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Overview: Query timeline events in BlueConic

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BlueConic stores time-based event data in timeline events. Timeline events live on the profile's timeline, and with the new functionality in timeline event rollups, you can query event data and roll it up into profile properties that you can use for segmentation and activation throughout BlueConic.

Example of a profile timeline:

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New feature for querying timeline event data into profile properties

Timeline event rollups provide a simple form you can use to ask questions of your timeline event data and map the results to BlueConic profile properties (formerly achieved via the Timeline Query Connection). Use the rolled-up data to:

  • Enrich or extend BlueConic segments with time-based data
  • Deliver richer insights into your reports
  • Export rolled up data to another system that relies on these insights
  • Create relevant features for your machine learning models

For example, you can target customers based on recent orders or events, by offering a discount for repeat orders. Or you might choose to send discounts only to customers with recent, high-value orders.

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Directly store event data that formerly required a Timeline Query Connection

The new capabilities in timeline event rollups empower non-technical users, such as marketing or business team members, to self-serve in BlueConic, directly in the Timeline event rollups page, without running connections. This new feature will also be robust enough to serve power users, such as data analysts.

In three steps, you can roll event data up into profile properties on the Timeline event rollups page:

  1. Select a timeline event type.
  2. Filter events using conditions. For example: 'find the order value for new customer orders in the month of May', or 'find orders that used coupons associated with a specific campaign'. 
  3. Map the resulting rollup to a profile property (new or existing), which you can use for activation in segments, dialogues, insights, notebooks, connections, and more.

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How timeline event rollups compare to Timeline Queries

Timeline event rollups provide important benefits over the existing connection-based method of rolling up event data using the Timeline Query Connection. 

This new feature:

  • Empowers business users and data analysts with a simple, powerful tool
  • Calculates your rollups as your time-based data streams into BlueConic
  • Automatically recalculates data rollups based on the retention policy set for your timeline data
  • Provides performance and efficiency gains by only rolling up the data when needed 
  • Offers improved data governance, with features integrated and controlled by a separate role-based permission
  • Provides PII-validation and data typing, and blocks users from deleting timeline event properties that are currently used in a rollup

To get started building rollups in BlueConic, review the steps in Create Timeline Event Rollups.

Role-based access control

Role-based feature access lets BlueConic Application Managers assign permissions to enable BlueConic users at your site to create data rollups. 

Important

In order to begin using this feature, you must assign the 'Timeline event rollups' permission to the appropriate user roles in the Roles page. By default, only Application Managers get this permission.

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Glossary

Basic Query Builder: A graphical interface that allows users to configure a timeline event rollup without having to write SQL code. 

Conditions and condition operators: To create a timeline event rollup, you first select the  timeline event data to be rolled up via the query builder. You use conditions to filter those events for specific event property values, and you use condition operators for constructing queries. See the article on Creating timeline event rollups for details.

Mappings and mapping operators: In the steps to create timeline event rollups, you can select which parts of the timeline event data you want to use in the rollup. Depending on the data type, you can select a mapping operator, such as count or sum. See the Creating timeline event rollups article for details.

Profile property: A piece of information associated with a profile that describes a specific aspect of the profile. Timeline event rollups store the rollup results as a profile property value.

Statistics: Open the right-hand panel of the timeline rollups page to see statistics for the current rollup. Learn more about when rollups are run.

Timeline event rollup: An “SQL-like” query that can add values from timeline events to profile properties.

Timeline event type: The definition of a time-based event that can occur for a profile.

 

 

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