Syncing customer data via file

Column names and descriptions for customer data in TSV files

CitrusAd only supports TSV format for customer data. The table below describes the names of columns in a TSV file and their descriptions. For customer data, the only required column is customer_id.

Column nameRequired/optionalData typeDescription
customer_idRequiredTextThis is the identifier of the customer in the retailer's system.
year_of_birthOptionalNumberNo longer used. This is the birthday year of the customer. This must be a number.
genderOptionalTextNo longer used. This is the gender of the customer. If the value is provided, it must be one of the values {“UNDEFINED”, “FEMALE”, “MALE”, “OTHER”}.
The value is case-insensitive.
postcodeOptionalTextNo longer used. This is the postcode of the contact address of the customer.
suburbOptionalTextNo longer used. This is the suburb of the contact address of the customer.
statusRequired if syncing delta updatesTextWhen syncing delta changes via file, this is used to signify the action to take on the customer ID.

Accepted values are INSERT, UPDATE, andDELETE
target_dataOptionalJson mapIf the value is provided, it must be a json map, e.g.
{"customer_type" : "corporate", "customer_country" : "Australia"}
customer_targeting:KEYOptionalTextIf this type of column is used, retailers must provide a value for KEY, e.g. the column name could be “customer_targeting:customer_type” and the value of a cell in the column can be “corporate”, “smb” or “retailer”.

There could be several columns with this syntax in a TSV file.

An example of a TSV file with a heading row and three data rows for customers can be seen in the table below for a full file sync. Please note that the raw data is a text file, but it is represented in a table so that we can read it easily.

customer_idyear_of_birthgenderpostcodesuburbcustomer_targeting:customer_type
09378321990MALE3000MelbourneRetail
03472931993FEMALE4000BrisbaneRetail
0293423OTHER4064MiltonCorporate

Synchronisation options

Full update

The full update mode allows retailers to synchronise their full file of customer information. This is the typical method integrated by a retailer, as it is simpler to set up.

Delta update

Delta updates are possible by adjusting your file to synchronise only updates or changes to customers. This is a better option for larger tier retailers with large audiences.

Your file must have the status column, as this signifies the action to take on the user. The accepted values are INSERT, UPDATE, andDELETE.

An example file is below:

customer_idstatusyear_of_birthgenderpostcodesuburbcustomer_targeting:customer_type
1INSERT1990MALE3000MelbourneRetail
2UPDATE1993FEMALE4000BrisbaneRetail
3DELETEOTHER4064MiltonCorporate

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You cannot synchronise delta changes in a full update feed.

In the case of the feed above, customer ID 1 is new, customer 2 is being updated, and customer 3 has been removed by the retailer.