Sources

Learn what Sources are and how to create custom sources.

Timothy Davis avatar
Written by Timothy Davis
Updated over a week ago

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What are Sources?

Sources are used to determine how a student record was created. Sources are automatically created for the student when the accomplish certain actions. You can also apply custom sources to a student to further specify where a student came from.

To find your Custom Sources, open the Contacts dropdown menu. Hover over "Categories" and select "Source Codes".

Click on Source Codes

Source Hierarchy

Sources are organized into three tiers:

  • Type

  • Name - (also referred to as "Alias" or "Codes")

  • Segment

Source Types are the highest level of organization, and distinguish system sources from custom sources. System source types denote the module where the record was created.

Source Names are the middle level of organization. Codes are used to identify groupings within the Source Type. For example, an APP type will list the Application name as the Source Name.

Source Segments are only applicable to CUSTOM and SEARCH source types. Segments are specific items within a Source Name group.

System Source Types

Element451 will automatically generate a Source when the student record is created, when that record by the student, via an Element module.

For example, if a student record is created when a student registers for an Event, Element451 will assign an "EVENT" source to that student.

EVENT Sources

Element451 automatically adds an EVENT source to a student record if the record was created by the student signing up for an Event.

The EVENT sources has these properties:

  • Type: EVENT

  • Name: The name of the Event the student registered for

  • Timestamp: When the Source was generated

  • Event Date: The date of the event the student registered for

APP Sources

Elements451 automatically adds an APP source to a student record if the record was created by the student starting an Application. Tracking APP sources is helpful when counting stealth applications.

The APP sources has these properties:

  • Type: APP

  • Name: "Application Registration"

  • Timestamp: When the Source was generated

  • Application: The name of the Application the student started

SURVEY Sources

Element451 automatically adds a SURVEY source to a student record if the record was created by the student completing a Survey.

The SURVEY sources has these properties:

  • Type: SURVEY

  • Name: The name of the Survey the student completed

  • Timestamp: When the Source was generated

WEB Sources

Element451 automatically adds a WEB source to a student record if the record was created by the student submitting a Form. Tracking WEB sources is helpful when counting the leads generated by your Forms.

The WEB sources has these properties:

  • Type: WEB

  • URL: The URL of the page where the form was submitted.

  • UTM Source: The UTM Source value of the page URL.

  • UTM Medium: The UTM Medium value of the page URL.

  • UTM Campaign: The UTM Campaign value of the page URL.

  • UTM Content: The UTM Content value of the page URL.

  • Timestamp: When the Source was generated

UTM properties will be automatically added to the Source if they are detected in the URL.

Importing WEB Sources

Unlike other system sources, WEB sources can be imported. This can be helpful when importing leads from other marketing services. The following instructions assume you are familiar with the Import module.

When preparing your import file, be sure to create columns for your web source information. Include:

  • The source timestamp (This could also be derived from another timestamp if needed)

  • The source URL

If the URL contains UTM parameters, split those out into their own columns.

Use the following fields to map a WEB source when importing

  • user-sources-web-timestamp

  • user-sources-web-url

  • user-sources-web-properties-utm-source

  • user-sources-web-properties-utm-medium

  • user-sources-web-properties-utm-campaign

  • user-sources-web-properties-utm-content

A screenshot of the element451 interface. The interface displays a list of web source properties that can be mapped during import

The CUSTOM Source Type

CUSTOM Sources are just that, custom. Create custom source names and segments to fit your institution's needs. A common use case is to create sources from marketing efforts, such as Organic Social and Paid Social.

To create a custom source, open the Contacts dropdown menu. Hover over Categories and select Source Codes.

Creating a Custom Source Name

To create a new source name, select the blue plus icon in the bottom right of the screen.

Click on highlight

Assign a Name and Code to the Source. The code will be used when Importing. Then select "Add" to create the Source Name.

Click on dialog

Once a Source Name is created, it will appear in the list. Click into the Source Name to create Source Segments.

Select the blue plus icon to create a new Source Segment.

Add a name and code to the Segment. Once created, the Segments will appear in the list.

Adding Custom Sources to Student Records Manually

Once CUSTOM source Names and Segments are created, you can manually add them to a student's record.

  1. Navigate to the People module and select the student you wish to edit.

  2. Open their Sources data by clicking the Sources card or by selecting "More Data" from the profile sidebar.

  3. Select the plus icon to add a new Source.

  4. Input a timestamp for the Source.

  5. Select an Alias (Name) for the Source.

  6. Select a Segment for the Source. (Optional)

  7. Click "Save" to save the Source to the student record.

Adding Custom Sources via Workflow

Custom Sources can also be assigned via a Workflow.

A common use case is to add granularity to a WEB source. For example, if a WEB source has a UTM parameters that contains "google-search", you may want to use Custom Source to easily denote that the student came via Google Search.

The following instructions assume you are familiar with Workflows.

Assign a CUSTOM source via Workflow with these instructions:

  1. Add a Workflow step and assign conditions as needed.

  2. Set the Workflow action to "Add Custom Source to User"

  3. Input a timestamp for the Source.

  4. Select an Alias (Name) for the Source.

  5. Select a Segment for the Source. (Optional)

  6. Click "Save" to create the action.

Importing Custom Sources

The following instructions assume you are familiar with the Import module.

When preparing your import file, be sure to create columns for your custom source information. Include:

  • The source timestamp

  • The source Name

  • The source Segment (Optional)

Use the following fields to map a CUSTOM source when importing

  • Name: user-sources-source-code

  • Segment (Optional): user-sources-source-code-segment

  • Timestamp: user-sources-source-code-date

Note: To use a source segment, the source code must be provided.

The SEARCH Source Type

The SEARCH Source is designed specifically for search name purchases. SEARCH sources are only created when Importing and will use the same Names and Segments as CUSTOM sources. These are all managed in the Source Code module.

To find the Source Code module, open the Contact dropdown menu in the top navigation. Hover over Categories and select Source Codes.

Learn how to create Source Names and Segments.

Importing Search Sources

The following instructions assume you are familiar with the Import module.

When preparing your import file, be sure to create columns for your web source information. Include:

  • The source timestamp

  • The source Name

  • The source Segment (Optional)

Use the following fields to map a SEARCH source when importing

  • Name: user-sources-search-alias-new

  • Segment (Optional): user-sources-search-segment-new

  • Timestamp: user-sources-search-timestamp-new


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