How to Create a Data Extension in Salesforce Marketing Cloud

A data extension is a relational database table in Marketing Cloud to store subscribers or any other type of data. They can be used to maintain subscriber information which can not be stored with profile or preference attributes in Subscriber list.

In this blog we will cover the detail steps to create a Data Extension along with best practice and their advantages and disadvantages.

What is a Data Extension?
Like Lists, Data Extensions are a compilation of subscribers who receive your communications. You can create as many data extensions as you need to segment your subscribers in order to target your communications or to house relational data.

Steps to Create a Data Extension:

Hover over Subscribers.

Click Data Extensions.

Click the Create and you will have three options as below:

• Standard Data Extension: A standard data extension allows you to create custom fields to store data.
• Filtered Data Extension: A filtered data extension is generated by filtering fields, measures, and filters for sendable data extensions from a source data extension.
• Random Data Extension: A random data extension allows you to randomly select subscribers from a source data extension.

Click Standard Data Extension.

Click OK.

Complete the information in the Properties section:

Creation Method - The method used to create the data extension. 

Select Create from New.

Name -The name of the data extension. Use this name to identify the data extension in Email Studio. 

External Key - A unique value that identifies the data extension. Use this value to identify the data extension with an API call.

Description - A description of the data extension, optional. 

Location - To store the data extension in a different folder location, optional, select Change Location.

Is Sendable - Indicates whether you intend this data extension to have messages sent to it. This checkbox determines whether the data extension is available to use as part of sends.

Is Testable - If you select Is Sendable, this field indicates whether you intend this data extension to have test messages sent to it.

Campaign Association- To associate a data extension used for sending with a Campaign, select the radio button for the appropriate Campaign, optional.

Click Next.

Retention Setting - Select On to ensure that the application deletes all records in the data extension at the same time.

Delete:

• Individual Records - When this option is selected, the data extension is retained but the individual records inside the data extension are deleted.
• All Records - When this option is selected, the data extension is retained but the records inside the data extension are deleted.
• All Records and Data Extension - When this option is selected, the entire data extension and the records inside the data extension are deleted.

Period:

• After: Enter the number of days after the data extension was created to wait before deleting.
• Reset period on import: To extend the retention date following a new import.
• On: Select a specific date to delete.

Click Next.

• In the Create Data Extension Tab Complete the information in the Fields section for each field. Click Add to create a new field in data extension.
• Name - The name of the column in the data extension.
• Primary Key - Determines whether the system considers this field to be the primary key of the table. If you select this checkbox, the system requires a unique value in this field so it can use this field to uniquely identify a row. If you select this checkbox for more than one column, then the combination of the values in the columns must be unique. If you do not select this checkbox, the system does not require the value in this field to be unique. When a Primary Key field is configured with a default value, the default value is not applied during imports.
• Data Type - The data type of the contents of the field. Data type can’t be changed once the data extension is created. Valid values include:

• Text - A combination of letters, numbers, and spaces.
• Number - An integer. Decimal values are not supported.
• Date - A system date. You can use an AMPscript function to format this value when you present it in a message. All time is stored in Central Standard Time and dates are stored in the format MM/DD/YYYY.
• Boolean - A 0 or 1 value.
• EmailAddress - A field of this type must exist in order for you to send an email to a data extension. The system does not verify that the value in this field is a valid email address when importing data.
• Phone - This data type accepts any string with 10 or 11 digits in it and strips out non-digit characters.
• Decimal - A number with a decimal point.
• Length - Maximum number of characters, including spaces, you can import into this column. Do not use empty lengths for Text data types unless necessary. If you select the Decimal data type, you specify both the total maximum number of characters and how many of the total appear after the decimal point. For example, if you define a decimal field with a length of 18.2, the two characters that appear after the decimal point are included in the 18 character total limit. Up to 10 characters are allowed for the Decimal Data type when creating a Data Filters from a Data Extension.
• Nullable - Determines whether this column can be empty.
• Default Value - If you specify a default value for this field, this value is used for all records who do not have a value entered for the field.
• Include a field with the Email Address data type for email sends or a Phone data type for SMS sends in sendable data extensions with no other information that relates to an existing subscriber. If the Email Address or Phone data types are not present, the subscriber receives no messages sent using the data extension.
• Click Create.

After you complete this procedure, you can import data to the data extension and create a data relationship.

Advantages of using Data Extension

You are able to import and store data from an external system. Imported data can be used to help segment subscribers or to include dynamic email content.

Data Extensions can hold any type of information you need to collect.

Data Extensions can point to other Data Extensions that hold even more information. These are called relational Data Extensions.

Data Extensions are typically defined as Sendable and/or Testable. Sendable can be used for sending emails. Testable can be used for testing emails. A Data Extension can be both, either, or neither.

Using Data Extensions gives you the ability to use Publication List (different from Lists described above) to manage unsubscribes in a granular manner.

Disadvantages of using Data Extension

They're a little more work to setup - Data Extensions require more configuration and planning.

No welcome email or double opt-in options.

Which to choose?

List is recommended if you want a simple list of names and email addresses or want to use welcome messages or double opt-ins.

A Data Extension is recommended if you want to store additional information about your subscribers and is required if you want to use Publication Lists to manage unsubscribes.

Stay tune for upcoming blog on more exciting functionalities of Salesforce Marketing Cloud.......