Outbound Data File Name: Syntax and Examples

Last update: August 19, 2021

Describes the required fields, syntax, and conventions used to name an outbound data file.

NOTE
The style elements (monospaced text, italics, brackets [ ] ( ), etc.) in this document indicate code elements and options. See Style Conventions for Code and Text Elements for more information.

Syntax and File Name Elements

Outbound file names contain the following elements. All of the elements below are optional.

[SYNC_TYPE][_DID][_MASTER_DPID][_PID_ALIAS][_SYNC-MODE][_TIMESTAMP]SPLITNUM.sync[.gz]

Parameters

The table defines the elements in an outbound data file name.

File Name ElementDescription
SYNC_TYPE

Refers to the data transfer methods. Transfer methods include:

  • FTP - Transfer using SFTP
  • Amazon S3 - Transfer to Amazon AWS
DID

Destination ID.

In Audience Manager , a destination is the instance of the integration where you can map your targetable segments. Customers can have multiple destinations, depending on the business requirement.

MASTER_DPID

Data-provider or data source ID. This ID identifies the type of User ID present in the file content. Most common User ID keys are:

  • 20914 - Google Advertiser ID (raw, unhashed)
  • 20915 - Apple ID for Advertisers (raw, unhashed)
  • Vendor ID - 3rd party user IDs (web/cookie)

See Global Data Sources for more details.

PID_ALIASThe customer identifier from the 3rd party platform.
SYNC_MODE

Sync mode is a macro placeholder that adds a label to the file name based on synchronization type. Synchronization types include full and incremental. They'll appear in the file name as iter or full .

  • iter : Indicates an "iterative" or incremental synchronization. An incremental file contains only new data collected since the last synchronization..
  • full : Indicates a "full" synchronization. A fully synchronized file contains old data and any new data collected since the last synchronization.
TIMESTAMPA 13-digit UNIX timestamp in milliseconds, in the UTC time zone.
SPLITNUM

An integer. Identifies part of a file that's been split into multiple parts to improve processing times. The number indicates which part of the original file the data belongs to.

The integer must be at least 3 digits long, preceded by zeros, if the split size is lower than 100 parts.

The original file will not have any split number. The first split file will end with 001. See examples below.

.gz (optional)GZIP compression.

File Name Examples

Scenario 1

Files sent over to an Amazon S3 location, with PID_ALIAS="XYZCustomer" and with Google Advertiser IDs in the file content.

E.g. incremental files:

  • S3_1234_20914_XYZCustomer_iter_1486140844000.sync.gz
  • S3_1234_20914_XYZCustomer_iter_1486140844000001.sync.gz
  • S3_1234_20914_XYZCustomer_iter_1486140844000002.sync.gz

E.g. full files:

  • S3_1234_20914_XYZCustomer_full_1486140844000.sync.gz
  • S3_1234_20914_XYZCustomer_full_1486140844000001.sync.gz

Scenario 2

Files sent over to FTP location, without PID_ALIAS and with Apple Advertiser IDs in the file content:

E.g. incremental files:

  • ftp_1234_20915_iter_1486140843000.sync.gz
  • ftp_1234_20915_iter_1486140843000001.sync.gz

E.g. full files:

  • ftp_1234_20915_full_1486140843000.sync.gz
  • ftp_1234_20915_full_1486140843000001.sync.gz

Scenario 3: Files sent over to FTP location, with PID_ALIAS="XYZCustomer" and with 3rd party User ID in the file content ( Vendor ID=45454):

E.g. incremental files:

  • ftp_1234_45454_XYZCustomer_iter_1486140843000.sync.gz
  • ftp_1234_45454_XYZCustomer_iter_1486140843000001.sync.gz
  • ftp_1234_45454_XYZCustomer_iter_1486140843000001.sync.gz

E.g. full files:

  • ftp_1234_45454_XYZCustomer_full_1486140843200.sync.gz
  • ftp_1234_45454_XYZCustomer_full_1486140843200001.sync.gz

Outbound Data File Contents: Syntax and Parameters

Describes the required fields, syntax, and conventions used to organize information in an outbound data file. Format your data according to these specifications.

NOTE
The style elements (monospaced text, italics, brackets [ ] ( ), etc.) in this document indicate code elements and options. See Style Conventions for Code and Text Elements for more information.

Syntax

Fields in the data file appear in this order:

UUID<SPACE>SEGMENT_1,SEGMENT_2<SPACE>REMOVED_SEGMENT_,...

Parameters

The table lists variables that define the contents of a data file.

ParameterDescription
UUIDA unique user ID assigned by Audience Manager .
<SPACE>Separate the UUID and segment data with a space
SEGMENT_NThe segment ID that a visitor belongs to. Separate multiple segments with a comma.
REMOVED_SEGMENT_NThe segment ID from which the user was disqualified. Separate multiple segments with a comma. With a full synchronization, you can ignore the removed segments because the data file will contain the complete list of current segments for the user. Usually, you want to know about segments a user belongs to rather than those they've been removed from. See also Outbound Data File Name: Syntax and Examples.