Introduction to the Data Dictionary page

Data Mapping maps source fields to target fields. Data Mapping is defined at the datastream-level. Adverity automatically maps source fields for which you define Data Mapping.

Before you start using Adverity, your marketing data may be scattered in many different data sources. These sources follow their own conventions for formatting data. They use different names for the same thing. In this format, it is difficult to make sense of your data. To solve this problem with the help of Adverity, harmonize data from different sources by mapping the source fields that you fetch from your data sources to target fields, which you can then view in the Data Dictionary. For more information on mapping a source field to a target field, see Applying Data Mapping to a datastream.

What is the Data Dictionary?

After you have mapped a source field in a datastream to a target field in the Data Mapping for the datastream, the target field will appear in the Data Dictionary. The Data Dictionary provides a single integrated view of all your mapped dimensions, metrics and calculated metrics.

The Data Dictionary contains all mapped target fields in all datastreams and workspaces in your organization, as well as important information about the target fields, such as their data type, where they are used, and a description of the target field.

There are two types of target fields:

• Adverity default target fields - these are created by Adverity and based on industry best practice. Adverity default target fields cannot be edited or deleted.

• Target fields created by a user in your organization - these can only be created, edited and deleted by users with the required permissions in Adverity.

Target fields can be used by all users in all workspaces in your organization. This helps you to maintain consistency in the Adverity platform.

The table in the middle of the Data Dictionary page contains important information about your target fields in the following columns:

• Target field - the name of the target field, which cannot be changed

• Data type - the type of data that the target field represents, which cannot be changed.

• Used by - click the link in this column to see a list of all the datastreams using this target field, and the source fields mapped to this target field

• Display name - the name used for this target field in the Data Explorer and Dashboards pages

• Description - an explanation of the target field, which is automatically provided for some Adverity default target fields

• Created by - how the target field was created, either by Adverity or by a user in your organization

The filters above the table allow you to view specific target fields in the table. You can apply more than one filter at the same time to view specific target fields:

• Type - All displays all target fields, Dimensions displays all dimensions, and Metrics displays all metrics

• Usage - All displays all target fields, Used displays all target fields that are used in your current workspace, and Unused displays all target fields that are not used in your current workspace

• Datasource - displays target fields that are mapped to source fields in datastreams that fetch data from the selected data source

You can also use the search bar to search for target fields by the Target field and Display name columns in the table. You can use the search function with or without filters applied.

From the Data Dictionary page, you can also access your Default Data Mapping and Calculated metrics.