Transactional Data

Transactional Data

1. Transaction data are data describing an event (the change as a result of a transaction) and is usually described with verbs. Transaction data always has a time dimension, a numerical value and refers to one or more objects (i.e. the reference data). Typical transactions are: Financial: orders, invoices, payments.

2. Typical transactions are:

   • Financial: orders, invoices, payments
   • Work: Plans, activity records
   • Logistics: Deliveries, storage records, travel records, etc.

3. Typical transaction processing systems (systems generating transactions) are SAP and Oracle Financials.

4. Recording and retaining transactions is called records management. The record of the transaction is stored in a place where the retention can be guaranteed and where data are archived/removed following a retention period. The format of the transaction can be data (to be stored in a database), but it can also be a document.

5. Transaction data can be summarised in a Data warehouse, which helps accessibility and analysis of the data.

6. What can I do with this data?

   • Once transactional data is stored against your contacts, you can use the website to write queries to segment your contacts against this data and create new address books. This will enable you to send targeted, personalised campaigns based upon your contacts’ transactional history and habits. Using the above examples, you will be able to run segmentations based on bids made, countries visited and likes and dislikes.

7. Dataset examples

   • For an auction site, a list of all bids a user has made and if they succeeded or not, including the date and time of the bid, the amount of the bid and the category and name of the item bid on
   • •For a travel agent, a list of destinations a user has visited via bookings on the site, including the amount of bookings for the destination (solo, couple, family, etc.,), the amount spent and the type of accommodation
   • •A list of a user’s likes and dislikes