Segment creation runs in three phases: design the filter logic, materialize, then activate to one or more destinations.
- Define the audience criteria
Before opening the Canvas, document the audience in plain language: who is in, who is out, what attributes matter. Pin the business owner to the definition; segment criteria drift fast without an owner.
- Build the segment in Canvas
Data Cloud, Segments, New. Pick the population DMO (typically Individual). Drag criteria nodes onto the canvas. Combine with AND / OR logic. Watch the live audience size as you refine.
- Pick the materialization cadence
Hourly for engagement-heavy criteria, daily for demographic-heavy. Trade freshness against credit cost. Most production segments land between hourly and daily.
- Verify audience size and quality
Compare audience size to expectation. Sample audience members from the Preview tab; verify they match the business criteria. Build a sister exclusion segment if you spot consistent mismatches.
- Activate to destination
Data Cloud, Activations, New. Pick the segment, pick the destination, choose which attributes to send. Schedule the activation cadence. The destination receives the audience plus selected attributes on each materialization cycle.
The base entity the segment filters on. Typically Individual; can be Account, Sales Order, or any DMO. Determines what records the segment outputs.
Hourly, every 6 hours, daily, on-demand. Match to data freshness need and budget.
Marketing Cloud Engagement, Marketing Cloud Account Engagement, Google Ads, Meta, LinkedIn, Amazon Ads, custom REST. One segment activates to many destinations in parallel.
DMO attribute, Calculated Insight value, related entity exists/does-not-exist. Combine via AND / OR with nested grouping.
- Live audience size in the Canvas can lag real materialization on segments with complex joins. Trust the materialized snapshot, not the preview, for final audience size.
- Over-materialization wastes credits. Match cadence to actual freshness need; engagement-driven segments need hourly, demographic-only can run daily.
- Activations are per-segment-per-destination. Changes to segment criteria propagate to every activation using it; coordinate with marketing teams before edits.
- Excluded segments require explicit application; they do not auto-apply across all segments. Build a Do Not Contact exclusion and apply it to every audience that should respect it.
- Einstein-generated segments are a starting point. Review the generated criteria carefully; natural-language interpretation can produce edge-case errors.