Creating database segments

You can use segmenting to divide your databases into smaller pieces based on numbering, or to do random sampling. The smaller segments can be used for emails or as a field in a query to help divide it into smaller sections.

1. Select the segmenting columns.
   1. Select View Data and choose a database from the list that already contains a segmenting field.
   2. On the Fields tab, click the Segment icon.
   3. Complete the form.
      • Base Segmenting Value: The value that is placed in the segmenting field of the database. This value increments by one for each additional segment created. For example, if the database is broken into five segments, and you enter a base segment value of 6, then each of the five new segment fields has a value of 6 through 11. The value 6 is inserted into the selected field for all contacts in the first new segment. All contacts in the second new segment have the value 7 in the selected field.
        Note: To review the segment history, click Segment History. The segment history displays all of the segment fields for the entire database, the name of the segments, and the total number of segments.
      • Select the segmenting fields: To select more than one field, press Ctrl and click to select. Selecting more than one segmenting field populates all the segmenting fields in the database with a segmenting number. The segmenting field that you use has new segmenting number. To preserve current segmenting, create another segmenting field to use. You can have up to 12 segmenting columns in a database. The Send Hour field counts as one of the 12 fields.
      • Segmenting Job Name: Enter a new unique name for these segments in the field and click Next.

        The form appears for defining segments. The new Contact Lists are shown on the Query tab with this name, which is appended with Segment 1, Segment 2.

2. Define segments by using equal or random sampling.
   1. Determine whether an equal number of segments is needed, or a sample, and then use the Equal Segments or Sampling area of the form.
   2. Determine the number of segments you want by selecting number or percent of contacts per segment, and then use the Calculate button to determine the number and put it in the other box.
      Note: If splitting by the number of contacts, you can do so by percentage or absolute number per segment, by selecting the Number or Percent option from the drop-down box.
   3. If you want the segments to be available as queries, check the box next to Automatically generate each segment using - and then select the segmenting field that you want to hold the query information.
   4. Select either a Shared or Private folder in which to place the new query databases.
   5. If you want to immediately see query size as part of the segmenting job, select Automatically calculate query size once segmenting is complete.
   6. Click Next.

      The Submitted Data Job form opens.

3. Submit the segmenting data job.
   1. Review your segmenting job.
   2. Optionally, add a notification address for when the job completes.
   3. Submit it as a data job and click Submit.