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Creating and Managing Promotional Campaigns

 

This topic contains step-by-step information for defining a new campaign or modifying existing campaigns within the BEA E-Business Control Center. It does not contain conceptual descriptions of a campaign, nor an explanation about the business applications of campaigns. It is therefore highly recommended that before proceeding, you read and understand the concepts explained in Roadmap for Creating Promotional Campaigns.

This topic includes the following sections:

 

Creating a New Promotional Campaign

Note: Before you can create a new promotional campaign, you must connect the E-Business Control Center to a server. For more information on connecting to a server, see Connecting the BEA E-Business Control Center to a Server.

To create a new promotional campaign, follow these steps:

  1. From the BEA E-Business Control Center File menu, select New —> Campaign. The Campaign Editor window opens, as shown in Figure 11-1.

    Figure 11-1 Campaign Editor Window


     

    Tip: You can also click the New icon in the Explorer window and then select Campaign to open the Campaign Editor window, as shown in Figure 11-2.

    Figure 11-2 New Icon, Campaign Selection


     

  2. You must now follow the steps provided in the following sections to:

Specify General Campaign Information

  1. Click the upward facing arrow, shown on far right side of the General bar. The General bar opens and the arrow faces downward, as shown in Figure 11-3.

    Figure 11-3 General Campaign Information Pane


     

  2. Enter a unique and descriptive name in the Campaign Name field. Then enter a description, campaign sponsor, and optionally, a goal description in the remaining fields. The campaign name you enter appears at the top of the Campaign Editor window.

  3. If desired, click the downward facing arrow on the General bar to close the General bar.

Enter the Campaign Duration and End Criteria

  1. Click the upward facing arrow, shown on far right side of the Start/Stop bar. The Start/Stop bar opens and the arrow faces downward, as shown in Figure 11-4.

    Figure 11-4 Campaign Duration and End Criteria Pane


     

  2. Enter a start date, start time, stop date, and stop time for your promotional campaign in the fields provided.

    Tip: For the start and stop date, you can either type in the date, or click the drop-down list to select the date from a calendar, as shown in Figure 11-5. Just click the date to select it.

    Figure 11-5 Start/Stop Date Calendar


     

  3. If your promotional campaign will contain scenarios with ad actions, you may now want to specify end criteria (goals). For more instructions on how to specify campaign end criteria, see Specifying Campaign End Criteria.

    Note: For more information about ad actions, see Designing Scenario Actions.

  4. If desired, click the downward facing arrow on the Start/Stop bar to close the Start/Stop bar.

Specifying Campaign End Criteria

If you plan on using ad actions in your scenarios and want to end your campaign when certain ad-related goals are reached, you may want to supply some campaign end criteria. If the campaign end criteria are met, the campaign will be terminated even if the date on which this occurs is prior to the stop date you specified.

Note: To improve performance, your Commerce Business Engineer (CBE) may create a cache that limits the number of times a campaign checks with the database to determine whether it has achieved its goal. By default, a campaign updates the cache every 5 minutes. If the cache contains stale data, then it may be possible for a campaign to exceed its goal. For more technical information about this performance-related topic, refer to "Campaign Service Properties" in the Deployment Guide documentation.

You can specify campaign end criteria based on the number of impressions (views) associated with the ad, on the number of ad clickthroughs, or a combination of both.

To specify campaign end criteria, follow these steps:

  1. If the Start/Stop bar is not open, click the upward facing arrow shown on the far right side of the Start/Stop bar to open it. The Start/Stop bar opens and the arrow faces downward.

  2. In the End Criteria region of the Start/Stop pane, click New. The End Criteria Detail window opens, as shown in Figure 11-6.

    Figure 11-6 End Criteria Detail Window


     

  3. In the Ad To Be Tracked region of the End Criteria Detail window, enter an ad identifier into the field.

    Note: The ad identifier is a unique name of the ad, with the relative path. In the Tour Campaign 1, for example, the ad identifier used is: Ads/wlcscm_ads/tourBannerFixup.jpg. However, the details of exactly what constitutes an ad identifier may vary from one content management system to another. Be sure to check with your Commerce Business Engineer (CBE) for details.

  4. Click Add. The ad identifier is added to the list below.

  5. If necessary, repeat steps 3 and 4 until all the ads you want are listed.

    Note: If you make a mistake and want to remove an ad identifier from the list, click the ad identifier in the list to select it, then click Remove.

  6. Specify a target number in the Target Number field.

  7. Select a Total Basis option for the ads in the list. The total basis indicates whether the target number should be based on the sum of all the ads in the list, or on the count for any single ad shown in the list.

  8. In the Goal Scope region of the window, select whether you want to count the ads only within this campaign or across multiple campaigns.

    Choosing to count the ads across multiple campaigns means that if a visitor in another campaign views/clicks the ad, the impression/clickthrough would still be counted as an increment in this campaign toward meeting the goal.

  9. In the Goal Type region of the window, select whether the target number you specified applies to the number of ad impressions (views) or the number of ad clickthroughs.

  10. Click OK. The End Criteria Detail window closes, and the information you specified appears in the Goals list (as shown in Figure 11-7).

    Figure 11-7 Goals List


     

  11. If necessary, repeat steps 2 through 10 until you have specified all the end goals you want.

    Note: If you make a mistake and want to remove a goal from the Goal list, click the goal in the list to highlight it, then click Delete. Or, you can click Edit to modify the information you specified for that goal in the End Criteria Detail window.

  12. At the bottom of the End Criteria region, specify whether you want to end the campaign when any or all of the goals shown in the Goals list are met.

  13. If desired, click the downward facing arrow on the Start/Stop bar to close the Start/Stop bar.

Add Scenarios to the Campaign

Because campaigns are groups of scenarios that are associated with a business goal, scenarios are at the very heart of your campaign. In scenarios, you will specify one or more actions to take place on your Web site when certain conditions are met.

To add scenarios to the campaign, follow these steps:

  1. Click the upward facing arrow, shown on far right side of the Scenarios bar. The Scenarios bar opens and the arrow faces downward, as shown in Figure 11-8.

    Figure 11-8 Scenarios Pane


     

  2. Click New Scenario. The New Scenario window opens, displaying a list of scenario templates.

    Note: For a description of each scenario template, see Using Scenario Templates.

    Tip: If you would rather start with a copy of an existing scenario, click an existing scenario name in the Scenarios list to select it and then click Duplicate. A copy of the scenario appears in the Scenarios list. You can then click Edit to modify the scenario as appropriate.

  3. Click a scenario template name in the list to select it, then click OK. The Scenario Properties window opens, as shown in Figure 11-9.

    Tip: To start with a blank scenario, choose Default.

    Figure 11-9 Scenario Properties Window


     

  4. Enter a unique name for the scenario in the Scenario Name field, and a description of the scenario in the Scenario Description text area.

  5. If you want to select customer segments at the scenario level, you may do so now. See Selecting Customer Segments for instructions.

    Note: For an explanation of why you might want to select customer segments at the scenario level and how this is different from selecting segments at the scenario action level, see Customer Segments in Scenarios and Actions.

  6. Click OK. A message appears indicating that the new scenario has been created and that you may now add actions to the scenario.

    Tip: If you do not want to see this message again, click the Do Not Show This Message again check box.

  7. Click OK. The scenario name you specified appears in the Scenarios list.

    Note: If you selected customer segments in step 5, these appear in addition to the scenario name in the Scenarios list.

  8. Add actions to the scenario, as described in Add Actions to Your Scenarios.

Selecting Customer Segments

Notes: Customer segments defined within a scenario apply to the entire scenario. You can also select customer segments when you are adding specific actions to your scenario. Specifying segments here, at the scenario level, produces a different effect from when you specify segments at the scenario action level. Depending on your situation, you may also want to specify segments at both levels. For more information about these issues, see Customer Segments in Scenarios and Actions.

To select customer segments, you must have previously created them. For information on creating customer segments, see Using Customer Segments to Target High-Value Markets.

  1. In the Scenario Properties window, click Select Segments. The Select Customer Segments window opens, as shown in Figure 11-10.

    Figure 11-10 Select Customer Segments Window


     

  2. Click a customer segment name shown in the Available Segments list to select it. The customer segment is highlighted.

  3. Click Add. The customer segment moves to the Selected Segments list.

  4. Repeat steps 2 and 3 for each customer segment you want to add.

    Note: If you make a mistake, click a customer segment name shown in the Selected Segments list to select it, then click Remove.

  5. Click OK. The Select Customer Segments window closes, and the customer segments you selected appear in the Customer Segments list in the Scenario Properties window.

Add Actions to Your Scenarios

Now that you have defined your scenario, you must add actions to it. There are three types of actions you can add to a scenario:

Ad Actions

Note: When you specify an ad action, you are essentially defining criteria that will be used to select an appropriate ad for your online customer from a number of ads that are stored in your organization's content management system. Be sure that you have already developed these ads and that the ads exist within your content management system. For more information, see Authoring Ads or Describing Ads in Your Content Management System.

To add ad actions to your scenario, follow these steps:

  1. If necessary, click the name of the scenario in the list to select it. The scenario is highlighted.

  2. Using the New Action button, select Ad. The New Ad Action window appears, as shown in Figure 11-11.

    Figure 11-11 New Ad Action Window


     

  3. Click the check boxes shown in the Conditions portion of the New Ad Action window to select the condition(s) under which the ad will be displayed. Text describing the conditions you selected appears in the Action portion of the New Ad Action window.

    Note: You must add at least one condition, or you will not be able to save the scenario action. For an explanation of the possible conditions, see Listing of the Available Conditions.

    Tip: You can use conditions in ways that always evaluate to true. For example, you can select the It Is after a Given Date condition and then specify the date as January 1, 1970.

  4. For each condition you selected in step 3, you must specify values for any bracketed hyperlinked text that appears in the Action portion of the window.

    For example, if you selected the Date Is condition as shown in Figure 11-11, you must specify a value for the hyperlinked [date] text in the Date Is [Date] condition statement, shown in the Action portion of the New Ad Action window.

    To specify values for bracketed hyperlinked text, just click the text. Depending upon the condition and the hyperlink, a window or a dialog box opens. Table 11-1 provides a consolidated listing of the conditions and indicates where to look if you need detailed instructions for any of the corresponding windows/dialog boxes.

    Note: Table 11-1 shows all the conditions that may be used within the E-Business Control Center. Therefore, not all conditions shown here may apply.

    Table 11-1 Instructions for Building Conditions

    Condition(s)

    Relevant Instructions

    The visitor is a member of a predefined customer segment

    Using the Select Customer Segments Window

    A visitor, HTTP session, HTTP request, or an event has specific characteristics

    Using the Properties and Property Values Windows

    An event (such as login or click) has occurred

    Using the Select Events Window

    Dates and times

    Using the Date/Time Entry Dialog Boxes

    There is a specific item in the shopping cart, there is an item from a given category in the shopping cart, the value of items in the cart is a certain amount

    Using the Quantity Selector or Currency Selector Dialog Boxes

    Using the Select Operator Dialog Box

    Using the Enter SKU Numbers or Enter Categories Windows

    A random number falls within a given range

    Using the Enter a Range Dialog Box

     

  5. If you selected more than one condition in step 3, you may want to click the All hyperlink in the When All Of These Conditions Apply phrase to change All to Any.

    Note: The Any/All link acts as a toggle. Clicking on Any will change it to All, and visa versa.

  6. Click the [Empty Ad Search] hyperlink. The Properties window opens. Follow the instructions in Constructing Queries to specify criteria for the ad that should be displayed.

  7. Click the [Placeholder] hyperlink. The Select Placeholders window opens, as shown in Figure 11-12.

    Note: To select placeholders, you must have previously created them. For information on creating placeholders, see Creating Ad Placeholders.

    Figure 11-12 Select Placeholders Window


     

  8. In the Select Placeholders window, follow these steps:

    1. Click a placeholder name shown in the Available Placeholders list to select it. The placeholder is highlighted.

    2. Verify that you are selecting the appropriate placeholder by viewing the text shown in the Placeholder Description text area.

    3. Click Add. The placeholder moves to the Selected Placeholders list.

    4. If desired, repeat steps a-c to select other placeholders.

    5. Click OK. The Select Placeholders window closes. The placeholder name appears in place of the generic [Placeholder] hyperlink in the Action portion of the New Ad Action window.

      Note: If you make a mistake, click a placeholder name shown in the Selected Placeholders list of the Select Placeholders window to select it, then click Remove.

  9. If desired, click the Normal hyperlink. The Select Display Priority dialog box opens with Normal preselected as a default value, as shown in Figure 11-13.

    Figure 11-13 Select Display Priority Dialog Box


     

    1. Click a value in the Display Priority list to select it. The priority value is highlighted.

    2. Click OK. The Select Display Priority dialog box closes. The display priority value appears in place of the Normal hyperlink in the Action portion of the New Ad Action window.

      Note: For more information on ad display priorities, see Authoring Ads.

  10. If desired, click the check box located at the bottom of the New Ad Action window to run the scenario only once per visitor.

  11. Click OK. The New Ad Action window closes. The conditions and corresponding actions you selected appear beneath the scenario name (and if applicable, customer segments) in the Scenarios list.

    Note: You may add different types of scenario actions to your scenario. For example, you may now want to add a discount or e-mail action to the same scenario where you just added the ad action. You may also choose to add another ad action to the same scenario. (Whether you do so or not depends upon whether you want to target the same segments that are specified in this scenario.)

    Tip: If you would like to start with a copy of an existing scenario action, click an existing scenario action in the Scenarios list to select it and then click Duplicate. A copy of the scenario action appears in the Scenarios list. You can then click Edit to modify the scenario action as appropriate.

  12. If desired, click the downward facing arrow on the Scenarios bar to close the Scenarios bar.

Discount Actions

Note: As part of specifying a discount action, you will need to select from a list of predefined discounts. Be sure that you have already defined some discounts, as explained in Defining a New Discount.

To add discount actions to your scenario, follow these steps:

  1. Click the name of the scenario in the list to select it. The scenario is highlighted.

  2. Using the New Action button, select Discount. The New Discount Action window appears, as shown in Figure 11-14.

    Figure 11-14 New Discount Action Window


     

  3. Click the check boxes shown in the Conditions portion of the New Discount Action window to select the condition(s) under which the discount will be offered. Text describing the conditions you selected appear in the Action portion of the window.

    Note: You must add at least one condition, or you will not be able to save the scenario action. For an explanation of the possible conditions, see Listing of the Available Conditions.

    Tip: You can use conditions in ways that always evaluate to true. For example, you can select the It Is after a Given Date condition and then specify the date as January 1, 1970.

  4. For each condition you selected in step 3, you must specify values for any bracketed hyperlinked text that appears in the Action portion of the window.

    For example, if you selected The Date Is condition as shown in Figure 11-14, you must specify a value for the hyperlinked [date] text in The Date Is [Date] condition statement, shown in the Action portion of the New Discount Action window.

    To specify values for bracketed hyperlinked text, just click the text. Depending upon the condition and the hyperlink, a window or a dialog box opens. Table 11-2 provides a consolidated listing of the conditions and indicates where to look if you need detailed instructions for any of the corresponding windows/dialog boxes.

    Note: Table 11-2 shows all the conditions that may be used within the E-Business Control Center. Therefore, not all conditions shown here may apply.

    Table 11-2 Instructions for Building Conditions

    Condition(s)

    Relevant Instructions

    The visitor is a member of a predefined customer segment

    Using the Select Customer Segments Window

    A visitor, HTTP session, HTTP request, or an event has specific characteristics

    Using the Properties and Property Values Windows

    An event (such as login or click) has occurred.

    Using the Select Events Window

    Dates and times

    Using the Date/Time Entry Dialog Boxes

    There is a specific item in the shopping cart, there is an item from a given category in the shopping cart, the value of items in the cart is a certain amount

    Using the Quantity Selector or Currency Selector Dialog Boxes

    Using the Select Operator Dialog Box

    Using the Enter SKU Numbers or Enter Categories Windows

    A random number falls within a given range

    Using the Enter a Range Dialog Box

     

  5. If you selected more than one condition in step 3, you may want to click the All hyperlink in the When All Of These Conditions Apply phrase to change All to Any.

    Note: The Any/All link acts as a toggle. Clicking on Any will change it to All, and visa versa.

  6. Click the [Discount] or [Explanation] hyperlinks. The Select Discount window opens, as shown in Figure 11-15.

    Figure 11-15 Select Discount Window


     

  7. In the Select Discount window, follow these steps:

    1. Click a discount name shown in the Available Discounts list to select it. The discount name is highlighted.

    2. Verify that you are selecting the appropriate discount by viewing the text shown in the Description text area.

    3. If desired, enter an explanation for the discount in the Discount Explanation field.

    4. Click OK. The Select Discount window closes. The discount name appears in place of the generic [Discount] hyperlink, and if you specified a discount explanation, the discount explanation appears in place of the generic [Explanation] hyperlink in the Action portion of the New Discount Action window.

      Note: The discount explanation may be displayed to customers receiving the discount, if your technical staff chooses to use it. For more information about discount explanations, see Uses of Discounts.

  8. If desired, click the check box located at the bottom of the New Discount Action window to run the scenario only once per visitor.

  9. Click OK. The New Discount Action window closes. The conditions and corresponding actions you selected appear beneath the scenario name (and if applicable, customer segments) in the Scenarios list.

    Note: You may add different types of scenario actions to your scenario. For example, you may now want to add an ad or e-mail action to the same scenario where you just added the discount action. You may also choose to add another discount action to the same scenario. (Whether you do so or not depends upon whether you want to target the same segments that are specified in this scenario.)

    Tip: If you would like to start with a copy of an existing scenario action, click an existing scenario action in the Scenarios list to select it and then click Duplicate. A copy of the scenario action appears in the Scenarios list. You can then click Edit to modify the scenario action as appropriate.

  10. If desired, click the downward facing arrow on the Scenarios bar to close the Scenarios bar.

E-mail Actions

Notes: As part of specifying an e-mail action, you will need to reference a previously developed e-mail message. Be sure that you have already developed some e-mail messages, as explained in Authoring E-mails.

When you specify e-mail actions, remember that e-mails will only be sent to those customers who visit your Web site, meet the conditions you specify for the action, and have not chosen to opt out of receiving e-mails.

To add e-mail actions to your scenario, follow these steps:

  1. Click the name of the scenario in the list to select it. The scenario is highlighted and the buttons on the Scenarios pane are enabled.

  2. Using the New Action button, select E-mail. The New E-mail Action window appears, as shown in Figure 11-16.

    Figure 11-16 New E-mail Action Window


     

  3. Click the check boxes shown in the Conditions portion of the New E-mail Action window to select the condition(s) under which the e-mail will be sent. Text describing the conditions you selected appear in the Action portion of the New E-mail Action window.

    Note: You must add at least one condition, or you will not be able to save the scenario action. For an explanation of the possible conditions, see Listing of the Available Conditions.

    Tip: You can use conditions in ways that always evaluate to true. For example, you can select the It Is after a Given Date condition and then specify the date as January 1, 1970.

  4. For each condition you selected in step 3, you must specify values for any bracketed hyperlinked text that appears in the Action portion of the window.

    For example, if you selected The Date Is condition as shown in Figure 11-16, you must specify a value for the hyperlinked [date] text in The Date Is [Date] condition statement, shown in the Action portion of the New E-mail Action window.

    To specify values for bracketed hyperlinked text, just click the text. Depending upon the condition and the hyperlink, a window or a dialog box opens. Table 11-3 provides a consolidated listing of the conditions and indicates where to look if you need detailed instructions for any of the corresponding windows/dialog boxes.

    Note: Table 11-3 shows all the conditions that may be used within the E-Business Control Center. Therefore, not all conditions shown here may apply.

    Table 11-3 Instructions for Building Conditions

    Condition(s)

    Relevant Instructions

    The visitor is a member of a predefined customer segment

    Using the Select Customer Segments Window

    A visitor, HTTP session, HTTP request, or an event has specific characteristics

    Using the Properties and Property Values Windows

    An event (such as login or click) has occurred.

    Using the Select Events Window

    Dates and times

    Using the Date/Time Entry Dialog Boxes

    There is a specific item in the shopping cart, there is an item from a given category in the shopping cart, the value of items in the cart is a certain amount

    Using the Quantity Selector or Currency Selector Dialog Boxes

    Using the Select Operator Dialog Box

    Using the Enter SKU Numbers or Enter Categories Windows

    A random number falls within a given range

    Using the Enter a Range Dialog Box

     

  5. If you selected more than one condition in step 3, you may want to click the All hyperlink in the When All Of These Conditions Apply phrase to change All to Any.

    Note: The Any/All link acts as a toggle. Clicking on Any will change it to All, and visa versa.

  6. Click the [Server URL], [Subject], or [Sender Address] hyperlink. The Enter E-mail Information dialog box opens, as shown in Figure 11-17.

    Figure 11-17 Enter E-mail Information Dialog Box


     

  7. In the Enter E-mail Information dialog box, follow these steps:

    1. Enter a valid server URL, subject of the e-mail, and if desired, the sender's e-mail address into the appropriate fields.

    2. If desired, click Preview to see a preview of the e-mail. Enter a user ID when prompted, then click OK. (The user ID is used to show a personalized version of the e-mail, and is inserted where the customer's real user ID would typically appear.) A preview of the e-mail will be displayed in your Web browser. When finished previewing the e-mail, close your Web browser.

    3. Click OK. The Enter E-mail Information dialog box closes, and the server URL, subject, and sender e-mail address (if applicable) appears in place of the generic hyperlinks in the Action portion of the New E-mail Action window.

  8. If desired, click the check box located at the bottom of the New E-mail Action window to run the scenario only once per visitor.

    For example, if you wanted a given customer to receive only one e-mail, regardless of how many times that customer entered the site or matched the relevant conditions, you would check this option.

  9. Click OK. The New E-mail Action window closes. The conditions and corresponding actions you selected appear beneath the scenario name (and if applicable, customer segments) in the Scenarios list.

    Note: You may add different types of scenario actions to your scenario. For example, you may now want to add an ad or discount action to the same scenario where you just added the e-mail action. You may also choose to add another e-mail action to the same scenario. (Whether you do so or not depends upon whether you want to target the same segments that are specified in this scenario.)

    Tip: If you would like to start with a copy of an existing scenario action, click an existing scenario action in the Scenarios list to select it and then click Duplicate. A copy of the scenario action appears in the Scenarios list. You can then click Edit to modify the scenario action as appropriate.

  10. If desired, click the downward facing arrow on the Scenarios bar to close the Scenarios bar.

Save Your Promotional Campaign

Note: If you have specified all the required information for your campaign, saving the campaign will make that campaign active on the server to which you are connected. (In other words, that campaign will be ready to run between the start/stop times you specified and when the appropriate conditions are met.) If you have not specified all the required information, you will receive a notice indicating that the campaign will not do anything, but you will still be able to save it and return to it later.

If you have just created a new campaign and want to save it, follow these steps:

  1. From the BEA E-Business Control Center File menu, select Save. The Save Campaign dialog box opens, as shown in Figure 11-18.

    Figure 11-18 Save Campaign Dialog Box


     

  2. Enter a filename for the campaign in the field. The filename should start with a letter or underscore, contain only letters, digits, underscores, hyphens and periods. It should not contain spaces nor be the reserved name defaultID.

  3. Click Save. The campaign is saved, and the name of the campaign appears in the Campaigns view of the Explorer window.

 

Locating Existing Campaigns

If you have defined many campaigns, it can be time consuming to locate a particular campaign simply by looking in the Campaigns list. Therefore, the E-Business Control Center provides you with a mechanism that allows you to filter existing campaigns by name, and a search function that allows you to locate campaigns using information you provided during the campaign creation process. Additionally, scenario views can help you quickly locate particular scenarios and scenario actions within your campaigns.

This section includes the following information:

Using the Name Filter to Locate Campaigns

To locate an existing campaign using the name filter, follow these steps:

  1. Click (located on the left side of the Explorer window) to enable the Campaigns view. A list of campaigns appears in the Campaigns list.

  2. In the Name Filter field (shown in Figure 11-19), type the name of the campaign you want to locate.

    Figure 11-19 Name Filter Field


     

    Note: You can type full or partial names into the Name Filter field. Campaign names are case sensitive. Therefore, filtering based on the text "Sale" will not locate campaigns with names that start with "sale."

  3. Click the Filter icon ( ) to filter the campaigns shown in the Campaigns list. The campaigns that have names beginning with the text you entered appear in the Campaigns list.

Note: To return to the full list of campaigns, click the Show All Objects icon ( ).

Searching for Promotional Campaigns

To locate an existing campaign using the search function, follow these steps:

  1. Click the Search icon ( ) shown in the Explorer toolbar. The Campaign Search window opens, as shown in Figure 11-20.

    Figure 11-20 Campaign Search Window


     

    Note: The Search function only works to locate campaigns. It does not allow you to search for other objects, such as customer segments or discounts.

  2. Enter the keywords for the search in the Keywords field.

  3. If desired, enter the name of the sponsor for the campaign in the Campaign Sponsor field.

  4. Click the Name, Description, and/or Goals check boxes, as appropriate, to restrict or expand your search to these informational areas.

  5. If desired, click the Activation Status check box, and search for the campaign based on whether it is active or deactivated.

    Note: Remember that an active campaign is ready to run, but will only run between the start/stop times you specified and when the appropriate conditions are met. Therefore, searching for an active campaign may not necessarily mean you are searching for a campaign that is running.

  6. If desired, click More Options to view more search options. The expanded Campaign Search window appears, as shown in Figure 11-21.

    Figure 11-21 Expanded Campaign Search Window


     

    1. In the Dates portion of the window, enter the start and/or stop date for the campaign, or use the drop-down lists to activate the calendar. (Just click a date to select it.)

    2. In the Customer Segments portion of the window, click a segment in the Available Segments list to select it, then click Add. The segment moves to the Selected Segments list.

      Notes: If you specify customer segments as part of the search criteria, the search function will locate only campaigns that have those segments specified at the scenario level. If a campaign has the segments specified at the scenario action level instead, the campaign will not be retrieved as a match. For more information about the differences between specifying customer segments at the scenario and scenario action levels, see Customer Segments in Scenarios and Actions.

      If you make a mistake and want to remove the customer segment, click the segment shown in the Selected Segments list to select it, then click Remove.

  7. Click Search. If any campaigns matching your criteria are found, they are displayed in the bottom portion of the Campaign Search window, as shown in Figure 11-22.

    Figure 11-22 Campaign Search Results


     

  8. If desired, click a campaign name in the results list to select it, then click Open to open the campaign in the Campaign Editor.

  9. To close the Campaign Search window, click Close.

Switching Between Scenario Views

After you define the scenarios within your campaign, you may want to vary the amount of information displayed in the Scenarios pane. To do this, you can use the icons on the Scenarios pane to change the view from detailed to summary, and visa versa.

Once you have added actions to your scenarios, the scenario is displayed in the detail view. The detail view displays the name of your scenarios, and all of their associated conditions and actions. Figure 11-23 shows a scenario in detail view.

Figure 11-23 Detail View


 

To view the details of your scenarios in the Scenarios pane, click the Detail View icon ( ) .

If you have many scenarios within your campaign, you may want to display just a summary of those scenarios, using the summary view. The summary view displays just the name of your scenarios. Figure 11-24 shows the same scenario as Figure 11-23, but in a summary view.

Figure 11-24 Summary View


 

To view a summary of your scenarios in the Scenarios pane, click the Summary View icon ( ) .

 

Modifying Existing Campaigns

The E-Business Control Center also allows you to view and modify existing campaigns.

To open an existing campaign for modification, follow these steps:

  1. If necessary, switch to the Campaigns view by clicking (located on the left side of the Explorer window) to enable the Campaigns view. A list of campaigns appears in the Campaigns list.

  2. Click the name of the campaign you want to modify. The campaign is highlighted.

    Tip: If there is a long list of campaign names, you might want to use the name filter or the search function to locate the campaign you want to modify. For more information about these options, see Locating Existing Campaigns.

  3. Click the Open icon ( ) shown on the Explorer toolbar. The Campaign Editor window opens.

    Tip: You can also open the campaign by double-clicking on the campaign name.

  4. You can now modify any part of the campaign. Follow the same instructions for creating a new campaign, starting from Specify General Campaign Information. If you are interested in suspending an active campaign or reactivating a suspended campaign, see Deactivating and Reactivating Campaigns.

  5. Be sure to save your modifications by selecting Save from the BEA E-Business Control Center File menu.

    Tip: You can also click the Save icon ( ) shown on the BEA E-Business Control Center toolbar to save the campaign.

Warning: If the campaign you modify is in an active state, saving modifications to the campaign may immediately affect your Web site. Be certain that the modifications you make are in line with your e-marketing strategy and that you entered the modifications correctly in the E-Business Control Center.

Deactivating and Reactivating Campaigns

Once campaigns are saved, they are considered active. (In other words, the campaign will be ready to run between the start/stop times you specified and when the appropriate conditions are met.) If for some reason you want to disqualify an active campaign from running or stop a running campaign prior to the specified stop date (or before end goals are reached, if your campaign contains them), check the Deactivate This Campaign check box located in the Start/Stop pane. The next time you save the campaign, it will be deactivated. In the Campaign list of the Explorer window, deactivated campaigns are displayed in a lighter color.

If at any time you want to reactivate a campaign, simply return to the Start/Stop pane and check the Deactivate This Campaign check box again to remove the check mark. The next time you save the campaign, it will be reactivated. A campaign that is reactivated is once again ready to run between the start/stop times you specified and when the appropriate conditions are met.

 

Deleting Existing Campaigns

You can also delete existing campaigns using the E-Business Control Center.

Warning: As with any deletion you make, be absolutely certain that you select the correct campaign and that you are sure you want to delete it. Deleted campaigns cannot be retrieved.

To delete an existing campaign, follow these steps:

  1. If necessary, switch to the Campaigns view by clicking (located on the left side of the Explorer window) to enable the Campaigns view. A list of campaigns appears in the Campaigns list.

  2. Click the name of the campaign you want to delete. The campaign is highlighted.

    Tip: If there is a long list of campaign names, you might want to use the name filter or the search function to locate the campaign you want to delete. For more information about these options, see Locating Existing Campaigns.

  3. To delete the campaign, click the Delete icon ( ) on the Explorer toolbar.

 

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