Apply limits

Apply limits to your audience to control how many records it includes and how they're spread. For example, you might:

• Select a set number of records for a test mailing
• Contact one person per household, so no household is contacted twice

There are two kinds of limit, and you set both by selecting Apply Limits at the top of your audience:

• Sample limit: Limits the total number of records, such as 10,000
• N per limit: Limits the number of records for each group, such as one person per household or per email address

Sample limit

A sample limit sets the total number of records in your audience.

To apply a sample limit:

1. In your audience, select Apply Limits.

2. Expand the Sample section.

3. Enter the Amount of records you want to include.

4. Choose how records are Selected:

   • Randomly: Orbit picks records at random
   • Sequentially: Orbit picks records in the order you set under Order By

5. If you chose Sequentially, under Order By, select + Add Variable, and choose the variable that sets the order. Then choose Ascending or Descending.

   Tip

   You can use a reference variable, such as a URN (unique reference number), to set the order.

   

6. Select Apply.

N per limit

An N per limit restricts the number of records for each group, such as each household, email address, or income band. Use it to apply contact rules, such as not contacting the same household twice.

To apply an N per limit:

1. In your audience, select Apply Limits.

2. Expand the N Per section.

3. Enter the Amount, often 1.

4. Under Per, select + Add Variable, and choose the variable or table that defines each group, such as Household URN or Email Address.

5. Under Order By, select + Add Variable, and choose the variable that decides which records in each group come first. Then choose Ascending or Descending.

   You can order by a variable whose categories have a natural order, such as age bands or income ranges, or one whose categories don't, such as town, region, or mobile provider.

6. If you chose a variable without a natural order, set your own priority order in the Order Variable Codes dialogue that opens:

   1. Select the categories you want to prioritise, and select the right arrow to move them to Ordered Values.

      Tip

      Consider whether you need several priority categories, or just one.

      

   2. Drag the Ordered Values into your priority order.

   3. Select Apply to close the dialogue.

   4. Set the order direction to Descending.

      Note

      Descending order puts your priority categories first. Ascending order may put unclassified records first.

7. Select Apply to apply the limit.

Orbit now selects records in each group in your priority order, so your most important categories come first.