Populations

A population is a group of records with like attributes that are assigned a common label in through population rules in the rules editor. Populations can include person records, application records, or dataset records, and records can be included in multiple populations at the same time.

Targeting multiple records at once with rules

Records are included in a population when they meet the criteria defined by a population rule. If a record no longer meets the criteria of the population rules, it is removed from the population upon the next update to the record.

Populations can be used in many ways in Slate:

As filters in queries to easily return records that belong to a selected population
As the foundation for drip marketing campaigns
Managing user access to records

Step 1: Creating a population

A population in Slate is just a label for a group of records. Population rules are required to define and enroll records in populations.

To create a new population:

Go to Database → Populations.
Select Insert.
Configure the following settings:
- Status: Active
- Folder: Select an existing folder, or select Other and enter a name for a new folder.
- Name: Enter a name for the population. Displays name of the Population to appear in the Campaigns section of Deliver and in the Populations section on the Dashboard of the person record.
- Scope: Select a scope for the population:
  - Person/Application: Records can be added to the population by either a person population or application population rule.
  - Person: Records can be added to the population by a person population rule only.
  - Application: Records can be added to the population by application population rule only.
  - Dataset: Dataset records can be added to the population by a dataset population rule.
Select Save.

Step 2: Creating a population rule

As long as a population rule is active, new records will be enrolled in the population when they meet the filter criteria of the rule. Existing records will leave the population if or when they no longer meet the filter criteria of the rule.

To create a population rule:

Go to Database → Rules.
Select New Rule.
Configure the following settings:
- Name: Give the rule a name that corresponds to the population.
- Type: Configurable Joins
- Category: Records
- Base: Person
- Rule Type: Person Population
- Folder: Select an existing folder to help keep your rules organized. Choose Other to create a new folder.
- Exclusivity Group: Leave this blank, because records might be enrolled in multiple populations at the same time, and an exclusivity group for population rules is most likely not needed.
- Status: Preview
Select Save.
In the Filters section, choose the criteria to define the records that should be included in the population.
In the Action setting, select the population where the rule should enroll records.
Select New Query to create a quick query (a Quick Query page appears in a new browser tab) to review the rule and preview the records that will be enrolled in the population.
If you are satisfied with the rule, return to the browser tab where you created the rule, and select Edit. An Edit Details popup appears.
Set Status to Active.
Select Save to return to the summary page for the rule.
Run a query on the rule and perform a retroactive refresh to enroll records in the population.

⭐ Perform the refresh outside of peak hours (for example, at the end of the business day) to avoid a rule backup.

Population filters

The Timestamp Days filter on the Population base looks at how long a record has existed in a population.

The day a record joins a population is considered “day zero.” If a record joins a population at 11:59 PM ET today, it would be in the population for 1 day at 12:01 AM ET tomorrow; the duration doesn't count the total number of hours, but instead the number of unique days.

Additional notes regarding the behavior of population timestamps:

A record that remains in the population keeps its membership timestamp. A Retroactive Refresh does not restart its population-day count for records that remain.
A new member receives a new timestamp. If a record leaves the population and later joins again, it receives a new timestamp on re-entry.
A new timestamp does not guarantee another message. For an email mailing set to Send only one message/recipient, prior non-test messages for that mailing and recipient can prevent repeat delivery.
Stopping a mailing does not pause the population-day count. Review exact-day filters before you resume delivery; do not assume that missed days will be sent automatically.

📖 More on population timestamps

Updating a population targeted by an active campaign

You can change the criteria for an existing population without creating a new population or campaign. After updating a population, ensure the changes take effect using Retroactive Refresh to queue relevant records to run through the rules.

📝 Review in a test environment before changing active rules. Note that ongoing campaigns do not run in a test environment.

Update the population rule

Identify the mailings and other processes that use the population. If messages must not send while you change membership, stop the affected mailings in Deliver. See Build a Drip Marketing Campaign.
Go to Database → Rules.
Select the population rule.
Update the rule’s filters to target the new population.
Keep the existing population selected in Action.
Select Save.

Perform a Retroactive Refresh on the old and new populations

When you run a query with the output type Retroactive Refresh, the records returned by the query are queued to be run through any rules that affect them (or no longer affect them, as the case may be).

Using the same scope as the rule, create a query that includes both the existing population members and the records that meet your new criteria. The query must include members who no longer qualify, not only records returned by the revised rule.
Run the query using the Retroactive Refresh output to refresh the selected records. This queues record rules for the set of records returned by the query. Confirm the records that should enter, remain in, and leave the population.
Review each mailing's recipient filters, schedule, and Deduping setting before you resume delivery.

💡 If a record remains in your population that shouldn’t, check other rules that assign the same population.

📖 Deduping setting in mailings