Create an ID Collector

This content is only for clients with the one-click DATASETS option in the top navigation bar. If you click DATASETS and see Product Data and Customer Data listed as menu options, then this content doesn't apply to your account. Instead, see Upload a Customer Attributes Dataset.

An ID Collector is a link in the chain connecting site visitors, Customer Attributes datasets, and experiences. You can use Target Builder to create an ID Collector that identifies a customer across devices and domains by collecting one of theses types of values:

  • Cookie value: Collects a customer ID from one of the cookies on your site
  • JavaScript variable value: Collects a customer ID from a JavaScript variable on your site
  • HTML element content: Collects a customer ID based on the presence of specific DOM elements or the contents of DOM elements on your site
  • Query parameter value: Collects a customer ID from an email click-through to your site

For more information on finding ID Collectors, refer to Client-Side ID Collectors.

Creating an ID Collector for a Cookie Value

Follow these steps to create an ID Collector for a cookie value.

  1. Click COMPONENTS in the top navigation bar, and then select ID Collectors.

    Callout of the ID Collectors option in the COMPONENTS menu

  2. Click CREATE ID COLLECTORS.

    Callout of the CREATE ID COLLECTORS button on the ID Collectors list page

  3. Click Cookie Value.

    Ensure that the ID Collector is defined with a static name and with a single value. By default, ID Collectors look for the target type and then collect the entire value (for example, an entire cookie value or an entire JavaScript variable value), but sometimes the on-site identifier is only one part of a longer string (for example, in a delimited string or part of some name-value pair combo). To better ensure the ID Collector grabs the correct value, build a conditional operator on the Conditions tab that employs the Path starts with operator.

    For example, if your site uses a cookie to set an anonymous ID for every customer who arrives on the site, but it then changes that value to a customer ID when a customer logs in, you should only collect the cookie value tied to the login since it contains the ID. You would thus build an ID Collector condition in Target Builder that uses the Path starts with operator to only track the cookie on the login page.

    The On-Site Identifier tab of Target Builder

  4. Copy and paste one of the cookies found on the page into Cookie Name.

    Callout of the Cookie Name field on the Details tab of Target Builder for a cookie value–based ID Collector

  5. If necessary, build a condition so that the ID Collector grabs the correct value. Click the Conditions tab, select an operator, and then input the targeting value. If no condition is required, click the forward arrow.

    The Conditions tab of Target Builder. The Operator selector is expanded to show the options.

  6. Give the ID Collector a name and a description, and then click SAVE & RETURN.

    The final panel of Target Builder for an ID Collector based on a cookie value, with the Target Title and Description fields and the SAVE & RETURN button

The newly created ID Collector appears at the bottom of the table on the ID Collectors list page.

Creating an ID Collector for a JavaScript Variable Value

Follow these steps to create an ID Collector for the value of a JavaScript variable.

  1. Click COMPONENTS in the top navigation bar, and then select ID Collectors.

    Callout of the ID Collectors option in the COMPONENTS menu

  2. Click CREATE ID COLLECTORS.

    Callout of the CREATE ID COLLECTORS button on the ID Collectors list page

  3. Click JS Variable Value.

    Ensure that the ID Collector is defined with a static name and with a single value. By default, ID Collectors look for the target type and then collect the entire value (for example, an entire cookie value or an entire JavaScript variable value), but sometimes the on-site identifier is only one part of a longer string (for example, in a delimited string or part of some name-value pair combo). To better ensure the ID Collector grabs the correct value, build a conditional operator on the Conditions tab that employs the Path starts with operator.

    For example, if your site uses a cookie to set an anonymous ID for every customer who arrives on the site, but it then changes that value to a customer ID when a customer logs in, you should only collect the cookie value tied to the login since it contains the ID. You would thus build an ID Collector condition in Target Builder that uses the Path starts with operator to only track the cookie on the login page.

    The On-Site Identifier tab of Target Builder

  4. Begin typing into Variable Name the name of the variable you want to use, and then select one of the suggested variables that's present on your site.

    The Variable Name field on the Details tab of Target Builder for a JavaScript variable value–based ID Collector

  5. If necessary, build a condition so that the ID Collector grabs the correct value. Click the Conditions tab, select an operator, and then input the targeting value. If no condition is required, click the forward arrow.

    The Conditions tab of Target Builder. The Operator selector is expanded to show the options.

  6. Give the ID Collector a name and a description, and then click SAVE & RETURN.

    The final panel of Target Builder for an ID Collector based on the value of a JavaScript variable, with the Target Title and Description fields and the SAVE & RETURN button

The newly created ID Collector appears at the bottom of the table on the ID Collectors list page.

Creating an ID Collector for HTML Element Content

Follow these steps to create an ID Collector for the content of an HTML element.

  1. Click COMPONENTS in the top navigation bar, and then select ID Collectors.

    Callout of the ID Collectors option in the COMPONENTS menu

  2. Click CREATE ID COLLECTORS.

    Callout of the CREATE ID COLLECTORS button on the ID Collectors list page

  3. Click Element Content.

    Ensure that the ID Collector is defined with a static name and with a single value. By default, ID Collectors look for the target type and then collect the entire value (for example, an entire cookie value or an entire JavaScript variable value), but sometimes the on-site identifier is only one part of a longer string (for example, in a delimited string or part of some name-value pair combo). To better ensure the ID Collector grabs the correct value, build a conditional operator on the Conditions tab that employs the Path starts with operator.

    For example, if your site uses a cookie to set an anonymous ID for every customer who arrives on the site, but it then changes that value to a customer ID when a customer logs in, you should only collect the cookie value tied to the login since it contains the ID. You would thus build an ID Collector condition in Target Builder that uses the Path starts with operator to only track the cookie on the login page.

    The On-Site Identifier tab of Target Builder

  4. Select the element that contains the content that you want to target, and then click the forward arrow.

    The Element Selector panel of Target Builder for an ID Collector based on the value of an HTML element

  5. If necessary, build a condition so that the ID Collector grabs the correct value. Click the Conditions tab, select an operator, and then input the targeting value. If no condition is required, click the forward arrow.

    The Conditions tab of Target Builder. The Operator selector is expanded to show the options.

  6. Give the ID Collector a name and a description, and then click SAVE & RETURN.

    The final panel of Target Builder for an ID Collector based on the value of an HTML element, with the Target Title and Description fields and the SAVE & RETURN button

The newly created ID Collector appears at the bottom of the table on the ID Collectors list page.

Creating an ID Collector for a Query Parameter Value

Follow these steps to create an ID Collector for the value of a query parameter from an email click-through to your site.

  1. Click COMPONENTS in the top navigation bar, and then select ID Collectors.

    Callout of the ID Collectors option in the COMPONENTS menu

  2. Click CREATE ID COLLECTORS.

    Callout of the CREATE ID COLLECTORS button on the ID Collectors list page

  3. Click Query Parameter Value.

    Ensure that the ID Collector is defined with a static name and with a single value. By default, ID Collectors look for the target type and then collect the entire value (for example, an entire cookie value or an entire JavaScript variable value), but sometimes the on-site identifier is only one part of a longer string (for example, in a delimited string or part of some name-value pair combo). To better ensure the ID Collector grabs the correct value, build a conditional operator on the Conditions tab that employs the Path starts with operator.

    For example, if your site uses a cookie to set an anonymous ID for every customer who arrives on the site, but it then changes that value to a customer ID when a customer logs in, you should only collect the cookie value tied to the login since it contains the ID. You would thus build an ID Collector condition in Target Builder that uses the Path starts with operator to only track the cookie on the login page.

    The On-Site Identifier tab of Target Builder

  4. Type the parameter name into Query Parameter Name.

    Do not include an equals sign (=) or a question mark (?) or an ampersand (&) in Query Parameter Name.

    The Query Parameter Name field on the Details tab of Target Builder for an ID Collector based on a query parameter value

  5. If necessary, build a condition so that the ID Collector grabs the correct value. Click the Conditions tab, select an operator, and then input the targeting value. If no condition is required, click the forward arrow.

    The Conditions tab of Target Builder. The Operator selector is expanded to show the options.

  6. Give the ID Collector a name and a description, and then click SAVE & RETURN.

    The final panel of Target Builder for an ID Collector based on the value of a query parameter, with the Target Title and Description fields and the SAVE & RETURN button

The newly created ID Collector appears at the bottom of the table on the ID Collectors list page.

Editing an ID Collector

You can revise and add some settings for an ID Collector from the ID Collectors list page.

  1. Click COMPONENTS in the top navigation bar, and then select ID Collectors.

    Callout of the ID Collectors option in the COMPONENTS menu

  2. Click the name of the ID Collector that you want to edit.

    The ID Collectors list page

  3. Click the name of the ID Collector to access its ID Collector Quickview modal, on which you can take the following actions:
    • Rename the ID Collector by clicking the pencil icon.
    • Revise the description.
    • Select a different target type from Category, but do so only if the ID Collector was miscategorized when created.
    • Add an Identifier Name from Named Identifier so that the ID Collector can be linked to one or more Customer Attributes datasets.

      An Identifier Name is created when a Customer Attributes dataset is created. For more information, see Upload a Customer Attributes Dataset.

    • Revise the subcategory.

      The ID Collector Quickview modal

  4. If necessary, set the collector priority for the ID Collectors that run on the same page on your site and are associated with the same Identifier Name.

    Callout of the 'COLLECTOR PRIORITY' column on the ID Collectors list page

Deleting an ID Collector

Follow these steps to delete an ID Collector.

  1. Click COMPONENTS in the top navigation bar, and then select ID Collectors.

    Callout of the ID Collectors option in the COMPONENTS menu

  2. Click the name of the ID Collector that you want to delete to access its ID Collector Quickview modal.
  3. Click DELETE.

    Callout of the DELETE button on the ID Collector Quickview modal

  4. Click OK to confirm that you want to delete the ID Collector.

    The Delete ID Collector dialogue, with a callout of the OK button

After you delete an ID Collector, Monetate removes it from any Identifier Names to which it was linked, which then impacts any experiences using any Customer Attributes datasets that were linked to the now-deleted ID Collector.

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