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

Create a connection

To create a connection:

  1. In Customer Journey Analytics, select Connections, optionally from Data management, in the top menu.
  2. 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

In the Connections > Name of the connection screen:

Untitled connection settings

  1. Configure the connection settings.

    SettingDescription
    Connection nameEnter a unique name for the connection.
    Connection descriptionDescribe the purpose of this connection.
    TagsSpecify 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 datasetsSelect DataAdd 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:

    ColumnDescription
    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.)

    More

    Select More to open a context menu for the selected dataset. Based on the (type of) dataset, you can select:

    Last updatedFor 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 recordsThe total records in the previous month for the dataset in Experience Platform.
    SchemaThe schema based on which the dataset was created in Adobe Experience Platform.
    Dataset typeFor 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.
    GranularityThe granularity of the data in the dataset; only applicable for summary datasets.
    Data source typeThe data source type of the dataset. Not applicable for summary datasets.
    Person IDThe Person ID that is used to support person-based reporting for the dataset.
    KeyThe key that is used for a lookup dataset.
    Matching KeyThe matching key that is used for a lookup dataset.
    Import new data

    The status of importing new data for the dataset:

    Status green     x On if the dataset is configured to import new data, and

    Status gray     x Off if the dataset is configured not to import new data.

    Backfill data

    The status of backfill data for the dataset.

    Status red     x backfills failed for number of failed backfills,

    Status red     x backfills processing for number of processing backfills,

    Status green     x backfills completed for number of backfills completed, and

    Status gray     Off in case no backfills are configured.

    You can search for a specific dataset using the Search field.

Customer Journey Analytics B2B Edition

B2B Edition

In the Connections > Name of the connection screen:

Untitled connection settings

  1. Configure the connection settings.

    SettingDescription
    Connection nameEnter a unique name for the connection.
    Connection descriptionDescribe the purpose of this connection.
    TagsSpecify 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:

    • User Person for a person-based connection you typically use in a B2C scenario.
    • Building 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 Building 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 datasetsSelect DataAdd 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:

    ColumnDescription
    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.)

    More

    Select More to open a context menu for the selected dataset. Based on the (type of) dataset, you can select:

    Last updatedFor 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 recordsThe total records in the previous month for the dataset in Experience Platform.
    SchemaThe schema based on which the dataset was created in Adobe Experience Platform.
    Dataset typeFor 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.
    GranularityThe granularity of the data in the dataset; only applicable for summary datasets.
    Data source typeThe 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 IDThe Person ID that is used to support person-based reporting for the dataset.
    KeyThe key that is used for a lookup dataset.
    Matching KeyThe matching key that is used for a lookup dataset.
    Import new data

    The status of importing new data for the dataset:

    Status green     x On if the dataset is configured to import new data, and

    Status gray     x Off if the dataset is configured not to import new data.

    Backfill data

    The status of backfill data for the dataset.

    Status red     x backfills failed for number of failed backfills,

    Status red     x backfills processing for number of processing backfills,

    Status green     x backfills completed for number of backfills completed, and

    Status gray     Off in case no backfills are configured.

    You can search for a specific dataset using the Search 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.

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

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

    Select datasets

    For each dataset, the list shows:

    ColumnDescription
    DatasetName of the dataset. Select the name to direct you to the dataset in Experience Platform. Select Info 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 typeThe type of dataset: Event, Profile, Lookup, or Summary.
    Number of recordsThe total records in the previous month for the dataset in Experience Platform.
    SchemaThe schema for the dataset. Select the name to direct you to the schema in Experience Platform.
    Last batchThe state of the last batch ingested in Experience Platform. See Batch states more information.
    Dataset IDThe id of the dataset.
    Last updatedThe last updated timestamp of the dataset.
    • To change the columns displayed for the list of datasets, select Column settings and select the columns to be displayed in the Customize table dialog.
    • To search for a specific dataset, use the Search search field.
    • To toggle between showing or hiding the selected datasets, select Select Hide selected or Show selected.
    • To remove a dataset from the list of selected datasets, use Close . To remove all selected datasets, select Clear all.
    • To display details of a dataset, select InfoOutline .
  3. Select one or more datasets and select Next. At least one event or summary dataset must be part of the connection.

  4. Configure the settings for each of the selected datasets, one by one, in the ➋ Datasets settings step of the Add datasets dialog.

    Add datasets

  5. 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:

  1. Select More for the dataset listed in the dataset table that you want to edit

  2. Select Edit Edit dataset.

  3. Configure the dataset settings in the Edit dataset: Dataset name dialog.

    Edit dataset

  4. 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:

SettingDescription
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.

TimestampThis 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 descriptionA 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

SettingDescription
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 IDSelect 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 IDSelect an Opportunity ID (the unique identifier for an opportunity) from the available identities defined in the dataset schema in the Experience Platform.
Buying Group IDSelect 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.

TimestampThis 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 descriptionA 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:

SettingDescription
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 descriptionA 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:

SettingDescription
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 fieldSelect 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 fieldSelect 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 descriptionA 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:

SettingsDescription
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 keyThe 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 descriptionA description of the data source when you have selected Other as the data source type.
Transform datasetFor 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:

SettingsDescription
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 typeSelect 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: 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: 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 fieldThe global Account ID to use for account-based reporting.

Summary dataset

The specific settings for a summary dataset are:

SettingDescription
TimestampThis setting is automatically set to the default timestamp field from event-based schemas in Experience Platform.
TimezoneSelect the appropriate timezone for the time-series summary data.
GranularityRepresents 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:

SettingDescription
Import new dataEnable 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.

  1. Define the period by entering start and end data or selecting dates using Calendar .
  2. Select Queue backfill to add the backfill to the list, or Cancel to cancel.

For each entry, select Edit to edit the period, or select Delete 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 IDThis ID is automatically generated.
DescriptionThe description given to this dataset when the dataset was created.
Number of recordsThe dataset’s size.
SchemaThe schema based on which the dataset was created in Adobe Experience Platform.
DatasetThe name of the dataset.
Preview: dataset namePreviews the dataset for first 10 rows and first 10 columns.
RemoveCircle 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.