Multi-Value Fields
The default format for fields in a file for ingestion (columns in a column-based file) is for each field to be a "single-value" field. A single-value field is a field where each consumer record can only be a member of one segment in that field. For example, a file might have a column for the field "Favorite_Pet", where each consumer record can only have one value associated with them (such as "Favorite_Pet=Dog" or "Favorite_Pet=Cat", but not both).
But for some fields you might want to allow each consumer record to have multiple values for that field. For example, you might want to create a field in Connect called "Pets_Owned" where each consumer record might be a member of multiple segments, such as "Pets_Owned=Dog", "Pets_Owned=Cat", and "Pets_Owned=Hamster". This type of field is called a "multi-value field".
Note
Before you upload the first file to a new audience where the file will contain one or more multi-value fields, use the Set Up Audience for First File Upload (Activation) quick case to create a support case to make sure the audience is configured correctly to process those multi-value fields.
Once the ingestion automation process has been set up for the initial file, make sure to create another support case if you change any of the single-value fields to multi-value fields so that the file ingests properly.
Formatting Multi-Value Fields
When sending in files with multi-value fields, make sure that those field values are formatted correctly by sending separate rows for each value a consumer has in a particular field.
For example, to make a consumer with a customer ID of "123" a member of the segments "Pets_Owned=Dog", "Pets_Owned=Cat", and "Pets_Owned=Hamster", format a column-based file like the example below:
Customer_ID | Pets_Owned |
|---|---|
123 | Dog |
123 | Cat |
123 | Hamster |
For a key-value file, format the file like the example below:
123,Pets_Owned=Dog 123,Pets_Owned=Catd 123,Pets_Owned=Hamster