When a batch audience is executed, an audience instance is created and the blocks within its audience are run. Audience history data is stored for the duration of execution within a temporary table.
If the batch audience is preceded by another audience within the workflow, its rules are applied against that audience’s segments. In this case, the inputs to a batch audience are defined by:
•The inputs selected from the previous audience’s segments within its configuration panel’s Inputs tab.
•Any metadata filters applied to the previous audience’s selected segments within its configuration panel’s Filters tab.
If Pause before this activity completes has been set, following execution of the audience’s rules, execution ceases and the activity assumes a Paused state.
Following execution of the audience, a results bubble is displayed to the top right of the audience icon. It shows a rounded summary of the number of records retrieved by the audience. Results are shown to a single decimal place, e.g.:
1,203,492 = 1.2M
75,854 = 75.9K
You can view full results using the Results Window.
When a batch audience is executed in an interaction workflow, its count reflects the application of its audience definition’s global contact rule (if one exists).
If the audience with which a batch audience is configured contains an auxiliary rule, it is executed to determine a list of keys that match the rule’s criteria, and the results are written to a temporary table. This table can then be used to join to data warehouse tables to identify matching data warehouse records which will serve as the audience’s segment(s).
If sufficient joins do not exist to link the resolution levels of the auxiliary rule and the audience’s definition, a runtime validation error is displayed.
If the batch audience’s audience definition is configured to produce validation files, these are created when the audience executes, and can be accessed from the Results Window.
At execution of an audience based on a transactional audience definition, the offer history table is populated with transactional data in addition to standard resolution data. Transactional data is deduplicated in accordance with the settings recorded at the audience definition. Only records from the audience definition's resolution table with matching record(s) in the transaction table are retrieved. Any transactional attributes recorded in offer history must also be accordant with the selection rules utilized in the transactional audience. Note that this also applies to interactive activities configured with transactional audience.
When the current RPI installation is using a SQL Server data warehouse, if the system is unable to connect when executing an audience (for example due to the database server not being found, the database login failing (due e.g. to the database being detached) or because of a deadlock), a series of attempts to reach the data warehouse are made (over a maximum of a 10-minute period). After this time the series of retries are abandoned. All retry details are logged to the server log.
If an interaction workflow contains more than one linked batch audiences that are configured with separate audience definitions, and hence multiple sets of offer history tables, data is written to the final set thereof.
If a batch audience is hosted within a Manual, Scheduled or Activity State workflow, and if one of its Minimum or Maximum batch limit values is not met, the audience enters a Paused state, and a message is added to the execution Log ('The current activity batch count of [x] is [less]/[greater] than the [minimum]/[maximum] batch limit of [y] set for this activity'). You can click Play at the Paused activity to resume execution and ignore the limit.
If a batch audience is hosted within a Recurring workflow, the same applies on an individual batch basis. In addition to the Minimum and Maximum batch limits, the overall Maximum target limit continues to be applied.
If the audience is running in a single workflow instance recurring workflow, and its Maximum target limit property set, at the point at which the specified limit is reached or exceeded, the workflow enters a Completed state. If the workflow contains multiple batch audiences with the setting specified, as soon as the first limit is reached, execution ceases.
At interaction workflow execution, a runtime validation warning is raised if the resolution of an audience in the workflow has no configured primary key ('The audience definition's resolution table has not been configured with a primary key. This may impact on performance.').