So you’re ready to start putting your data into BlueConic? This article is meant to help guide you and your team to prepare for data onboarding. The more ready your data is, the quicker the process can be. You can also review the article on the best practices for importing CSV files into BlueConic.
CDP Data Readiness Best Practices
- Identify early on who is responsible for preparing your data for delivery.
- Identify which data is required for your initial use cases; do not load everything simultaneously.
- Consider if there are business rules required for the method you’re using to import data into BlueConic. For example:
- Can this be a batch process or does it need to be real-time?
- Does BlueConic offer a certified connection for the system you are connecting to, and does it meet the business requirements?
- Does the selected method offer the required data?
- For flat-file imports, set up the server you’ll use to store and transfer files (i.e., SFTP server, Amazon S3 bucket, Google Cloud Storage server).
- Identify the primary key for all data sources/files (i.e., how data will be linked to the profile).
- For example, email address, customer ID, or phone number for the profile; group ID for anything related to groups; an order ID and order date for timeline events
- Compile a few examples of the kinds of segments that you will want to create in the platform.
- Start generating sample files for all data sources.
- Validate that the files are correctly formatted. For example:
- Is the encoding correct?
- Is the data properly escaped?
Collecting Credentials
For any external systems you plan to connect to BlueConic with an out-of-the-box connection, such as ESPs or advertising platforms, be sure to collect the proper access or API credentials and consider appointing a stakeholder or point of contact for each system. If you have an agency that manages your social advertising accounts, be sure to obtain the credentials from them or involve them to authenticate those connections. See the current list of BlueConic connections.
BlueConic JavaScript Tag
To use BlueConic with your channels, you need to place the BlueConic JavaScript tag on all pages where you want to use BlueConic to collect data or interact with users. This is a crucial step that requires the attention and inclusion of your web administrators. Involve them early and share the below documentation with them so they know what to expect and can get the deployment of the script into their work queue.
For step-by-step instructions on implementation or FAQ, refer to these Knowledge Base articles: