Global Data can be defined as data that's globally available for all recipients across the platform at any time. No matter what data a recipient has, the recipient can see content from a Global Data Table and Global Data Fields at any time in your communication.
Global Data comes in three forms:
- Global Data is made from data fields that have one value, such as the Global Data field YEAR which has the value '2020'.
- Global Data Table, on the other hand, is a table structure that can have multiple columns for each row. For example, it may be a table of newspaper articles that have both AUTHOR, TITLE, SUBTITLE, and DATE for each row.
- Fixed Global Data is also made from data fields with only one value just like the global data field. The static global data field is different since they are born with the instance and cannot be changed. They hold static information such as YEAR, DAY_OF_MONTH, HOUR, MINUTE, Etc.
This article will guide you through our best practice on how to work with Global Data and Global Data Tables.
- Getting Familiar with Global Data and Global Data Tables
- Using Global Data and Global Data Tables
- What Fields should the Global Data Table contain?
- Global Data and GDPR
Getting Familiar with Global Data and Global Data Tables
Global Data fields are fields that have one value per field. You can consider Global Data fields as global values that are the same for each recipient.
You can either define the value directly in the UI (if it's static), update the value with an API call, or modify the value via a Side Effect of a Step or Event.
Using Global Data fields for merging in data also allows you to work more centrally as you would only need to change the value one place. An example of this might be a shared discount code.
Global Data Tables follow the table format with rows and columns. You'll need to set a unique field as the row ID of the table. For example, this could be PRODUCT_ID or LOCATION_ID. The same table will be available for all recipients.
Furthermore, in order to make combinations between Person Data or One-to-Many Data and Global Data Tables - for example, find the products from the recipient's favourite category - you can use a Data Lookup. Read more about how Data Lookups work.
Examples of Global Data and Global Data Tables
Both Global Data and Global Data Tables can be used for storing content to be merged in your communication. You merge Global Data fields in the same way as you merge Person Data. When merging data from your Global Data Table, you need to make a Global Data Table Block.
Your instance comes with a fixed set of Global Data fields such as DAY_OF_MONTH, DAY_OF_WEEK, MONTH, and YEAR.
Also, you can use Global Data fields to make Conditions. For example, you only want to send email X if it's on a Friday. In this case, you can set a Condition DAY_OF_WEEK = Friday on the Step, which ensures that the email will not go out on any other days.
What Fields Should the Global Data Table Contain?
It can be a good idea to think about which fields you need in the Global Data Table - how do I want to sort the rows in the table? How can I easily exclude rows that I don't wish to show? What specific fields do I need to merge into the communication from the table?
As you use fields for both content and sorting, you might need more than you think. For example, it's a good idea to have a date field that you can use for sorting. In this way, you can always show the newest or oldest. Furthermore, sorting can be made easy if you have an ACTIVE field that defines whether the entry is active or not. This allows you to easily sort out those that are inactive, whether this is products, locations, employees, or events.
Global Data and GDPR
Global Data Tables are only intended for public non-personal data e.g. product information. Be aware that recipient specific data in Global Data Tables could lead to GDPR issues for you as a data controller. Recipient specific data has to exist either as Person Data or One-to-Many data.