Creating Target Groups Based on a Hosted Recipient List

Recipients for this type of target group are derived from lists that have their recipients stored (hosted) in LISTSERV Maestro. Once any type of list is created from a dataset and the first recipient has been added, a default target group is automatically generated by the system. This default target group contains all of the list subscribers. These target groups are located in a special category named <Host Lists Default Target Groups>. They are named using the phrase “Hosted Recipient List” followed by the name of list.

Although the target group is automatically created, it must be enabled in order for it to be used in the recipient definition of a mail job. Click the Enable link in the upper right corner to allow the target group to be used.

Unlike other types of target groups, the name of a hosted list default target group is not a clickable link that engages the Target Group Definition wizard. In order to manipulate an automatically generated target group, click the Copy link in the upper right corner to make a copy. The copy acts like a regular target group, with a clickable name that will access the wizard. Target groups based on hosted recipient lists can also be created from scratch by using the Target Group Definition wizard as described below.

Tip: It can be faster to make a copy of an existing target group and edit it than to create a new one from scratch.

To create a new hosted recipient target group, click Recipient Warehouse > New Recipient Target Group > Based on Hosted Recipient List.

The general characteristics of the target group consist of a name, a category, and a description. This information will be used by end users to locate and identify the target groups they want to use for jobs. Both name and description are mandatory. Enter a meaningful name and a good description so the end users who are selecting target groups in the Define Recipients wizard will have all the information they need to decide which target group to use.

Target groups can be clustered in categories, making it easier for users to select a target group. A category is meant to contain target groups that are related to each other. The intent of categories is to minimize the time needed to locate a specific target group. By selecting a category first, users do not need to browse through all the available target groups, but only those in the relevant category.

To add a target group to a category, select the category for the target group from the drop-down menu. To create a new category, click the New Category link and define a new category. Target group categories are optional. If no category is selected or created, target groups are placed into the <No Category> category by default.

Once you’re finished entering the information for the target group, click [Next ->] to continue.

The Source screen displays all the datasets in the Recipient Warehouse. Select the dataset and the list from which to retrieve the recipients. To open a dataset, simply click on the plus sign “+”. If there are categories within the dataset, then click on the plus sign to expand the category to see the available lists.

Once you’re finished selecting the dataset and list, click [Next ->] to continue.

The Source Details screen can be used to segment the list’s subscribers by setting conditions to pull certain recipients from the list. Conditions are based on the fields of data in the dataset and operators that select specific recipients based on their data. Multiple fields of data can be used along with combined operators to fine tune which messages are sent to specific sets of recipients.

By selecting conditions and operators, the Data Administrator builds the query that will be submitted to the dataset to pull recipients from the dataset. Like other queries in the Target Group Definition wizard, they can be parameterized so that end users can fill in the details of the selection criteria. See Section 19 Defining Parameters for more information.

The Source Details screen defaults to opening with an AND operator in place after the list name. To set a list subscriber condition it is possible to change the operator, add a condition, add a job based condition, add a combination operator or copy a combination operator. As operators and conditions are selected, a diagram displays the selections and the SQL query is displayed below. Click on the Actions on Selected Node link to select an action type:

•	Change Operator Type – Changes the operator type. Select the operator from the drop-down menu and then click OK to accept the change or Cancel to disregard the selection. Available operators are:

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Add Condition – Adds a condition based on a field, a number, a text string, a Boolean value, or the value of a formula. Depending on the choice, different information is required to build the query. Parameters can be used so that end users have more flexibility to select targeted recipients. For more information, see Appendix D: Building Hosted Recipient Queries.

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Add Job Based Condition – Job based conditions are used when building a target group based on a reaction to a previous job. This is similar to the Based on a Previous Job recipient type in the Define Recipient wizard. Select whether the recipients were part of the original source job, and if so, what tracked behavior did they perform (open-up, click, or action), or whether the recipients were not part of the original source job.

For additional information on using this screen, see the online help.

Once you’re finished setting conditions for the list, click [Next ->] to continue.

The Parameters screen only becomes active if there are parameters in the target group. Click on each condition to define the parameter label and description. This text will appear when employing the target group for a recipient definition.

Once you’re finished entering the details for each parameter, click Next -> to continue.

The Input Layout screen will only become active if there are parameters in a target group and they have been labeled on the previous screen. If there are multiple parameters, the order in which they appear to end users may be reordered by using the Up and Down links.

To provide end users with more information on the parameters, optional headings can be added to each parameter or a group of parameters. Click the New Heading link to add a heading and optional introductory text. Click the [Save Entry] button to save headings and introductory text. Use the Delete Heading link to remove a saved heading.

Once you’re finished entering any parameter details, click [Next ->] to continue.

The Input Preview screen only becomes active if there are parameters in a target group and the Input Layout screen has been successfully completed. A preview of the parameter input page as end users will see it is generated here. Verify that the layout is acceptable. If it is acceptable, click the [Next ->] button. If it is not, then click the [<- Back] button to return to previous pages in the wizard to make changes.

The Summary screen displays the target group definition, conditions, and parameters. In order for users to access the target group when defining recipients for a mailing, it must be enabled. Check Yes, allow the definition of recipients based on this target group to enable it. If left unchecked, the target group will not appear in the list of available target groups to end users.