another test run. When you confirm that the test run was successful, you are ready to do a production run. See Push: Doing a production run.