Audience sharing

When Exchange users share an audience, Exchange sends a collection of IDs and associated data that is defined as a segment in a source database and moves the data to a segment that is defined in a destination database. No point-to-point software integration is required.

To share audience data, a registered Exchange endpoint can call APIs that are hosted by Exchange or implement specific Exchange APIs that Exchange can call. The APIs enable Exchange to describe the audience data that you can produce, run jobs to export or import the data, and report on the status and success of each audience data exchange.

1. An endpoint provider registers with Exchange as an audience source. The endpoint declares a contact URL and the personal identifiers and descriptive metadata it can provide.
2. Exchange calls the source endpoint to gather audience metadata. Exchange displays summary descriptions of the audience and its contents in the Exchange interface.
3. In Exchange, users select a source audience and destination endpoint. Users also map identifiers and attributes in the source audience to corresponding data in the destination endpoint. Exchange users can share the audience immediately, schedule sharing for a later time, or schedule sharing on a recurring basis.
4. Exchange calls the source endpoint to get the audience data. The source endpoint uploads the audience over HTTP.
5. Exchange can download the audience data to the registered URL for the destination endpoint over HTTP. The destination endpoint can use the Exchange Toolkit to pull the audience data from Exchange.

Request audience data

Exchange provides a graphical interface for users to search for appropriate audiences, review audience descriptions, and specify how and when to share audience data.

Exchange gets the details about the audience by making an API call to the URL that was specified when the endpoint was registered.

In Exchange, users specify how to share audiences as follows.

1. Select an audience. Users search for and select an audience that provides identifiers and attributes that are best suited to achieving a business objective.
2. Select a destination. Users select a destination endpoint. Each user can see only the endpoints that are registered with Exchange on behalf of their Exchange user account.
3. Map identities and attributes. Users map identities and attributes that are present in the source audience to corresponding data that is used in the destination endpoint.
4. Share the audience. Users can share the audience immediately, schedule sharing for later, or schedule sharing on a recurring basis. Users can also indicate how Exchange modifies the destination audience. Exchange can add records to a new or existing database, replace records in an existing database, or remove specific records from the destination database.

Connect audience endpoints with Exchange

Exchange endpoints connect with Exchange through RESTful APIs. Endpoints call or implement Exchange APIs depending on how the endpoint provides or consumes audience data.

Exchange refers to the exchange of audience data between endpoints through Exchange as data syndication. As an endpoint provider, you can use the Exchange Integration Manager to declare a syndication type when you define the Exchange application on which your Exchange endpoint is based. After completing the process to be an approved Exchange endpoint, you can exchange audience data through Exchange by implementing APIs that Exchange can call, or by calling various APIs that are hosted by Exchange.

All API requests to Exchange require that the request header include an authorization bearer that is a customer-supplied authentication key. Providing the authentication key verifies the connection between a specific Exchange user account and a user account in the endpoint application. As part of its Click to Connect endpoint registration, Exchange supports two ways for users to provide their authentication credentials.

Audience data is shared through Exchange by a source and a destination endpoint as a list of comma-separated values (CSV). Exchange requires that, as an audience producer or consumer endpoint, you indicate whether the data exchange occurs as a push to Exchange or the endpoint, or as a pull from Exchange or the endpoint.

The distinction between audience sharing as PUSH or PULL depends on how the audience data moves between an endpoint and Exchange. How the data flows between Exchange and source and destination endpoints also determines where the audience sharing APIs are hosted.

• PULL-type audience producer. Exchange calls APIs that are hosted and implemented by
  the source endpoint. When the source endpoint indicates that data is available, Exchange pulls audience data from the source endpoint.
• PUSH-type audience producer. The source endpoint calls APIs that are hosted by Exchange. When the source endpoint determines that it can make audience data available, the source
  endpoint pushes data to Exchange.
• PULL-type audience consumer. The destination endpoint calls APIs that are hosted by Exchange. When the destination endpoint is ready to accept audience data, it pulls data from Exchange.
• PUSH-type audience consumer. Exchange calls APIs that are hosted and implemented by the destination endpoint. Exchange pushes audience data to the endpoint when the data is shared by an audience source.

As an endpoint provider, you must declare an endpoint type as part of the endpoint provisioning
and review process when you use the Exchange Integration Manager to define the Exchange application on which to base your endpoint.