Extract

The Extract process allows you to select fields from one table and write them out to another table for subsequent processing. It is designed to pare down a large amount of data to a manageable size for subsequent operations, resulting in vast improvements in performance.

The Extract process can take input from a cell (if it is connected to a Select process, for example), single table, strategic segment, optimized list (Contact Optimization only), or eMessage landing page (eMessage only). If you select a strategic segment as input, you must join it to a table before you can extract fields.

If you use several Extract processes in a series, only the fields in the final Extract process are written out.

If you use several Extract processes in parallel (that is, in different branches in the same flowchart), they behave in the same way as persistent derived fields:

The extracted fields attach to the inbound cell

The extracted fields are calculated before query execution in that process

Multiple extracted fields are available in subsequent processes

When extracted fields are sent to a contact process:

If an extracted field is not defined for a cell, its value = NULL

If a single ID is in more than one cell, one row is output for each cell

When extracted fields are sent to a Segment or Decision process, an extracted field must exist in all selected input cells for it to be used in segmenting by query.

For the Extract process, you must select the input cell to which the extract table is associated to profile the extracted fields. You can choose None only for single input cell. For multiple input cells, you must select the input cell to which the extract table is associated.

Extracted tables

Data is extracted as either a binary file on the Campaign server or as a table in a data mart with a UAC_EX prefix.

Unlike a temp table, an extracted table is not deleted at the end of a flowchart run. It needs to persist so that users can continue to access it in order to perform operations on it, like profiling its fields, for example.

An extracted table is only deleted when you delete its associated Extract process, flowchart, campaign, or session.

In order to conserve space in the data mart, your system administrator can periodically delete tables with a UAC_EX prefix. Note, however, that if these tables are removed, before rerunning their flowcharts or attempting to profile fields in the now-missing tables, users must first rerun their affected Extract processes. Otherwise, Campaign generates "Table Not Found" errors.

Example: Extracting transaction data

Prerequisites for extracting data from eMessage landing pages

Configuring an Extract process

To extract data from a cell, single table, or strategic segment

To extract data from an eMessage landing page

Extract tab reference