In order to use Campaign to send emails to your clients, the client information must be stored in some sort of file, preferably a database file.

Campaign software works with almost all commercial databases. The short list includes MS Access (including 2000, 2003 and 2007), MS SQL, Oracle, Sybase, AS400/DB2, PostgreSQL, Filemaker, Foxpro, Paradox, dBase, text files and generic ODBC connections (which can support databases like MySQL).

The most popular databases used by Campaign clients are MS SQL and Oracle. Accordingly, our software contains optimized database routines for these two databases, significantly boosting performance over a generic database driver.

Campaign works with the following database types:

Campaign works with any other database not specifically listed if it is ODBC compliant. To use a database file not listed above select ODBC Connection from the drop down list in Step 1 Data Source.

MS Access

Campaign can connect directly to MS Access files, you do not need a Data Source Name (DSN) or ODBC connection to use a MS Access database. Simply select MS Access and browse for the file on your local drive.

All Other Database Types

For Campaign Enterprise version 6.5.0 or greater, all the other Database Types available in the drop down field REQUIRE either a system DSN for an ODBC driver or an OLE DB connection string.

To use ODBC click browse and you will see a list of all the available system DSNs from which to choose. Note: Make sure you name them in a manner that makes them easily identifiable.

To use OLE DB simply type the appropriate string in the Database Source field.

When connecting to a text (.txt) or comma separated values (.csv) file the table/query name will be populated with the available files in the directory that you specify in the DSN.

Naming Conventions

Campaign follows standard Structured Query Language (SQL) naming conventions. Database, table, query and field names should not have spaces or special characters in them. Even though MS Access allows spaces and special characters, you should not use them. Special characters include (but are not limited to) !, @, ,#, $, %, &, - and + signs.

There are some words you do not want to use because they are reserved by the database. If you use a field name that is reserved you may have problems writing back to the database, or even viewing your records. Microsoft has a list of reserved names that you should try to avoid if possible when using MS SQL Server. Most of the words to avoid could carry over to other databases as well.

Database Fields

Many of the advanced features of Campaign require specific fields in your database in order to update information correctly. For example, in order for the bounce field in your database to increment when a bounce email enters the POP account, you need to make sure the bounce field is a number field, with a default value of zero.

Campaign also uses your field names for the mail merge functions. You can use any field in the table to which you are connected as a merge field. This will input the information found for each record corresponding to that field in the message. This is how you personalize your emails with customer specific data. The format for merge fields is always {field_name}. One thing to consider when you name your fields is that Campaign Enterprise also has some built in merge fields. You would not want to name the fields for your first click-thru, "CLICKTHRU1" for example (that is the built-in name for that link), as Campaign may display that field, rather than the click-thru link as intended.

Unsupported Field Types

• CLOB
• BLOB
• BFILE
• NCHAR
• NCLOB
• NVARCHAR2

SQL TEXT fields are available only when connecting with an OLE DB provider.