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Sources

Learn what Sources are and how to create custom sources.

Timothy Davis avatar
Written by Timothy Davis
Updated over 5 months ago

Overview

Sources in Element451 help determine how a student record was created. Sources are automatically generated when students complete certain actions. You can also apply custom sources to further specify where a student came from.

Accessing Custom Sources

Navigate to Contacts > Categories > Source Codes.

Source Hierarchy

Sources are organized into three tiers:

  1. Source Type: The highest level, distinguishing system sources from custom sources. System source types denote the module where the record was created.

  2. Source Name (also referred to as “Alias” or “Codes”): The middle level, identifying groupings within the Source Type. For example, an APP type will list the application name as the source name.

  3. Source Segment: Specific items within a Source Name group, applicable only to CUSTOM and SEARCH source types.

System Source Types

Element451 automatically generates a Source when a student record is created through various actions:

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 source 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 source 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 source 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 source 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

WEB sources can be imported, which is useful for importing leads from other marketing services. However, before attempting to import WEB sources, you should be familiar with the Import process.

When preparing your import file, include columns for each of the following:

  • Source timestamp

    • This could also be derived from another timestamp if needed.

  • Source URL

  • UTM parameters

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

Use these 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 can be created to fit your institution’s needs, often used for marketing efforts like organic social and paid social.

Creating a Custom Source Name

  1. Navigate to Contacts > Categories > Source Codes.

  2. Click the blue plus icon in the bottom right of the screen.
    ​

    Click on highlight

  3. Assign a Name and Code to the Source (the code will be used when importing).
    ​

    Click on dialog

  4. Click Add. Once the source name is created, it will appear in the list.

  5. Click on the Source Name.

  6. Select the blue plus icon to create a new Source Segment and add a name and code. The Segments will appear in the list.
    ​

Adding Custom Sources to Student Records

Manually

  1. Navigate to the People module and open the student's record.

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

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

  4. Input a timestamp, select an Alias (Name), and a Segment (optional).

  5. Click “Save.”
    ​

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 parameter 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.

  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, select an Alias (Name), and a Segment (optional).

  4. Click “Save.”

Importing Custom Sources

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

When preparing your import file, include columns for your custom source information:

  • Source timestamp

  • Source name

  • Source segment (optional)

Use these 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

SEARCH Sources are designed for search name purchases and are only created when importing. They use the same Names and Segments as CUSTOM sources. These are managed in the Source Code module (Contacts > Categories > 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, include columns for your search source information:

  • Source timestamp

  • Source name

  • Source segment (optional)

Use these 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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