Aggregate nodes enable you to create new, but still individual customer profiles, by combining the demographic and events data contained in two or more entry nodes in the same workspace. To do so, a matching policy is required, which can consist of one or more of the workspace’s base or extended properties. For example, an email address and a customer’s first name.

When customer profiles in each of the selected entry nodes have fields with values that match the defined policy properties, they are combined to create a new unified profile in the aggregated node.

Once generated, these aggregated profiles can be used, for example, to:

• Create a Send source, by synchronizing the aggregated node profiles with the appropriate Send user database.
• Create a Plan source, to export events from the aggregated node to the appropriate tenant.
• Aggregate base and extended properties, consents and events, together with snapshots of the status of subscriptions that existed in the original nodes.
• Synchronize the subscription status in the original nodes with Send, which can then be used to create filters and/or define segments.

Further releases are planned, which will enable you to:

• Create a Flow configuration that listens for events associated with the aggregate node profiles in real-time.
  Currently, you can add identified contacts from an aggregate node to an automation through Plan.
• Create a Data configuration, associated with an aggregate node, which makes use of all the purchase and digital event data from the entry nodes, and the details of marketing deliveries carried out through the aggregate node.
• Generate aggregate node Analytics, enabling you to access the relevant dashboard and analytical data about all the information contained in that node.

Aggregated profiles inherit the properties and all the recorded events of the source profiles through a merge algorithm. Properties and events cannot be directly created, edited or deleted in the aggregate node. Any changes can only take place if they have been carried out in the relevant entry node profile. Digital events, such as send, opens and clicks, which are recorded in the database associated with aggregated node, are the only ones that can be directly linked with an aggregated profile.

Aggregated node profiles and events have their own UUID within Hub, which are unrelated to those for the source entry nodes.

The merge algorithm overview

Besides being run when an aggregate node is created, the merge algorithm is also applied to the constituent entry node profiles when:

• A new customer profile is created, or an existing profile is changed or deleted.
• A new event takes place, or an existing event is edited or or deleted.
  Aggregate profiles include the same information and dates as the entry node profile-related events.

Subscriptions

An aggregate node includes all subscriptions from the relevant entry nodes, without applying any deduplication to those with the same identifier. Any subscriptions in an aggregate node, including, for example, newsletters that are sent directly from the aggregate node itself, cannot be synchronized directly with Send. Changes to subscriptions must be managed at the entry node level. In the case of aggregate node-related subscriptions, a special form can be provided on request, to make the change at entry node level, which will then be reflected in the aggregate node when applied.

IMPORTANT:
You should never use the Send UI to edit the contact-related entries in the user database associated with an aggregate node.

Send and Plan source configuration

An aggregate node can be linked to a Send user database and the corresponding Plan tenant, in exactly the same way as an entry node. Send, open and click events related to deliveries made directly to aggregate node contacts are reported in Hub, in a similar way to those for entry nodes, once aggregate node operations have been enabled for the associated database.

When configuring a Send source for an aggregate node in Hub, the subscription synchronization fields are disabled.

See Configuring a Contactsend plug-in source and Configuring a Contactplan source for more details.

GDPR-related consents and updates

All contact GDPR-related operations are carried out on the entry nodes. As a result, the details displayed in an aggregate node profile do not include:

• The timeline for changes to a customer’s consents.
• The link to download all data related to the customer being viewed.
• The link to delete all the data for the customer being viewed.

See Viewing customer consents for more details.

Limitations

Aggregate nodes cannot be used to:

• Create, edit or delete profiles or events.
  The only native events are the digital ones that result out of marketing deliveries made to contacts in the aggregate nodes’ profiles.
• Manage aggregate node native subscriptions and synchronize them with Send.
• Manage GDPR-related rights.
  These are always managed at the entry node level.

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