The Audience Designer and NoSQL Databases

When using the Audience designer in a NoSQL data warehouse environment (database mode NoSQL databases only or NoSQL data warehouse with SQL auxiliary databases), the following considerations apply:

• Toolbar:

  • Metadata: metadata attributes at the audience are presented in accordance with their configuration at the selected Offer history definition (see below).

  • Snapshot: the Snapshot button is not shown when in NoSQL mode, as audience snapshots are not supported in this context.

• Properties:

  • Offer history definition: you must select an existing NoSQL database offer history definition, which defines the collection in which offer history data will be persisted at audience execution, as well as the pool of metadata attributes available to the audience.

In addition, the selected Offer history definition’s NoSQL DB collection definition determines the NoSQL database collection that will be interrogated when the audience is executed.

• The following properties are not shown:

  • Audience definition

  • Deduplication level

  • Deduplication behavior

  • Override waterfall report settings

Workspace: a ‘NoSQL Audience’ label is displayed to the top left:

• Toolbox:

  • Audience Blocks: only the following audience blocks are supported when running in NoSQL mode:

    • Filter

    • Suppressions

    • Split

    • Model Scoring

  • Folder Search: only the following file types are supported when running in NoSQL mode:

    • Attribute

    • Model Project

    • Selection Rule

• Workspace

  • You can drag in a decision to create a filter block.

  • Resolution levels are not shown at connector arrows.

• Audience blocks:

  • Filter:

    • Block:

• Include/Exclude everyone selected by the rule: this fixed-dialog style chooser allows you to define whether all records selected by the filter are to be included in, or excluded from, the audience's output.

• Selection rule: you must populate the filter with a NoSQL selection rule. You can populate it using drag and drop or browse. Having populated the property, you can open its latest version in the Rule Designer. You can also clear your selection. Having chosen a NoSQL selection rule, the verbiage 'Retrieves/Excludes records targeted by rule [rule name]' is shown below it.

The inclusion of NoSQL selection rules that target the current NoSQL offer history collection is supported (handling use cases where previous targeting is a factor in audience determination). If a filter is configured with an offer history NoSQL selection rule, the verbiage 'Joins to collection [collection name] and retrieves/excludes records targeted by rule [rule name]' is shown below the property.

• Suppressions

  • Block:

    • Suppressions: you can drag a NoSQL selection rule file into the block to add it as a suppression.

  • Configuration panel:

    • Suppressions tab:

      • Suppressions: each suppression must be configured with a NoSQL selection rule.

• Split

  • Block:

    • Outputs: you can drag a NoSQL selection rule file into the block to add it as an output.

  • Configuration panel:

    • Outputs tab:

      • Output sampling: only values Use random sampling and Cap on attribute order are supported.

      • Define attribute order: if Cap on attribute order is used, any Sampling order attributes must be from the NoSQL database collection definition associated with the audience's Offer history definition.

• All configuration panels:

  • General tab: only the following properties are shown:

    • Name

    • Pause before start

    • Single output contact

Note that use of auxiliary NoSQL selection rules is supported in the following contexts:

• Filter

• Suppressions

• Split

Note also that you cannot create a NoSQL audience unless at least one NoSQL offer history definition has been configured.

Embedded NoSQL Audiences

Embedded NoSQL audiences can be used at an RPI SQL tenant at which one or more NoSQL auxiliary databases has been configured. The key feature of an embedded NoSQL audience is that it cannot be executed independently in an interaction batch audience or interactive activity. It can only be used in an embedded audience block. To differentiate an embedded NoSQL audience, a label is shown in the Audience Designer workspace:

An embedded NoSQL audience has a single property:

NoSQL database definition

The following also apply at an embedded NoSQL audience:

• The Metadata toolbar button is displayed.

• Initiation of Test execution from the Audience Designer is supported.

• You cannot covert an embedded NoSQL audience to a standard (SQL) audience.