- Create flowcharts
Follow these instructions to add a flowchart to a marketing campaign. A flowchart determines the campaign logic.
- Editing flowcharts
Open a flowchart for editing to make changes to it. For example, you can add or remove processes, reconfigure existing processes, or change the flowchart name and description.
- Example: Contact and response flowcharts
This example shows two flowcharts that were designed for a marketing campaign that uses multiple channels to deliver an offer to customers who otherwise might be lost through attrition.
- Flowchart workspace overview
Use the flowchart workspace to design flowcharts for marketing campaigns.
- Flowchart design considerations
Be aware of the following considerations when you create flowcharts.
- Flowchart process overview
Process boxes are the building blocks of Unica Campaign flowcharts. All available processes are in the palette at the left of the workspace when a flowchart is open for editing.
- List of Unica Campaign processes
Configure and connect processes in flowcharts to accomplish your campaign goals. Each process performs a specific operation, such as selecting, merging, or segmenting customers.
- Adding processes to flowcharts
You can add a process to a flowchart by dragging a process box from the palette to the workspace.
- Connecting processes in flowcharts
Connect processes in a flowchart to specify the direction of data flow and the order in which the processes run. When you move processes in the workspace, any existing connections between processes remain. Moving processes in a flowchart does not affect data flow. You affect data flow only by adding or deleting connections.
- Changing the appearance of connection lines
There are several options to control the appearance of connector lines between process boxes in a flowchart.
- Deleting a connection between two processes
If you no longer want two processes to be connected, or if you want to change the direction of the data flow between them, you can delete the connection.
- Aligning process boxes
You can align process boxes to improve the appearance of the flowchart.
- Adjusting flowchart layout
When you edit a flowchart, use the Layout menu to reposition all process boxes in a single command to improve the appearance of the flowchart. This is a visual change which does not affect the flow of data. The direction of the connection lines between processes determines data flow.
- Annotating flowcharts
You can annotate process boxes to communicate with other users of the flowchart and clarify the intention and functionality of each process. Annotations appear as yellow sticky notes.
- Determining the status of a process
Each process box in a flowchart displays an icon to indicate its status.
- Copying processes within a flowchart
Copying a configured process can save time when you build campaign flowcharts. You can paste the process elsewhere in the workspace.
- Copying processes between flowcharts
Use the template library to copy configured processes from one flowchart to another. A template contains one or more configured processes and connections. Copying configured process boxes can save time when you design complex flowcharts.
- Moving processes in flowcharts
You can move any process in a flowchart by dragging the process to a different location in the workspace. Moving a process does not affect the workflow; it only affects the visual appearance of the flowchart.
- Deleting processes from flowcharts
As you design and build flowcharts, you can delete processes if you decide that you no longer need them. If you delete a process that has an annotation, the annotation is also deleted.
- Data sources for processes
When you configure most processes in a flowchart, you must specify the source of the data that the process will act on. The data source for a process can be one or more incoming cells, segments, files, or tables. For example, the data source for a Select process might be a database table where your organization stores customer information such as Name, Address, Age, and Income.
- Skipping duplicate IDs in process output
The Extract, Call list, Mail list, and Snapshot processes allow you to specify how to treat duplicate IDs in the process output. The default is to allow duplicate IDs in the output.
- Previewing field values from your user data
When you configure a process in a flowchart, you can use the Profile feature to preview field values. This feature lets you see actual values from fields in your user data. You can profile any field in a mapped data source. You can also profile derived fields.
- Creating queries with Formula helper
When you create a query to select IDs in a Select, Segment, or Extract process, you can use the Formula helper to help build the query. The Formula helper is available from the process configuration dialog. The Formula helper contains a set of buttons for inserting commonly used operators and a list of macros, operators, and functions.
- Creating raw SQL queries
When you configure a Select, Segment, or Extract process in a flowchart, you can use queries to identify contacts from your databases or flat files. The Select, Segment, and Extract processes provide query builders to help you construct queries. Additionally, experienced SQL users can write their own SQL queries or copy and paste SQL queries from other applications. Writing raw SQL is an advanced operation; users are responsible for correct syntax and query results.
- The Select process
Use the Select process to select IDs from your marketing data, such as customers, accounts, or households that you intend to contact.
- The Merge process
Use the Merge process to specify which input cells are included and combined and which input cells are excluded (suppressed).
- The Segment process
Use the Segment process to divide data into distinct groups, or segments. Connect a Segment process to a contact process, such as a Call list or Mail list, to assign treatments or offers to the segments.
- The Sample process
Use the Sample process to divide contacts into groups. The classic use of sampling is to establish target and control groups that you can use to measure the effectiveness of your marketing campaign.
- The Audience process
Audience levels define the target entity that you want to work with, such as account, customer, household, product, or business division. Use the Audience process in a flowchart to switch between audience levels or to filter out IDs by audience level.
- The Extract process
Use the Extract process to select fields from one table and write them out to another table for subsequent processing. The Extract process is designed to pare down a large amount of data to a manageable size for subsequent operations, resulting in vast performance improvements.
- The Snapshot process
Use the Snapshot process to capture data for export to a table or a file.
- The Schedule process
Use the Schedule process to initiate a process, a series of processes, or an entire flowchart. The Schedule process works only if the flowchart is running.
- The Cube process
Administrators use the Cube process to allow users to drill into data from multiple sources. Data cubes consist of dimensions that are based on strategic segments.
- The CreateSeg process
Use the CreateSeg process to create lists of audience IDs from customer database tables. Define the CreateSeg process in the Sessions area of Unica Campaign so that the segments are available globally for use in all campaigns.
- The Mail list process
Use the Mail list process to assign offers to contacts, generate a contact list for a direct mail campaign, and log the contact history. The Mail list process is often referred to as a contact process.
- The Call list process
Use the Call list process to assign offers to contacts, generate a contact list for a telemarketing campaign, and log the contact history. The Call list process is often referred to as a contact process.
- The Track process
Use the Track process to update the contact statuses or additionally tracked fields for existing records in contact history. The Track process can update existing contact history records, create new records, or do a combination of both.
- The Response process
The Response process tracks the responses of customers who were contacted in a contact process, such as Mail list or Call list.
- The History tab (Unica Campaign)