Documentation Customer Journey Analytics Customer Journey Analytics Guide

Create or edit a connection

Last update: June 4, 2025

Topics:
Connections

CREATED FOR:

Admin

The connection creation and edit workflow experience brings all the dataset and connection configuration settings to the center of the screen with an assistive workflow. It provides detailed dataset selection, configuration, and review experience. And allows you to specify critical information like dataset type, size, schema, dataset id, batch status, backfill status, identities, and much more, to reduce the risk of wrong connection configuration. Here is an overview of the capabilities:

You can enable a rolling data retention window when you create the connection.
You can add to and remove datasets from a connection. (Removing a dataset removes it from the connection and impacts any associated data views and underlying Analysis Workspace projects.)
You can enable and request backfill data per dataset.
You can edit datasets, for example to request another backfill.
You can import existing data per dataset.

See Create and edit a connection for a demo video.

Prerequisites

The maximum number of datasets you can add to a connection is capped at 100. The mix depends on which Customer Journey Analytics package your company has purchased.

Contact your administrator if you’re unsure which Customer Journey Analytics package you have.

Select package	Foundation package
Any combination of event, profile, lookup, or summary datasets, adding up to 100	One event dataset per connection
	Up to 99 profile, lookup, or summary datasets per connection

Create a connection

To create a connection:

In Customer Journey Analytics, select Connections, optionally from Data management, in the top menu.
Select Create new connection.

You can now edit the details for your connection.

Edit a connection

How you edit the connection depends on the Customer Journey Analytics package you have licensed:

Customer Journey Analytics
Customer Journey Analytics B2B Edition

Customer Journey Analytics

In the Connections > Name of the connection screen:

Untitled connection settings

Configure the connection settings.

Setting	Description
Connection name	Enter a unique name for the connection.
Connection description	Describe the purpose of this connection.
Tags	Specify tags to add tags to your connection so you can use these tags to search for the connection at a later stage.
Enable rolling data window	This checkbox, if checked, lets you define Customer Journey Analytics data retention as a rolling window in months (1 month, 3 months, 6 months, and so on), at the connection level. Data retention is based on event dataset timestamps and applies to event datasets only. No rolling data window setting exists for profile or lookup datasets, since there are no applicable timestamps. However, if your connection includes any profile or lookup datasets (besides one or more event datasets), that data is retained for the same time period. The main benefit is that you store or report only on data that is applicable and useful and delete older data that is no longer useful. It helps you stay under your contract limits and reduces the risk of overage cost. If you leave the default (unchecked), the Adobe Experience Platform data retention setting supersedes the retention period. If you have 25 months’ worth of data in Experience Platform, Customer Journey Analytics gets 25 months of data through backfill. If you deleted 10 of those months in Experience Platform, Customer Journey Analytics would retain the remaining 15 months. If you enable a rolling data window, specify in Select number of months the number of months for which you enable the rolling data window.
Sandbox	Choose a sandbox in Experience Platform that contains the datasets for which you want to create a connection. Adobe Experience Platform provides sandboxes which partition a single Platform instance into separate virtual environments to help develop and evolve digital experience applications. You can think of sandboxes as “data silos” that contain datasets. Sandboxes are used to control access to datasets. Once you have selected the sandbox, the left rail shows all the datasets in that sandbox that you can pull from.
Add datasets	Select Add datasets to add datasets. If the connection has no datasets yet, you can also select Add datasets in the datasets table.

For the datasets you have configured, the table of datasets shows the following columns:

Column	Description
Dataset name	Select one or more datasets that you want to pull into Customer Journey Analytics and select Add. (If you have many datasets to choose from, you can search for the right one(s) using the Search datasets search bar above the list of datasets.)
	Select to open a context menu for the selected dataset. Based on the (type of) dataset, you can select: Delete dataset to delete a dataset. Edit dataset to edit a dataset. Past backfills to display past backfills for the dataset.
Last updated	For event datasets only, this setting is automatically set to the default timestamp field from event-based schemas in Experience Platform. “N/A” means that this dataset contains no data.
Number of records	The total records in the previous month for the dataset in Experience Platform.
Schema	The schema based on which the dataset was created in Adobe Experience Platform.
Dataset type	For each dataset that you added to this connection, Customer Journey Analytics automatically sets the dataset type based on the data coming in. There are 3 different dataset types: Event data, Profile data, and Lookup data. See the table below for an explanation of dataset types.
Granularity	The granularity of the data in the dataset; only applicable for summary datasets.
Data source type	The data source type of the dataset. Not applicable for summary datasets.
Person ID	The Person ID that is used to support person-based reporting for the dataset.
Key	The key that is used for a lookup dataset.
Matching Key	The matching key that is used for a lookup dataset.
Import new data	The status of importing new data for the dataset: x On if the dataset is configured to import new data, and *x Off* if the dataset is configured not to import new data.
Backfill data	The status of backfill data for the dataset. x backfills failed for number of failed backfills, x backfills processing for number of processing backfills, x backfills completed for number of backfills completed, and *Off* in case no backfills are configured.

You can search for a specific dataset using the field.

Customer Journey Analytics B2B Edition

B2B Edition

In the Connections > Name of the connection screen:

Untitled connection settings

Configure the connection settings.

Setting	Description
Connection name	Enter a unique name for the connection.
Connection description	Describe the purpose of this connection.
Tags	Specify tags to add tags to your connection so you can use these tags to search for the connection at a later stage.
Primary ID	Select the proper primary ID for your connection: Person for a person-based connection you typically use in a B2C scenario. Account for an account-based connection you typically use in a B2B scenario. As soon as you add one or more datasets to your connection, you are no longer able to change the primary ID. The selection of the primary ID defines whether the connection is person-based or account-based. The connection base determines the available settings for certain types of datasets.
Optional containers	If you have selected Account as the Primary ID, select additional containers. Global account: enables configuration of global accounts in a connection. Opportunity: enables configuration of opportunities in a connection. Buying group: enables configuration of buying groups in a connection.
Sandbox	Choose a sandbox in Experience Platform that contains the datasets to which you want to create a connection. Adobe Experience Platform provides sandboxes which partition a single Platform instance into separate virtual environments to help develop and evolve digital experience applications. You can think of sandboxes as “data silos” that contain datasets. Sandboxes are used to control access to datasets. Once you have selected the sandbox, the left rail shows all the datasets in that sandbox that you can pull from.
Enable rolling data window	This checkbox, if checked, lets you define Customer Journey Analytics data retention as a rolling window in months (1 month, 3 months, 6 months, and so on), at the connection level. Data retention is based on event dataset timestamps and applies to event datasets only. No rolling data window setting exists for profile or lookup datasets, since there are no applicable timestamps. However, if your connection includes any profile or lookup datasets (besides one or more event datasets), that data is retained for the same time period. The main benefit is that you store or report only on data that is applicable and useful and delete older data that is no longer useful. It helps you stay under your contract limits and reduces the risk of overage cost. If you leave the default (unchecked), the Adobe Experience Platform data retention setting supersedes the retention period. If you have 25 months’ worth of data in Experience Platform, Customer Journey Analytics gets 25 months of data through backfill. If you deleted 10 of those months in Platform, Customer Journey Analytics would retain the remaining 15 months. If you enable a rolling data window, specify in Select number of months the number of months for which you enable the rolling data window.
Add datasets	Select Add datasets to add datasets. If the connection has no datasets yet, you can also select Add datasets in the datasets table.

For the datasets you have configured, the table of datasets shows the following columns:

Column	Description
Dataset name	Select one or more datasets that you want to pull into Customer Journey Analytics and select Add. (If you have many datasets to choose from, you can search for the right one(s) using the Search datasets search bar above the list of datasets.)
	Select to open a context menu for the selected dataset. Based on the (type of) dataset, you can select: Delete dataset to delete a dataset. Edit dataset to edit a dataset. Past backfills to display past backfills for the dataset.
Last updated	For event datasets only, this setting is automatically set to the default timestamp field from event-based schemas in Experience Platform. “N/A” means that this dataset contains no data.
Number of records	The total records in the previous month for the dataset in Experience Platform.
Schema	The schema based on which the dataset was created in Adobe Experience Platform.
Dataset type	For each dataset that you added to this connection, Customer Journey Analytics automatically sets the dataset type based on the data coming in. There are 3 different dataset types: Event data, Profile data, and Lookup data. See the table below for an explanation of dataset types.
Granularity	The granularity of the data in the dataset; only applicable for summary datasets.
Data source type	The data source type of the dataset. Not applicable for summary datasets.
Account ID	(only displayed for account-based connections) The Account ID that is used to support account-based reporting for the dataset.
Global Account ID	(only displayed for account-based connections) The Global Account ID that is used to support account-based reporting for the dataset.
Buying Group ID	(only displayed for account-based connections) The Buying Group ID that is used to lookup buying group data.
Opportunity ID	(only displayed for account-based connections) The Opportunity ID that is used to lookup opportunity data.
Person ID	The Person ID that is used to support person-based reporting for the dataset.
Key	The key that is used for a lookup dataset.
Matching Key	The matching key that is used for a lookup dataset.
Import new data	The status of importing new data for the dataset: x On if the dataset is configured to import new data, and *x Off* if the dataset is configured not to import new data.
Backfill data	The status of backfill data for the dataset. x backfills failed for number of failed backfills, x backfills processing for number of processing backfills, x backfills completed for number of backfills completed, and *Off* in case no backfills are configured.

You can search for a specific dataset using the field.

Datasets

You add one or more datasets or edit existing datasets as part of connection workflow.

Add datasets

You can add one or more Experience Platform datasets when you create or edit a connection.

In Connection > Name of the connection interface, select Add datasets.

In the ➊ Select datasets step, you see a list of the Experience Platform datasets.

Select datasets

For each dataset, the list shows:

Column	Description
Dataset	Name of the dataset. Select the name to direct you to the dataset in Experience Platform. Select to display a popup with more details for the dataset. You can select Edit in Platform to edit the dataset directly in Experience Platform.
Dataset type	The type of dataset: Event, Profile, Lookup, or Summary.
Number of records	The total records in the previous month for the dataset in Experience Platform.
Schema	The schema for the dataset. Select the name to direct you to the schema in Experience Platform.
Last batch	The state of the last batch ingested in Experience Platform. See Batch states more information.
Dataset ID	The id of the dataset.
Last updated	The last updated timestamp of the dataset.

To change the columns displayed for the list of datasets, select and select the columns to be displayed in the Customize table dialog.
To search for a specific dataset, use the search field.
To toggle between showing or hiding the selected datasets, select Hide selected or Show selected.
To remove a dataset from the list of selected datasets, use . To remove all selected datasets, select Clear all.
To display details of a dataset, select .

Select one or more datasets and select Next. At least one event or summary dataset must be part of the connection.
Configure the settings for each of the selected datasets, one by one, in the ➋ Datasets settings step of the Add datasets dialog.
Select Add datasets to add the configured datasets to the connection. You are notified when you have not provided all required settings for each of the datasets you want to add.

Alternatively, you can select Cancel to cancel the addition of datasets to the connection. Or select Back to step back to the ➊ Select datasets step.

Edit a dataset

To edit a dataset that is already configured for a connection, in the Connections > Name of the connection interface:

Select for the dataset listed in the dataset table that you want to edit
Select Edit dataset.
Configure the dataset settings in the Edit dataset: Dataset name dialog.
Select Apply to apply the dataset settings. Select Cancel to cancel.

Dataset settings

When you add datasets or edit an existing dataset, you configure the dataset settings for each dataset. The settings available depend on the type of dataset and, for some dataset types, on the type of connection (person-based or B2B Edition account-based.).

All datasets and dataset types have general settings and details, such as whether or not to import new data and request backfills.

Event dataset

The specific settings for an event dataset are dependent on the type of connection.

Person-based connection

Event dataset settings B2C

For an event dataset in a person-based connection, you can specify:

Setting	Description
Person ID	Select a Person ID from the drop-down menu of available identities. These identities were defined in the dataset schema in Experience Platform. See Use Identity Map as a Person ID for information on how to use Identity Map as a Person ID. If there are no Person IDs to choose from, that means no Person IDs are defined in the schema. See Define identity fields in the UI for more information. The value for the selected Person ID is considered to be case sensitive. For example, `abc123` and `ABC123` are two different values. If a record doesn’t contain a value for the identity you have selected as the Person ID for the event dataset, the record is skipped.
Timestamp	This setting is automatically set to the default timestamp field from event-based schemas in Experience Platform.
Data source type	Select a type of data source. Types of data sources include: Web data Mobile App data POS data CRM data Survey data Call Center data Product data Accounts data Transaction data Customer Feedback data Other This field is used to survey the types of data sources in use.
Data source description	A description of the data source when you have selected Other as the data source type.

Account-based connection

B2B Edition

For an event dataset in an account-based connection, you can specify:

Event dataset settings B2C

Setting	Description
Account ID	Select a Global Account ID (the unique identifier for an account) from the available identities defined in the dataset schema in the Experience Platform. Applicable when you have added Global Account as a container to your connection. If a record doesn’t contain a value for the identity you have selected as the Account ID for the event dataset, the record is skipped.
Global Account ID	Select an Account ID (the unique identifier for an account) from the available identities defined in the dataset schema in the Experience Platform. Applicable when you have not added Global Account as a container to your connection.
Opportunity ID	Select an Opportunity ID (the unique identifier for an opportunity) from the available identities defined in the dataset schema in the Experience Platform.
Buying Group ID	Select a Buying Group ID (the unique identifier for a buying group) from the available identities defined in the dataset schema in the Experience Platform.
Person ID	Select a Person ID from the drop-down menu of available identities. These identities were defined in the dataset schema in the Experience Platform. See Use Identity Map as a Person ID for information on how to use Identity Map as a Person ID. If there are no Person IDs to choose from, that means one or more Person IDs have not been defined in the schema. See Define identity fields in the UI for more information. The value for the selected Person ID is considered to be case sensitive. For example, `abc123` and `ABC123` are two different values.
Timestamp	This setting is automatically set to the default timestamp field from event-based schemas in Experience Platform.
Data source type	Select a type of data source. Types of data sources include: Web data Mobile App data POS data CRM data Survey data Call Center data Product data Accounts data Transaction data Customer Feedback data Other This field is used to survey the types of data sources in use.
Data source description	A description of the data source when you have selected Other as the data source type.

Profile dataset

The specific settings for a profile dataset are dependent on the type of connection.

Person-based connection

Profile dataset settings B2C

For a profile dataset in a person-based connection, you specify:

Setting Description

Person ID

Select a Person ID from the drop-down menu of available identities. These identities were defined in the dataset schema in Experience Platform. See Use Identity Map as a Person ID for information on how to use Identity Map as a Person ID.

If there are no Person IDs to choose from, no Person IDs are defined in the schema. See Define identity fields in the UI for more information.

The value for the selected Person ID is considered to be case sensitive. For example, abc123 and ABC123 are two different values.

If a record doesn’t contain a value for the identity you have selected as the Person ID for the profile dataset, the record is skipped.

Data source type

Select a type of data source. Types of data sources include:

Web data
Mobile App data
POS data
CRM data
Survey data
Call Center data
Product data
Accounts data
Transaction data
Customer Feedback data
Other

This field is used to survey the types of data sources in use.

Data source description A description of the data source when you have selected Other as the data source type.

Account-based connection

Profile dataset settings B2B

For a profile dataset in an account-based connection, you specify:

Setting	Description
Person ID	Select a Person ID from the drop-down menu of available identities. These identities were defined in the dataset schema in Experience Platform. See Use Identity Map as a Person ID for information on how to use Identity Map as a Person ID. If there are no Person IDs to choose from, no Person IDs are defined in the schema. See Define identity fields in the UI for more information. The value for the selected Person ID is considered to be case sensitive. For example, `abc123` and `ABC123` are two different values. If a record doesn’t contain a value for the identity you have selected as the Person ID for the profile dataset, the record is skipped.
Global Account field	Select a global account field to support account-based reporting for the dataset from the drop-down menu of available identities. Applicable when you have added Global Account as a container to your connection.
Account field	Select an account field to support account-based reporting for the dataset from the drop-down menu of available identities. Applicable when you have not added Global Account as a container to your connection.
Data source type	Select a type of data source. Types of data sources include: Web data Mobile App data POS data CRM data Survey data Call Center data Product data Accounts data Transaction data Customer Feedback data Other This field is used to survey the types of data sources in use.
Data source description	A description of the data source when you have selected Other as the data source type.

Lookup dataset

The specific settings for a lookup dataset are dependent on the type of connection.

Person-based connection

Lookup event dataset settings person-based

For a lookup dataset in a person-based connection, you specify:

Settings	Description
Key	The key to use for a Lookup dataset. If a record doesn’t contain a value for the key you have selected for the lookup dataset, the record is skipped.
Matching key	The matching key to join on in one of the event datasets. If this list is empty, you probably haven’t added or configured an event dataset.
Data source type	Select a type of data source. Types of data sources include: Web data Mobile App data POS data CRM data Survey data Call Center data Product data Accounts data Transaction data Customer Feedback data Other This field is used to survey the types of data sources in use.
Data source description	A description of the data source when you have selected Other as the data source type.
Transform dataset	For specific B2B lookup datasets, you can enable the transformation of a dataset for proper B2B person-based reporting scenarios. See Transform datasets for B2B lookups for more information.

Account-based connection

B2B Edition

Lookup event dataset settings account-based

For a lookup dataset in an account-based connection, you can specify:

Settings	Description
Key	The key to use for a Lookup dataset. If a record doesn’t contain a value for the key you have selected for the lookup dataset, the record is skipped.
Matching key type	Select how to join the datasets: based on a Match by field or Match by container. See Match by container of field for more information.
Matching key	The matching key to join on in one of the event datasets. If this list is empty, you probably haven’t added or configured an event dataset. Based on your selected Matching key type, select the appropriate value: Match by field: Select a field from the Matching key drop-down menu to join with one of the event datasets. If this list is empty, you probably haven’t added or configured an event dataset. Match by container: Select a container from the Matching key drop-down menu to use to join with one of the event datasets. The containers you included as part of setting up the connection determine the available containers to select.
Global Account field	The global Account ID to use for account-based reporting.

Summary dataset

The specific settings for a summary dataset are:

Setting	Description
Timestamp	This setting is automatically set to the default timestamp field from event-based schemas in Experience Platform.
Timezone	Select the appropriate timezone for the time-series summary data.
Granularity	Represents the time frame used to aggregate summary data by, currently either hour or day. Derived from the data in the dataset.

General dataset settings and details

Each (type of dataset) has the following common settings:

Setting	Description
Import new data	Enable this option if you want to establish an ongoing connection. With an ongoing connection new data batches that are added to the datasets are available automatically in Workspace.
Dataset backfill	Enable Backfill all existing data to ensure that all existing data is backfilled. Select Request backfill to backfill historical data for a specific period. You can define up to 10 dataset backfill periods. Define the period by entering start and end data or selecting dates using . Select Queue backfill to add the backfill to the list, or Cancel to cancel. For each entry, select to edit the period, or select to delete the entry. On backfills: You can backfill each dataset individually. You prioritize new data added to a dataset in the connection, so this new data has the lowest latency. Any backfill (historical) data is imported at a slower rate. The amount of historical data influences the latency. The Analytics source connector imports up to 13 months of data (irrespective of size) for production sandboxes. The backfill in non-production sandboxes is limited to 3 months. For production sandboxes, if you have licensed the additional SKU that entitles you to import more than 13 months of historical backfill data, contact Adobe to request the extended backfill.
Batch status	Possible status indicators are: Success X backfill(s) processing Off
Dataset ID	This ID is automatically generated.
Description	The description given to this dataset when the dataset was created.
Number of records	The dataset’s size.
Schema	The schema based on which the dataset was created in Adobe Experience Platform.
Dataset	The name of the dataset.
Preview: dataset name	Previews the dataset for first 10 rows and first 10 columns.
Remove	You can delete a dataset without deleting the whole connection. The deletion of a dataset from a connection reduces the costs involved in data ingestion and the cumbersome process of recreating the whole connection and associated data views.

Re-ingest data

You sometimes require to re-ingest data from one or more datasets into a connection. To do so:

For each dataset you want to re-ingest data for:
1. Change any of the following:
  - An identifier (Person ID, Account ID, or other ID) for an already ingested event dataset.
  - A key, matching key, or matching key type (field or container) for an already ingested profile or lookup dataset.
  Alternatively, you can toggle Backfill all existing data backfill on the dataset.
2. Apply the changes for the dataset.
Save the connection. Data is re-ingested for the specific datasets.

Delete a dataset

When you delete a dataset, you are notified about the implications of the deletion. Deletion of a dataset can impact all associated connections, data views and projects. Also, if you do delete the one and only event or summary dataset in your connection, you are prompted to add another event or summary dataset. You can only save a connection that contains at least one event or summary dataset.

Past backfills

When you select Past backfills in the interface, a Past backfills: Name of dataset dialog shows the most recent backfills from the dataset.

Dataset types

For each dataset that you add to this connection, Customer Journey Analytics automatically sets the dataset type based on the data coming in.

IMPORTANT

Add at least one event or summary dataset as part of a connection.

There are different dataset types: Event data, Profile data, Lookup data and Summary data.

Dataset Type

Description

Timestamp

Schema

Person ID
Account ID B2B Edition

Event

Data that represents events in time. For example, web visits, interactions, transactions, POS data, survey data, ad impression data, and so on. This data could be typical clickstream data, with a customer ID or a Cookie ID, and a timestamp. With event data, you have flexibility as to which ID is used as the Person ID.

Set to the default timestamp field from event-based schemas in Experience Platform.

Any built-in or custom schema that is based on an XDM class with the Time Series behavior. Examples include XDM Experience Event or XDM Decision Event.

You can pick which Person ID or Account ID B2B Edition you want to include. Each dataset schema defined in the Experience Platform can have its own set of one or more identities defined and associated with an Identity Namespace. Any of these identities can be used as the Person ID or Account ID B2B Edition. Examples include Cookie ID, Stitched ID, User ID, Tracking Code, Account ID B2B Edition, and so on.

Lookup

You can add datasets as lookups of fields within all dataset types: Profile, Lookup, and Event datasets (the latter was always supported). This additional capability expands the capability of Customer Journey Analytics to support complex data models, including B2B. This data is used to look up values or keys found in your Event, Profile, or Lookup data. You can add up to two levels of lookups. (Note that Derived Fields cannot be used as matching keys for lookups within Connections.) For example, you might upload lookup data that maps numeric IDs in your event data to product names. See the B2B example for an example.

N/A

Any built-in or custom schema that is based on an XDM class with the Record behavior, except for the XDM Individual Profile class.

N/A

Profile

Data that is applied to your account, persons, users, or customers in the Event data. For example, allows you to upload CRM data about your customers.

N/A

Any built-in or custom schema that is based on the XDM Individual Profile class.

You can pick which Person ID / Account ID B2B Edition you want to include. Each dataset (except summary datasets), defined in Experience Platform, has its own set of one or more Person IDs or Account IDs B2B Edition defined. For example, Cookie ID, Stitched ID, User ID, Tracking Code, Account ID, and so on.

Note: If you create a connection that includes datasets with different IDs, the reporting reflects that. To merge datasets, you need to use the same Person ID or Account ID B2B Edition.

Summary

Time-series data that is not associated with an individual Person ID. Summary data represents aggregated data at a different level of aggregation, for example campaigns. You can use this data in Customer Journey Analytics to support various use cases. See Summary data for more information.

Automatically set to the default timestamp field from event-based Summary Metrics schemas in Experience Platform. Only hourly or daily granularity is supported.

Any built-in or custom schema that is based on the XDM Summary Metrics class.

N/A

Connection preview

To preview the connection that you have created, select Connection preview in the Connection settings dialog.

Connection preview

This preview contains some columns listing the connection configuration. What column types are shown depends on your individual datasets.

Connection map

B2B Edition

To see a map of the relationships between the datasets that are part of your connection, select Connection map in the Connection settings dialog.

Connection map

This map helps you to get a better understanding of how you have defined your connection and set up the relationship between your event, profile, lookup, and summary datasets using containers and identifiers.

Use numeric fields as lookup keys and lookup values

This lookup functionality is useful if you want to add a numeric field such as a cost or margin to a string-based key field. It allows numeric values to be part of lookups, either as keys or as values. In your lookup schema, you might have numeric values tied to, for example, your product names, COGS, campaign marketing cost, or margins. Here is an example lookup schema in Adobe Experience Platform:

Lookup schema

You now support bringing in these values as metrics or dimensions into Customer Journey Analytics reporting. When you set up your connection and pull in lookup datasets, you can edit the datasets to select the Key and Matching Key:

Edit-dataset

When you set up a data view based on this connection, you add the numeric values as components to the data view. Any project based on this data view can then report on these numeric values.

Use Identity Map as a Person ID

Customer Journey Analytics supports the ability to use the Identity Map for its Person ID. Identity Map is a map data structure that allows you to upload key value pairs. The keys are identity namespaces and the value is a structure that holds the identity value. The Identity Map exists on each row/event uploaded and is populated for each row accordingly.

The Identity Map is available for any dataset that uses a schema based on the ExperienceEvent XDM class. When you select such a dataset to be included in a Customer Journey Analytics Connection, you have the option of selecting either a field as the primary ID or the Identity Map:

If you select Identity Map, you get two additional configuration options:

Option

Description

Use Primary ID Namespace

This option instructs Customer Journey Analytics to find the identity in the Identity Map that is marked with a primary=true attribute and use that identity as the Person ID for that row. This identity is the primary key that is used in Experience Platform for partitioning. And this identity is also the prime candidate for usage as Customer Journey Analytics Person ID (depending on how the dataset is configured in a Customer Journey Analytics connection).

Namespace

(This option is only available if you do not use the Primary ID Namespace.) Identity namespaces are a component of the Experience Platform Identity Service. Namespaces serve as indicators of the context to which an identity relates. If you specify a namespace, Customer Journey Analytics searches each row’s Identity Map for this namespace key and use the identity under that namespace as the Person ID for that row. Since Customer Journey Analytics cannot do a full dataset scan of all rows to determine which namespaces are present, all possible namespaces are displayed in the drop-down menu. Know which namespaces are specified in the data; these namespaces are not auto-detected.

Identity Map edge cases

This table shows the two configuration options when edge cases are present and how they are handled:

Option

No IDs are present in the Identity Map

Multiple IDs, none marked as primary

Multiple IDs are marked as primary

Single ID, marked as primary or not

Invalid namespace with an ID marked as primary

Use Primary ID Namespace checked

Customer Journey Analytics drops the row.

Customer Journey Analytics drops the row, as no primary ID is specified.

All IDs marked as primary, under all namespaces, are extracted into a list. They are then alphabetically sorted; with the new sorting, the first namespace with its first ID is used as the Person ID.

The single ID is used as the Person ID.

Even though the namespace may be invalid (not present in Adobe Experience Platform), Customer Journey Analytics uses the primary ID under that namespace as the Person ID.

Specific Identity Map namespace selected

Customer Journey Analytics drops the row.

All IDs under the selected namespace are extracted into a list and the first is used as the Person ID.

All IDs under the selected namespace are extracted into a list and the first is used as the Person ID. (Only a valid namespace can be selected at Connection creation time, so it is not possible for an invalid namespace/ID to be used as Person ID)

Calculate the average number of daily events

This calculation is done for every dataset in the connection.

Go to Adobe Experience Platform Query Services and create a query.

The query would look like this:
Select AVG(A.total_events) from (Select DISTINCT COUNT (*) as total_events, date(TIMESTAMP) from analytics_demo_data GROUP BY 2 Having total_events>0) A;
In this example, “analytics_demo_data” is the name of the dataset.
To show all the datasets that exist in Adobe Experience Platform, perform the Show Tables query.

Algorithmic pruning of large lookup datasets

When creating a connection, you can add large datasets for lookup purposes. For example, a dataset representing a product catalog so descriptive product information can be looked up when building reports and visualizations. Such a large lookup dataset can exceed the maximum of 10 million unique lookups currently implemented as a guardrail, resulting in additional data being skipped.

You can request an algorithmic pruning of a large lookup dataset. This algorithmic pruning only keeps data in the lookup dataset that matches the keys in your event dataset. This way, you don’t need to load the entire unpruned lookup dataset. Old or less frequently used items are removed, which might slightly affect reports but brings significant benefits. The algorithm looks back 90 days and updates weekly.

Contact your Adobe support team for further information and to enable this capability.

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