Understanding Hub

Contacthub is a Software as a Service (SaaS) application, with no local installation or setup required. Instead, Hub is accessed online over the Web, using any of the supported browsers. The Internet connection is secure, and only authenticated and authorized users can access the application. Thanks to the Single Sign On (SSO) feature, once authorized users have logged on, they are automatically allowed access to all other Contactlab products that they are entitled to use.

Hub can be configured to work with several workspaces. While it can only operate with one at a time, a user can switch to a different workspace as and when required.

Key features and functionality

Hub includes a wide range of features, such as:

  • Authentication and access permissions management.
  • A rich set of REST API-based tools that enable interaction between your customer data and external sources.
  • An intuitive UI to organize and configure customer data collection and analysis.
  • Storage of customer-related personal data as well as customer events and actions.
  • The ability to track all brand activities for a specific customer, even if they use different identities.
  • Centralization of data in a single location.
  • Individual customer data aggregation, based on predefined rules.
  • An initial standardized data structure for tracking customer profiles and events, which can later be customized and extended, according to your requirements.
  • The ability to expand upon information that is linked to a specific event or action.
  • The ability to have different views of the same customer database.
  • Detailed analysis tools, dashboards, and reports, highlighting customer base growth and composition.
  • Seamless integration with Contactsend.
  • SDKs and plug-ins to simplify integration with a range of e-commerce applications such as CRM, Analytics, Digital Direct Marketing, and Customer Success management software.

Authentication and authorization

Hub deploys a centralized Oauth2 service to authenticate and authorize users to access resources and information. Only authenticated users can access the UI or the REST API.

Once a user is authenticated, a user profile determines the set of permissions and authorizations that are to be applied. These Roles represent the operations that a user can carry out and the system resources they can access.

The default user profiles are:

  • Admin
  • User
  • Guest

Note:
Specific permissions are required to view, for example, the timeline of consent changes. See Viewing customer consents for more details.

SDKs & plug-ins

Hub provides SDKs for the most common server/client and mobile programming languages, to facilitate integration and data exchange. Plug-ins that have been specifically developed to allow integration of, for example, e-commerce, CRM and similar third party software, ensure that the time required to set them up is almost zero.

REST API

The REST API is the software layer that interacts with the customer data, providing both read and write functionality. All Hub features and available assets are accessible through the REST API.

Note:
Each API call may have content (customers or events) of up to 64kb.

User Interface

The UI is an intuitive graphical environment that allows you to easily and quickly configure the data to be added to Hub, enabling you to explore and analyze your customer base, as required. The UI makes use of the REST API in the background, without your involvement.

See Getting started, navigating the UI and signing out for more about the UI.

 

 

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