Data flow for Apteco forms

Managing customer data effectively is key to making informed marketing decisions. Apteco forms provide a way to collect user data through embedded forms on websites or Apteco email landing pages. Once submitted, this data is stored in a contact list and can be processed for insights in Orbit and FastStats.

This guide explains how data flows through the Apteco system, from form submission to integration with FastStats. It also covers the role of the FastStats Email Response Gatherer (FERG) in extracting and structuring the data for further use.

Pre-requisites

  • You must be an Apteco email user

  • To use the collected data in Orbit and FastStats, you must extract and process it using the FastStats Email Response Gatherer (FERG). This ensures that the data is structured and available for further analysis.

Creating your form

To set up an Apteco form:

  1. Ensure you have configured your Apteco email channel. See Creating your Apteco email channel.

  2. Create an Apteco form. See Creating an opt-in form.

  3. Generate an HTML snippet. See Setting up your form.

  4. Embed the HTML snippet in your website or use an Apteco landing page to collect responses. See Landing pages.

    An example website with an embedded Apteco form should look something like this.

Once you submit the form and confirms via email, the data is stored in a contact list.

Extracting data using FERG

FERG is a command-line tool that automates data extraction and storage. The EmailResponseGatherer64Setup.msi installer is available as part of the Apteco software quarterly release.

The process for extracting Apteco email forms contact data involves FERG performing these actions:

  • Connects to an Apteco email account and retrieves the API key

    See below for steps to configure FERG for Apteco email.

  • Downloads new responses into the Response, ResponseDetails, and ResponseStats tables of the RS_XXX database

  • Extracts new form sign-ups from the Mailjet API and stores them in dedicated tables

  • Inserts contact properties and associated data into FastStats-compatible structures

Configuring FERG for Apteco email

To configure FERG for use with Apteco Email:

  1. Create an XML file similar to the following:

    Copy 
    <?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
    <EmailResponseGathererConfiguration xmlns:xsd="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema" xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance">
    <ConnectionString>data source=localhost;initial catalog=RS_Holidays;user id=faststats_service;password=********</ConnectionString>
    <ConnectionTimeout>1200</ConnectionTimeout>
    <BulkInsertDirectory>C:\FastStats\BulkInsert</BulkInsertDirectory>
    <BroadcasterName>AptecoEmail</BroadcasterName>
    <Username>--Apteco--Email--api--key--here--</Username>
    <Password>--Apteco--Email--secret—key--here--</Password>
    <SendEmailOnError>True</SendEmailOnError>
    <Parameters>
    <Parameter>
    <Key>URL</Key>
    <Value>https://apteco-email.integrations.apteco.com</Value>
    </Parameter>
    <Parameter>
    <Key>UrnFieldName</Key>
    <Value>urn</Value>
    </Parameter>
    <Parameter>
    <Key>OnlyProcessRecordsWithBroadcastId</Key>
    <Value>true</Value>
    </Parameter>
    <Parameter>
    <Key>ConstantFields</Key>
    <Value>Broadcaster#AptecoEmail|System#Holidays</Value>
    </Parameter>
    </Parameters>
    <SmtpSettings>
    <Port>25</Port>
    <Server>smtp.example.com</Server>
    <SSL>False</SSL>
    <Username />
    <Password />
    <From>sender@example.com</From>
    <To>sender@example.com</To>
    </SmtpSettings>
    </EmailResponseGathererConfiguration>

    Note: This is a sample file for a specific system, with email account, username, and password and database connection string password removed. You should check all values and make amendments before using this in your own system, if appropriate.

  2. You then need to run the FERG via a Wondows scheduled task. Assuming that the above XML file is saved as C:\FastStats\AptecoEmail.xml then you can create a scheduled task that runs the following command:

    C:\Program Files\Apteco\FastStats Email Response Gatherer x64\EmailResponseGatherer64.exe C:\FastStats\AptecoEmail.xml

FERG now gathers new form data into the tables below in the RS_XXX database.

Database structure for form data

FERG processes data into the following database tables:

Table Name Description
FormAccount Stores API keys for Apteco Email accounts
FormList Contains metadata for each Apteco Email Form list
FormContact Holds contact details, including email and unique identifiers
FormContactList Links contacts to the forms they signed up for and records confirmation dates
FormContactDetail Stores additional properties associated with each contact

Note: If a user signs up via multiple forms, they have one entry in FormContact and multiple entries in FormContactList.

Note: Additional properties collected from various forms are merged under a single contact entry.

Note: The Urn field in FormContact is configurable and maps to a designated property.

Integrating Apteco email forms data into FastStats

To include collected data in a FastStats system, configure the design using:

  • FastStats Designer or Orbit Connect to structure the data

  • Predefined PeopleStage Staging database views:

    • FS_Build_FormContact

    • FS_Build_FormListsForContact

    • FS_Decode_FormLists

These views facilitate integration of form responses into the FastStats environment.

Summary

Apteco forms provide a structured way to collect and manage customer data. Using FERG, you can automate the extraction process and store data in a format compatible with FastStats. By integrating this data effectively, you gain valuable insights that improve marketing campaigns and customer engagement.