• Contact ID
• Primary Email (or any Email field)
• Other personalization fields (like First Name)
• Contact 18 ID

Create a Data Extension

Your Data Extension should be configured like the following:

• Contact ID=Key
• Primary Email Field=Email Address
• Include any fields used for personalization or dynamic content
• DO NOT INCLUDE the Contact 18 ID in the Data Extension

• Set to Overwrite
• Click Save at the top
• There is no need to Start the Data Extension since you will import a file to the Data Extension in step 3.

Add Column to Data Extension

With the basic Data Extension created, you need to add another column to house the data that you wish to upload. To manually add a new column to a Data Extension:

• Navigate to Subscribers >> Salesforce Data Extension
• Open the Data Extension you created
• Add a field by working in the Fields box in the bottom right
• Click the Edit Fields button
• Click the Plus icon

• Name the new field as you wish (ie External Data below)
• If the value is text, keep the data type as text (most common)
• Ensure the length number is larger than the number of characters in the field being uploaded
• Check Nullable if this value can be blank
• Provide a Default Value if you wish
• Click Save Fields in the top-right

Some users wish to have external information included in their Data Extension. This could be a custom salutation for personalization (like Mr. & Mrs. Jones), a piece of information to drive dynamic content in an email, or adding unique URLs for each recipient. 

1. Create a Report with the required columns and export:
   • 18 Digit Contact ID
   • University Email
   • field used to merge files (step 2 below)
   • other personalization fields
2. Use XLOOKUP function to merge an external file with the exported Salesforce Report
3. Save as a file with columns labeled

Some of the campuses recently noticed many employees/students have an incorrect/missing email in their university email field. This issue stems from the source system (Campus Solutions or HRMS) and takes time to remedy. As an immediate work-around, you can Import over the Subscribers in Marketing Cloud that have incorrect/missing emails.

• Create a Report with the respective University Email Field
  • Required Columns include: 18-digit Contact ID, University Email, and other personalization fields
• Export Report
• Manually input new email addresses in place of the incorrect ones
• Save as a file with columns labeled

Merge multiple Data Extensions (with different University emails) into a single Data Extension. 

Employee Services is a good example of using this Import feature. Typically, when they email across the campuses, they send to four different Data Extensions to target four different university emails. We can essentially merge those into one Data Extension so they can leverage A/B Testing and Journey Builder (which don’t support including multiple data extensions).

1. Download and open the file
2. Look for past 401(a) reports in SF
   • Save As a new report
   • Rename the report with the date and add the description
3. Open old campaign
   • Clone campaign
   • Rename the campaign with the date
   • Share the campaign with the Employee Services Public Group
   • Update campaign name in SF report filter
4. Excel file
   • Add Campaign column > copy and paste campaign ID
   • Add Status column = Sent
   • Copy and paste all columns
5. Apsona
   • Campaign Members > Tools > Import
   • Copy and paste from Excel file
   • Add=no checking > Tab > Next
   • Map Employee ID
   • Map Campaign ID
   • Map Status
   • Download any rejections. Sometimes Employee ID is wrong.
6. Go to the Salesforce report and campaign, and make sure the total number matches
   • Export a report for each campus using the filters
   • Save as a file (CSV or TXT)
   • Make sure there aren’t blank email addresses. If there are, look them up in SF and add the email address if they have a campus address.
   • Copy from the campus email column and paste it into the email column (keep it all in one Excel file)
   • Do this process for each campus (1, 5, 2 & 3 & 6, 4). Usually, there won’t be anyone for the System, but be sure to check.
   • Copy and paste all columns to the first exported file, and make sure to copy and paste the campus emails into the email column.
7. Go to Marketing Cloud to create the data extension
   • Open Employee Services BU
   • Email > Interactions > Import > Create

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1. Put DO NOT RUN in DE description
2. Salesforce Objects & Reports > Search Report
3. Campaign Name, Contact ID, First Name, Last Name, Email
4. Contact ID is Key
5. Update Email type to Email Address
6. Save & Start
7. Go to DE in Salesforce Data Extensions > DE > Records Tab > Import > Select excel file

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1. Double-check check import and make sure there aren’t personal email addresses
2. Move DE to Shared Items > Employee Services folder

• File: Find your saved file
• Delimiter: Comma or Tab (depending on the file type)
• Date Format: Leave as Default - English
• Import Type: IT DEPENDS
  • Overwrite (most common) | Removes existing records and overwrites with file data
  • Add & Update | Add new records and update existing, will not remove existing
  • Add Only | Add new records, do not update or remove existing records
  • Update Only | Update existing records, do not add new or remove existing records
• Import Options: Leave as Default - do not check/uncheck anything

• Select Next in the bottom right

Select Map Manually: 

• Contact 18 ID=Contact ID
• Email=Email
• Other fields=other fields

• Select Next in the bottom right

• Review your Import details
• Select Import in the bottom right
•  You’ll receive an email notice once complete. Confirm it is successful.
  • Failed Imports often read a case-sensitive issue. Confirm you are importing a file with Contact 18 ID rather than just the Contact ID (15-digit).