Basic vs. Standard Selection Rules

Overview

Redpoint Interaction (RPI) Selection Rules determine how audience data is filtered and selected for various marketing efforts, including campaigns, segments, and downstream activities. Understanding selection rules helps you to effectively target audiences and optimize outreach strategies.

There are two types of selection rules available within RPI, each tailored to meet different needs in terms of complexity and reusability, and both are created and edited in the Selection Rule designer.

• Basic Selection Rules (BSR): These rules are designed to be lightweight and reusable, making them ideal for simpler audience filtering tasks. BSRs allow you to quickly define criteria for audience selection without the need for extensive configuration. This simplicity enables rapid deployment and adjustments, ensuring that campaigns can be launched in a timely manner while still maintaining a level of precision in targeting.

• Standard Selection Rules (SSR): In contrast, SSRs offer a more advanced approach to audience definitions. These rules are optimized for complex filtering scenarios and provide greater flexibility in how audience data is accessed and utilized. SSRs enable you to create sophisticated audience segments that can be fine-tuned to meet specific campaign objectives, thereby enhancing the overall effectiveness of marketing efforts.

While both BSRs and SSRs serve the fundamental purpose of audience filtering, they differ significantly in terms of flexibility, data access, and functional capabilities. BSRs are best suited for straightforward tasks where speed and efficiency are the priority, while SSRs are ideal for campaigns that require a deeper level of analysis and customization.

Basic Selection Rules (BSR)

Basic Selection Rules are designed for simple, reusable filtering logic. They typically represent stable, business-defined subsets of your audience that can be leveraged across multiple campaigns or workflows.

Key characteristics

Use cases

• Define reusable filters such as "Active Subscribers", "Opted-In Contacts", or "Customers with Email Addresses."

• Provide a foundational data subset for campaign-level targeting.

• Apply simple, reusable business rules across multiple programs.

Example

Basic Selection Rule: Customers who are active, have provided an email address, and have not opted out.

WHERE CustomerStatus = 'Active'
AND EmailAddress IS NOT NULL
AND OptOutFlag = 0

Standard Selection Rules (SSR)

SSRs are the advanced, flexible variant. They enable data engineers and campaign users to define complex, multi-source audience criteria, leveraging advanced logic, joins, and SQL expressions.

Key characteristics

Use cases

• Multi-table joins across customer, transaction, and behavioral data.

• Complex segment creation requiring dynamic expressions or data-driven inclusion/exclusion.

• Advanced campaign entry logic that blends multiple BSRs with event or transactional data.

Example

Standard Selection Rule: Customers who purchased in the last 90 days and engaged with the "Spring Promo" campaign.

SELECT DISTINCT c.CustomerKey
FROM Customer c
JOIN Transaction t ON c.CustomerKey = t.CustomerKey
JOIN Event e ON c.CustomerKey = e.CustomerKey
WHERE t.TransactionDate >= DATEADD(DAY, -90, GETDATE())
AND e.CampaignName = 'Spring Promo'

Comparative summary

Best practices

• Leverage BSRs for stability and reusability: Use BSRs as the foundation for stable, reusable logic that applies broadly across multiple campaigns and audiences. Parameterize your BSRs whenever possible to maximize reusability and streamline operational efficiency.

• Apply SSRs for advanced customization: Use SSRs when you require advanced SQL joins, custom logic, or explicit control over inclusion/exclusion and resolution logic. SSRs are preferable for scenarios where campaign requirements exceed the capabilities of BSRs, such as when integrating multi-dimensional data inputs (behavioral, demographic, transactional, contextual) or when highly granular audience targeting is needed. Limit unnecessary joins or data expansions to optimize performance, and leverage pre-aggregated tables where possible.

• Combine Basic and Standard Selection Rules for precision: Adopt a layered approach by applying a BSR as your foundational eligibility filter, then refining your audience with a SSR for campaign-specific logic. This method ensures that broad eligibility criteria are enforced consistently, while allowing for campaign-specific refinements and exclusions. This combination supports both operational efficiency and campaign precision.

• Document rule logic and maintain transparency: For every Basic and Standard Selection Rule, add clear descriptions and version comments within each rule. Maintain comprehensive documentation and audit trails for all segments and selection rules.

• Validate and iterate on segments: Before launching campaigns, validate your segments using audience snapshots and seeds to ensure alignment with intended demographics. Regularly iterate and refresh your segments as new data becomes available to keep targeting relevant and effective.

• Optimize for performance and scalability: Limit complex joins and data expansions in SSRs to avoid performance bottlenecks. Where possible, use pre-aggregated or indexed tables to accelerate rule execution. Monitor campaign performance metrics and adjust rules as needed to improve results.

• Ensure compliance and data privacy: Ensure your audience rules and campaign logic comply with relevant data privacy regulations (e.g., GDPR, CCPA). Obtain explicit consent where required, provide easy opt-out options, and handle personal data responsibly and transparently.

• Align with business and marketing objectives: Customize your rule logic to align with specific business goals, marketing strategies, and compliance mandates. Whether focusing on individual records or households, ensure your unification and segmentation strategies support broader organizational aims.

Example workflow

Summary

BSRs are designed to be reusable and efficient, operating under the governance of the connected database's modeled attribute catalog. They can be consistently applied across various marketing scenarios, streamlining processes and enhancing performance. BSRs also uniquely support GenAI-assisted rule generation and Realtime Mode evaluation.

SSRs offer a more advanced and flexible approach. They are specifically crafted to accommodate deep, campaign-specific logic, including custom SQL, explicit include/exclude lists, and custom resolution overrides, allowing you to tailor your strategies to meet campaign objectives.

Together, these two types of selection rules allow you to strike a balance between performance, reusability, and data flexibility.

Additional resources

• Standard Selection Rules

• Basic Selection Rules