IBM Amplify 2016 - Session 1651 - How standard IBM Campaign functions and utilities can improve...

#ibmamplify

#1651 - How Standard IBM Campaign Functions and Utilities Can Improve Usability and Adoption

Ben North, Head of Tactical Services, Purple Square Consulting

IBM Amplify 2016 Conference

#ibmamplify 2

Solution adoption is key

• IBM Campaign is a very feature rich solution, that takes time and hard-earned experience to master.

• Some out-of-box capabilities are often not fully understood or even known about by those responsible for building campaigns or administering the environment.

• As a result, many organisations are missing out on some easy opportunities to improve usability and adoption of the solution.

© 2016 Purple Square Consulting Ltd

#ibmamplify

Users and SuperusersStandard functionality you can implement yourselves straight away

#ibmamplify

Profiling and pre-computed fields

• Profiling enables users to see and select table field values when building an expression in a campaign flowchart.

• Multiple configuration options are available, each with pros and cons.

• Out-of-box defaults may not always suit and can result in user frustration and degraded performance.

© 2016 Purple Square Consulting Ltd 4

#ibmamplify

Profiling and pre-computed fields

• Profiling enables users to see and select table field values when building an expression in a campaign flowchart.

• Multiple configuration options are available, each with pros and cons.

• Out-of-box defaults may not always suit and can result in user frustration and degraded performance.


#ibmamplify 6

Real-time profiling

• With default configuration, real-time profiling generates a query selecting all values for the given field in the database and returns results to the Campaign Server before displaying a de-duplicated list of values in the profile dialog.SELECT dbo.Customer.Income, COUNT(*) FROM dbo.Customer

GROUP BY dbo.Customer.Income ORDER BY

dbo.Customer.Income

• Particularly on large tables, these queries can cause performance degradation and latency in displaying complete lists of values to users.


#ibmamplify

Configuration options

• Last step of table mapping wizard

• Disable real-time profiling

• Select fields to pre-compute distinct values for

• IBM Campaign

• Existing database table


#ibmamplify





• IBM Campaign



#ibmamplify





• IBM Campaign



• Setting datasource config UseSQLToProfile=TRUE will generate a GROUP BY query, which may return complete results quicker, but only once when query has completed.

#ibmamplify

Keeping lists-of-values up-to-date

• When IBM Campaign pre-computes values, it’s important that the lists are kept up to date so that users are displayed valid and current values.


#ibmamplify

Keeping lists-of-values up-to-date

• When IBM Campaign pre-computes values, it’s important that the lists are kept up to date so that users are displayed valid and current values.

• The 'Table Mappings' dialog provides a manual option, although a more automated solution is to schedule a job to run the Campaign Session Utility (unica_acsesutil).


#ibmamplify

Top-down Target Cell Spreadsheet

• A spreadsheet-like feature that displays all cells used in flowcharts within a campaign, including assigned offers.

• TCS can also be used as a tool for cell-based offer assignment.


bottom

-up

top-d

ow

n

#ibmamplify

Import data from a .csv


#ibmamplify

Link target cells via Options menu


#ibmamplify

Link targets via process box


#ibmamplify



#ibmamplify



#ibmamplify



#ibmamplify

MailList is automatically configured


#ibmamplify

Export data to a .csv


#ibmamplify

Flowchart (outbound) triggers

• Enables the execution of a command, batch file, or script

• From a Schedule, Call List, or Mail List.

• On success or failure of a flowchart run.


#ibmamplify

Flowchart (outbound) triggers

• Enables the execution of a command, batch file, or script

• From a Schedule, Call List, or Mail List.

• On success or failure of a flowchart run.

• Can be synchronous or asynchronous...


#ibmamplify 23

Synchronous outbound triggers

• Calling process waits for command to complete and return with a success or failure status.

• If trigger fails, as indicated by a non-zero return value, process box will error.

Use case: trigger third-party predictive model scores in real-time and the flowchart would wait until it completed before selecting from the updated model scores.

• Add a question mark (?) after the trigger name,

e.g. CopyToFTP?


#ibmamplify 24

Asynchronous outbound triggers


• Flowchart processing continues immediately, i.e. the process that called the trigger does not wait for it to succeed or fail.

• You do not have to add a termination character, i.e. this is default behaviour. However, you can specify it explicitly by adding an ampersand (&) after the trigger name,

e.g. CopyToFTP&

#ibmamplify 25

Flowchart annotations

• You can annotate a flowchart to communicate with other users of the flowchart and clarify the intention and functionality of processes.

• Annotations appear as yellow sticky notes.

• Use them to highlight specific capabilities or reasons for using specific logic in a flowchart…


#ibmamplify27/07/2016 © 2015 Purple Square Consulting Ltd 26

right-click process to add annotations



show/hide annotations

• Annotations are included when

copy/pasting/templating flowcharts.

• Annotations will appear when

printing flowcharts.

#ibmamplify 29

Known limitations/issues

• Annotations do not resize when zooming the workspace.

• Annotations can be moved out of the flowchart window and the only way to access them is to move the associated process box in the direction of the annotation, then drag the annotation back to the main flowchart area and move the process box back to its original position.

• There is a defect with annotations that was fixed in version 9.1.1.3, whereby you are not able to save a flowchart after removing annotations. IBM’s recommendation is to avoid using annotations altogether prior to version 9.1.1.3.


#ibmamplify

IT and AdministratorsOut-of-box configurations and utilities you should be taking advantage of…

#ibmamplify 31

Datasource configuration

• IBM Campaign comes packaged with a number of datasourceconfiguration templates for the platforms that are supported.


• Each has 100+ options for tuning how Campaign works with the db.

• DBAs should become familiar with and test these options.

• In particular, understanding the options relating to authentication and performance can be beneficial.

#ibmamplify 32

Datasource configuration

Authentication ASMSaveDBAuthentication (TRUE)

ASMUserForDBCredentials

DSNUsingOSAuthentication (FALSE)

Usability ExcludeFromTableDisplay

OwnerForTableDisplay

TempTablePrefix (UAC)

Performance MaxQueryThreads (DB2:5|SQL Server:8|Oracle:16)

MaxTempTableJoinPctSelectAll (90)

MaxTempTableJoinPctWithCondition (20)

TempTablePostExecutionSQL

UseSQLToProfile (FALSE)


#ibmamplify

Campaign Server Manager (unica_svradm)


• Command-line utility, run from the Campaign Analytics Server.

• Most commonly used to stop/kill un-responsive flowchart processes.

• Can also be used to change ownership of a user’s campaigns (for example when a user leaves the business).

• Valid/correct owner better supports functionality such as ‘My Campaigns’, folder/object owner permissions and the <OWNER> trigger token.

#ibmamplify 34

Campaign Server Manager (unica_svradm)

• Determine the user IDs from the USM_USER system table.

• Note: this does NOT change ownership of scheduled tasks –to do this, simply re-save schedule logged-in as new user.


#ibmamplify

Campaign session utility (unica_acsesutil)


• Many uses, included import/export sessions and generate table catalogs.

• Also, programmatic refresh of lists-of-values generated by Campaign for profiling, as well as table record counts (important for performance).

• Ensure profile values and statistics do not become stale.

#ibmamplify 36

Campaign session utility (unica_acsesutil)

• Options for updating records counts, or lists-of-values or both ([ -n | -l | -a ]), for a given table catalog.


#ibmamplify

Campaign cleanup utility (unica_acclean)

• Housekeeping utility to remove temporary tables on database(s) and files on the Campaign Analytics Server.

• Orphaned, i.e. left behind by objects that have since been deleted.

• Associated with a specified object or object type, based on given criteria.

• Left un-checked, these files and tables will gradually eat up space, resulting in errors and potential outages.


#ibmamplify

• Options to report only; delete based on report, or delete directly.

38

Campaign cleanup utility (unica_acclean)


#ibmamplify 39

Notes

• For unica_acclean, report first, there is no roll-back from delete!

• All require the appropriate permissions to be granted to the necessary user.

• See the Campaign Administrator Guide for details on all these standard utilities.


#ibmamplify

A few more (very) quick tips…Configurable, functional and organisational

#ibmamplify

dashboarduse out-of-box or custom portlets

homepage

users can set their own home page

flowchartlogging

LoggingCategories

LoggingLevelsCo

nfigu

rable

Tip

s


#ibmamplify

flattening output

files

transpose from one row per customer/per offer, to one row per customer with multiple offer columns

mapping wide

tables

re-map as base + dimensions (of

grouped fields) to aid navigation

applying volume

threshold

user variable to dynamically apply volume threshold critera

Fu

nctional T

ips


#ibmamplify

champion

identify super-user(s) as focal point for learning and sharing of best practice

learning

invest in training for new starters

ongoing skills development

network

LinkedIn groups

IBM Knowledge Centre

IBM eventsOrg

an

isational T

ips


#ibmamplify

ResourcesOnline resources for more continued learning

#ibmamplify

Infographics


www.slideshare.net/purplesquareconsulting

Session ID: 1651A

#ibmamplify

Tutorial Videos


www.youtube.com/user/purplesquarevideos

Session ID: 1651A

#ibmamplify

IBM Knowledge Centre


www.ibm.com/support/knowledgecenter

Session ID: 1651A

#ibmamplify

Purple Square Consulting


www.purplesquareconsulting.com

Session ID: 1651A

Date post:	13-Apr-2017
Category:	Marketing
Upload:	purple-square-consulting-limited
View:	268 times
Download:	1 times

IBM Amplify 2016 - Session 1651 - How standard IBM Campaign functions and utilities can improve...

Marketing