The database is made of fields that store contact attributes and your All Contacts and lists. Several data fields will come standard with every account, however additional fields can be created as needed.
To access the Database:
- Click the <| icon next to your name in the upper right-hand corner of the platform.
- Next, click the gear icon to access General Settings and choose Database from the menu.
Edit Data Fields
To add a new database field:
- On the Database page, scroll down to the Email List Data Fields section.
- Click the Edit Data Fields button.
- Scroll to the bottom of the page and click Add New Data Field.
- Fill in the attribute's Field Name, select the date Type from the dropdown menu, and add any internal notes to the Field Notes area (the Column Name will be populated automatically based on the Field Name).
- Once edits have been made, click Save.
Newly added fields will be visible in your database shortly after saving. However, it may take up to 60 minutes for your internal database to completely update and make these fields available for use in dynamic filters.
Field Names
- The name of the data field
- It can include spaces, numbers, and special characters (e.g., $, #, &).
- iPost recommends that this name not exceed twenty characters. This limit is not enforced, only recommended.
- Once saved, the Field Name will appear in list functions and in the dynamic list interface.
- The Field Name cannot be edited after the field is added to the database.
iTL Macro
- iTL macros can be used in mailings to personalize the message content.
- It will be automatically populated based on the Field Name and will only contain lower-case letters, numbers, and underscores.
- The iTL macro cannot be edited after the field is added to the database.
For further information about using iTL, please see our articles on Personalization and the iPost Template Language.
There are certain reserved words that the system will not allow you to use as the ITL Macro of the data field. Attempting to use a reserved word as an ITL Macro will result in an error. For a complete list of reserved words, please see the Reference Table below.
| add | all | alter | analyze | and | as | asc | asensitive | before | between |
| bigint | binary | blob | both | by | call | cascade | case | change | char |
| character | check | collate | column | columns | condition | connection | constraint | continue | convert |
| create | cross | current_date | current_time | current_timestamp | current_user | cursor | database | databases | day_hour |
| day_microsecond | day_minute | day_second | dec | decimal | declare | default | delayed | delete | desc |
| describe | deterministic | distinct | distinctrow | div | double | drop | dual | each | else |
| elseif | enclosed | escaped | exists | exit | explain | FALSE | fetch | fields | float |
| float4 | float8 | for | force | foreign | from | fulltext | goto | grant | group |
| having | high_priority | hour_microsecond | hour_minute | hour_second | if | ignore | in | index | infile |
| inner | inout | insensitive | insert | int | int1 | int2 | int3 | int4 | int8 |
| integer | interval | into | is | iterate | join | key | keys | kill | label |
| leading | leave | left | like | limit | lines | load | localtime | localtimestamp | lock |
| long | longblob | longtext | loop | low_priority | match | mediumblob | mediumint | mediumtext | middleint |
| minute_microsecond | minute_second | mod | modifies | natural | not | no_write_to_binlog | null | numeric | on |
| optimize | option | optionally | or | order | out | outer | outfile | precision | primary |
| privileges | procedure | purge | read | reads | real | references | regexp | release | rename |
| repeat | replace | require | restrict | return | revoke | right | rlike | schema | schemas |
| second_microsecond | select | sensitive | separator | set | show | smallint | soname | spatial | specific |
| sql | sqlexception | sqlstate | sqlwarning | sql_big_result | sql_calc_found_rows | sql_small_result | ssl | starting | straight_join |
| table | tables | terminated | then | tinyblob | tinyint | tinytext | to | trailing | transact |
| trigger | TRUE | undo | union | unique | unlock | unsigned | update | upgrade | usage |
| use | using | utc_date | utc_time | utc_timestamp | values | varbinary | varchar | varcharacter | varying |
| when | where | while | with | write | xor | year_month | zerofill | email_id |
Field Type
The Field Type cannot be edited after a field is added to the database. There are six possible data types that can be assigned to this field:
String
- String field data contains any combination of characters, including special characters (e.g., $, #, &) and up to 255 characters in length.
- It cannot contain binary data.
- Strings can include HTML formatting, but the data will not be handled as HTML by default since it may be inserted into plain text documents.
- When this field is used inside a Paste HTML email, HTML entity encoding is applied to ensure that the data is not interpreted as HTML formatting instructions within the document.
- To allow HTML-formatted Strings to be interpreted in your document, use the \encode=no switch as described in the iPost Template Language guide.
Text
- Text is identical to String except that data can be up to 65,000 characters in length.
Monetary
- The monetary field type accepts data in the format DD.CC where D is Dollars and C is Cents.
- The dollars digits can be repeated up to nine times, but there can only ever be two cents digits after the decimal point.
- The value cannot include characters aside from numbers and a single decimal point. This means that a dollar sign or other currency symbol is not allowed in the value.
Integer
- Integers are whole numbers, meaning the data cannot contain a decimal.
- They can be any whole number between -2147483648 and 2147483647.
- Integer values cannot include any character aside from numbers and an optional leading negative sign (e.g., no commas as a thousands-separators).
Decimal
- Decimals are numbers which can optionally include a decimal component.
- It cannot include any characters aside from numbers, an optional negative sign and a single decimal point.
Datetime
- Stores dates and times.
- Data must match the format selected in Client Settings (the default format is YYYY-MM-DD hh:mm:ss).
- Any data imports that contain columns using this field type must be formatted carefully. Improperly formatted data can result in import errors.
When in doubt about which Field Type to select for a new field, it is always safe to select String. This is the default Field Type selected in the wizard for that reason.
Field Notes
- Add notes explaining the nature of the data stored in this field.
- It can contain up to 255 characters and include any character.
- Field Notes are optional and can be edited after a field is added to the database.
Special Email List Data Fields
Certain fields will enable special functionality when when added to your iPost database
email_frequency_limit
If this iTL Macro field exists, it will allow limiting the frequency of emails sent to each subscriber. The value in this field must be a number which is equal to days (0= send everything, 1=1 day, 2=2 days, etc).
To include this setting on your email, choose the Use recipient's preferred email frequency when known in the email send configuration.
Timezone
If this iTL Macro field exists, it enables sending emails based on the contact's time zone. To use this option, choose Recipient Local Time in the time zone field when scheduling an automation.
The value must be in the following formats:
- +/- HH:MM indicates the difference in hours from/to UTC to the local timezone.
- Symbolic time zones, like PST8PDT, are used for time zones that switch between standard and daylight savings time.
- Blank values represent the default time zone for the account.
For example, if the contact was in Pacific Standard Time, the value in the timezone field would be -08:00 or PST8PDT depending on the format.
UID Import Information
All accounts use Email Address to identify a contact by default. However, in some cases, this may not fully meet your business's marketing and data needs (e.g., casinos). While an email address is required for all contacts, a Unique Identifier (UID) can be activated for your account. This UID is the main identifier for a contact and can only be linked to a single entity in your All Contacts.
Once UID is configured, it cannot be changed. To learn more information about unique identifiers and whether it's right for your account, please contact your Client Success Manager.