Importing a Campaign
To create a meaningful campaign from your own data, you first need to ascertain how your data differs from the selected campaign's data. To do this simply open the appropriate sample campaign in the CRM and look at the data the campaign provides. To be most effective, your data elements need to match, or be very similar to, the campaign's data elements. But the method is quite flexible in that:
- If you have additional data elements that's ok.
- If you have data elements that can be combined to form one of the campaign's elements, that's ok too.
- If you have no data that matches a campaign's data element, that can still be ok if the data is not used in a calculation, or if you can supply a meaningful constant value to the campaign's data element.
- You can even leave campaign fields empty and fill them in later.
The next step is to create a tab-deliminted file from your data file or database. Then you create a reuseable mapping file which describes how your data fields equate to the campaigns's data fields. Finally, you import your data file into the selected campaign according to the rules set forth by your mapping file.
Creating a tab-delimited file from a single database table is as easy as executing a statement like the following from your interactive SQL session:
select * from MY_TABLE into outfile 'mytable.txt' fields terminated by '\t' lines terminated by '\r\n';
While this example shows a MySQL syntax, your DBMS will provide a very similar one.
You may also need a more complex select statement if you are combining fields from multiple tables and/or sorting them into a specific order. See your
database manual for more information.
Edit the file you just created to insure that the first line contains a name describing each column. If it doesn't add one and be sure to separate each column name with a single tab (Tab key).
Another alternative is to create an Excel™ style spreadsheet and save the data as a tab delimited file.
When creating a new Campaign, provide a unique name and check the box that specifies Source is my own file
Press OK
Select the Tab Delimited Text file that you want to use for your campaign.
If the Top row of your file contains the column names for your file, be sure that the File contains column names box is checked, (the default). A file with column names will make it easier to map your data into the Lead Miner campaign fields.
Click on Load Data
If this is your first campaign of this type and the campaign type is a specialized Import campaign (indicated by a campaign type ending with word Import), and if Use Native Mapping for "Import" campaigns has been selected in the Options menu (the default), your new campaign will be created immediately and the fully populated CRM will come into view. |
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However,
if this is your first campaign of this type and it's not an Import campaign (or Use Native Mapping for "Import" campaigns is not selected), you will be
presented with a mapping file selection box.
If you already created a mapping file for your tab-delimited file, select it here and your new campaign will be created
and the fully populated CRM will come into view, as
soon as press Load Map. Otherwise,
type in a file name leaving the .map ending on the file name,
press Load Map.
You will be presented with a window (below) which controls how you will map each of the campaign's fields (shown in red) to your own data fields
shown in the drop-down choices. The blue description below each campaign field describes the type of data expected
by the campaign. In addition there are 3 special fields (shown in green) in the top of each drop-down choice:
- selecting ~empty~, tells LeadMinder to leave the field as empty (a single, blank space)
- selecting ~constant~, tells LeadMinder you will provide a constant value for the field
- selecting ~composite~, tells LeadMinder you will provide a sequence of fields and/or constants to fill the field
Below these special fields are all of the possible fields (in blue) found in your tab-delimited file. Select the appropriate choice for each campaign field.
Your completed map will look something like this:
Cick on Create Map
If you have selected constant for any of your fields, you will be asked for a value to use for each such constant field.
Click Apply
If you have selected composite for any of your field mappings, you need to tell Lead Miner which fields on your file are to be concatenated into the composite field. You can also enter one, or more, characters before or after each field by typing the appropritate data into the text area next to the Add Text button, then clicking it. When you are done click Complete.
When all constant and composite fields have been defined, your campaign will be imported and your map file will be saved for use in future imports.