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Adding contacts to a segment from an external list/source?

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Posted on by DM-10051729-0

We'd like to build segments based on data that is not currently in Dataverse. I can come up with a list of contacts who should all be in Dynamics and need to send them a Real-Time email. Wondering how other folks handle this as it appears to be way more of a hassle than it should be.

If I'm not certain that all contacts on my external list exist in Dynamics, import a list of Contacts without allowing duplicates. This will insert any new records and throw errors for anyone who already exists. Not terrible.
1. One consideration would be the use of a hidden admin text field like /Current Segment Admin Import Helper/ that I could, for example, set to /11-1-2023 Test Import/ for the sake of example. I would really, really like to be able to simply upsert this list (update existing based on email match to set this admin helper field; create new where existing contact isn't found) but this doesn't really seem possible. Is that still accurate?
Starting to get stuck on how best to get these people into a place where I can send them an email.
1. Ideal would be, I think, a Real Time segment. However:
  1. Unlike Outbound segments, I can't really define a 'static' segment to which I could mass add anyone with /11-1-2023 Test Import/ in a helper field. If I use this as an attribute it will change over time the next time I update a record with this value. If I try to manually select Contacts I need to click each record rather than setting up a query to one-time populate everyone with the value. Is the a way to do this in bulk with a helper field that I'm overlooking?
  2. I can't seem to find an N:N relationship table between Segment and Contact. These are kind of annoying to work with but could import [segment member] records using XRM ToolBox if I had a target table. Does this exist?
2. Next option would be use an Outbound Segment which I think is probably my best bet
  1. Create a static segment, then use a query to add anyone with the admin helper field = /11-1-2023 Test Import/. Once Contacts have been added I won't need to worry about it in the future. Another alternative would be importing listmembers to a Marketing List, and then referencing that is the criteria for the Outbound Segment. However this seems kind of redundant and maybe would have storage implications if we used it heavily
  2. Main downside = splitting work across RT & Outbound, and the helper text field isn't the cleanest solution
  3. Also wondering if there's a way to directly import records to a junction table between Segment & Contact rather than using the helper field.
3. Marketing Lists
  1. Benefit = has a visible N:N table I could import to
  2. Downside = I don't see a way to leverage a marketing list for a Real Time email send, other than create a dynamic Outbound segment based on the Marketing List membership. So I may as well just use the Outbound Segment to avoid 2x the number of records being created for a single send
4. Connection
  1. Still wrapping my head around this but it seems like a multi-use junction table you can use for whatever (?) So in theory I could import Connection records linking Contacts <> Segments, and then use that as either a query in Outbound or add the Connections relationship as something that could be directly referenced in RT to build a dynamic segement.
  2. Upside = avoids admin helper field but fills a similar purpose
  3. Downside = volume of record storage if I'm maintaining a custom set of records that parallel Contact <> Segment relationship

I gotta say, options feel horrible compared to Salesforce which is super easy; there's an OOTB import wizard that will upsert Contacts and add them to a Campaign (can be used as a targeted marketing list) in one import. I get that each system has pros and cons but this feels unnecessarily painful in Dynamics...

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DM-10051729-0 54 on at

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Adding contacts to a segment from an external list/source?

@Dengliang Li

Thank you for your response.

1. Yes, I'm fully aware of how duplicate detection impacts imports. My question was around upserts (create new if no match found; update existing if match found) to be able to create or update Contacts from a single list in one administrator action. I was looking for explicit confirmation that this must be a two-step process (import new contacts, then update existing contacts in a separate action).

A secondary question is how best to update a list of records from an Excel/csv file. As far as I can tell, the route for this would be open ALL Contacts to Excel Online or in a Dynamic worksheet, use VLOOKUP to populate the helper column from a separate tab, then update Dynamics. I cannot find any reference to how I can limit the manipulation to just the records that exist on my external spreadsheet. Any tips?

2. Re: Static snapshot - excellent! This removes the need to use Outbound segments if I go the 'admin helper field' route.

I do think I'm still looking for confirmation that there's not a more elegant way to handle this (helper field feels a little hacky, but in terms of actual efficiency I think the main issue is still the record update). Where I'm at now seems viable. Steps:

Import new contacts

Update all contacts on my external list with a specific value in the admin helper field. I'm still feeling stuck here. Is the only option to manipulate ALL Contacts in Excel, use Vlookup to find a match? I'm frankly shocked there doesn't seem to be a straightforward way to take something like a list of 100 email addresses and update a field in Dynamics based on a match to an identifier in the spreadsheet.

Create RT segment based on the helper field as a static snapshot
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Dengliang Li Microsoft Employee on at

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Adding contacts to a segment from an external list/source?

Hi,

According to the official documentation, imported contacts are filtered based on duplicate-detection rules.

Import and email all contacts from a spreadsheet - Dynamics 365 Customer Insights | Microsoft Learn

In the real-time segments, selecting this option allows the segment to remain static after it is published.

Create a static snapshot of a segment - Dynamics 365 Customer Insights | Microsoft Learn

Best Regards,
Dengliang Li