Fields and inheritance
In Optimizely Content Marketing Platform (CMP) you can manage fields for any object from campaigns, tasks, or assets.
Hierarchy of data across objects
To unify a taxonomy, CMP shares metadata among campaigns, tasks, work requests, and assets. However, there is a hierarchy of how data flows among objects.
- Work requests can spin off campaigns, tasks, and events.
- Campaigns can be containers for tasks and events.
- Campaigns and tasks can contain assets.
The following image shows how CMP shares the field properties of a work request with the campaign. CMP shares the campaign's fields with the task associated with the campaign, and so on. (Dashed arrows show creation and colored arrows show hierarchical metadata sharing.)
- A work request can start the flow of metadata by sending traits Department and Journey Stage to the campaign.
- The campaign has traits Region and Quarter and inherits Department and Journey Stage.
- The task adds traits Media Type and Team and inherits the traits from the campaign and work request.
- The asset in the task includes the Asset type trait, and inherits the traits from the campaign and work request and task.
Work request brief to campaign
From the Requests tab, select a work request, and then select Start > Campaign.
If the campaign DOES NOT have a parent campaign:
- The Create New Campaign form displays the work request fields and their values; you can change them.
- Elements of a campaign (such as events, tasks, and assets) can inherit the work request brief's fields and their values.
- The Fields tab on a task (see image below) represents the final state of the campaign's taxonomy and the point at which any campaign children inherit fields and values downstream. Edits you make in the Fields section of the Create New Campaign form can be updated (if permissions let you).
Note
The brief is the point of origin for these values and is not updated when you change the Create New Campaign form or Fields section.
If the campaign DOES have a parent campaign:
- The behaviors in the previous scenario apply.
- CMP combines values from multiple selections for the parent campaign and the work request. For example, suppose the work request (Source 1) has a multi-select field Animal with a value of cat and dog. The parent campaign (Source 2) also has a multi-select field Animal with a value of elephant and dog. The new campaign (Object A) has three values assigned to it (cat, dog, elephant) on the Create New Campaign page. (You can change the values before saving the campaign.)
- Single selections may conflict between the parent campaign and the work request. To prevent this conflict, you choose which has precedence. For example, if one campaign (Source 1) has Pillar=walking and the work request (Source 2) has Pillar=running, you can inherit Pillar=running from one of the campaigns.
If the campaign has a campaign template:
- The behaviors in the previous scenarios apply. CMP carries over fields from the campaign template, and single-select and multi-select behavior applies.
Work request brief to task
From the Requests tab, select a work request, and then select Start > Task.
If the task DOES NOT have a workflow with assigned fields:
- The Create New Task form displays the work request fields and their values; you can change them.
- The task brief inherits the work request fields and their values.
- The Fields tab on a task represents the final state of the task's taxonomy and the point at which task assets inherit fields and values downstream. Edits you make in the Fields section of the Create New Task form can be updated (if permissions let you).
If the task DOES have a workflow with assigned fields:
Workflows provide governance in a task and its downstream activities; they take precedence over other inheritance. For that reason, when you assign a workflow to a task, fields and values from that workflow are applied to the task, overwriting fields and values from the work request.
- In the task brief, the work request fields and the task brief inherit their values.
- Only those fields and values defined on the workflow are available on the Create New Task page, where you can change them (if permissions let you).
- Values are combined on multiple selections on the workflow and the work request.
- The Fields tab on a task represents the final state of the task's taxonomy and the point at which task assets inherit fields and values downstream. Edits you make in the Fields section of the Create New Task form can be updated (if permissions let you).
Note
The brief is the point of origin for these values and is not updated when you make changes on the Create New Task form or Fields section.
A task has a special scenario compared to the other objects (event, campaign). If a task has a workflow with fields, the workflow fields determine the field types the task can inherit.
Campaign fields to task
When you assign a campaign to a task, the following inheritance occurs:
If the task does not have a workflow with assigned fields:
- The campaign fields and their values are displayed and are available for changes on the Create New Task form.
- Edits you make in the Fields section of the Create New Task form are available for updates (if permissions let you). The Fields tab represents the final state of the task's taxonomy and the point at which task assets inherit fields and values downstream.
- Fields you add from the task brief are available in the Fields section for updates (if permissions let you). Updates made to the brief are reflected in the Fields tab on a task, but updates in the Fields section do NOT change the brief's original state.
If the task does have a workflow with assigned fields:
Workflows provide governance in a task and its downstream activities; they take precedence over other inheritance. For that reason, when you assign a workflow to a task, fields and values from that workflow are applied to the task, overwriting fields and values from the work request.
- Only those fields and values defined on the workflow are available on the Create New Task form, where you can change them (if permissions let you).
- Values are combined on multiple selections on the workflow and the campaign.
- Single select fields on both the workflow and the campaign cause a conflict modal to display.
- Edits you make in the Fields section of the Create New Task form are available for updates (if permissions let you). The Fields tab on a task represents the final state of the task's taxonomy and the point at which task assets inherit fields and values downstream.