This document provides guidance on using queries in The Raiser's Edge to better control mailings. It recommends: 1. Creating inclusion and exclusion queries to define the target audience and remove unwanted records 2. Using query merges to combine inclusion/exclusion queries with segment queries that further define subgroups 3. Creating random samples of records using the "Apply Output Limits" option to split segments into test and control groups for A/B testing of mailings

1. Testing with The Raiser’s Edge
How to use Queries to better control your Mailings

2. Obligatory Introduction

3. THE WINNING QUERIES
1. Queries for Inclusions, Exclusions, and
Segments
2. Using Query Merges for best results.
3. Random Samples in Query – Creating Tests and
Controls

4. SKILLS
 Be able to set up simple queries for direct
response
 Use query merge to enhance
 Use “select from” functionality
 Create test groups and control groups using
query

5. All Your Base
Inclusions and Exclusions

6. INCLUSIONS AND EXCLUSIONS
Inclusions
 Very basic high level
 Can be your entire database,
can include people you will
not want to mail
 Should have minimal criteria
Exclusions
 Specific data
 Everyone you most definitely
do not want to mail
 Lots of criteria
 Potential for errors – be
cautious

7. INCLUSIONS AND EXCLUSIONS
Inclusions
 Very basic high level
 Can be your entire database,
can include people you will
not want to mail
 Should have minimal criteria
Exclusions
 Specific data
 Everyone you most definitely
do not want to mail
 Lots of criteria
 Potential for errors – be
cautious

8. EXAMPLE INCLUSION
If you know you are mailing to:
 Donors who gave in the last 5
years to certain campaigns
 Event participants who came
to a dinner in the last 5 years
 Specific Volunteers of type
General or Corporate
Then you might create:
 Gift Date >= 2009-10-01
OR
 Event Participation Event Is
Not Blank
OR
 Volunteer Type Is Not Blank
The specific queries can break this
down even further. We just might
want to limit the scope of the mailing
in general.

9. INCLUSIONS AND EXCLUSIONS
Inclusions
 Very basic high level
 Can be your entire database,
can include people you will
not want to mail
 Should have minimal criteria
Exclusions
 Specific data
 Everyone you most definitely
do not want to mail
 Lots of criteria
 Potential for errors – be
cautious

10. EXAMPLE EXCLUSION
If you do not want to mail to:
 People who have given in the
last 3 months
 People with a solicitor
 People who are inactive or
deceased
 Attributes/Solicit Codes of
“Do not Mail,” “Do not solicit.”
Here we are very specific. These
will almost always be “ORs,” so
we can just keep adding
Then you might create:
 Last gift date >= 2013-07-01
OR
 Assigned Solicitor Name Not
Blank
OR
 Deceased = YES
OR
 Inactive = YES
OR
 Solicit Code ONE OF
 Do not mail
 Do not solicit

11. INCLUSIONS AND EXCLUSIONS
Inclusions
 Very basic high level
 Can be your entire database,
can include people you will
not want to mail
 Should have minimal criteria
Exclusions
 Specific data
 Everyone you most definitely
do not want to mail
 Lots of criteria
 Potential for errors – be
cautious

12. ADDING ON THE SEGMENTS
 Segments are quick and should be based ONLY
on the specific criteria:
 Donors who gave in the last 5 years to certain
campaigns
 Gift Date >= 2009-10-1 AND
 Campaign ID One of (Foo, Bar)
 Specific Volunteers of type General or Corporate
 Volunteer Type One of (General, Corporate)

13. ADDING ON THE SEGMENTS
Notice that we did not worry about inclusions and
exclusions – JUST the criteria.

14. THE WINNING QUERIES
1. Queries for Inclusions, Exclusions, and
Segments
2. Using Query Merges for best results.
3. Random Samples in Query – Creating Tests and
Controls

15. Query Merges

16. OUR QUERIES
Segment 3
Inclusions
Exclusions
Segment 2
Segment 1

17. THE SUB-MERGE
Inclusions
Exclusions

18. THE SUB-MERGE
Sub Merges Remove
One Set of Data from
Another
This is what is left of
our inclusions minus
exclusions

19. THE AND MERGE
 The And Merge are the
records that appear in
both data sets.
 Your Inc/Exc List AND
Your Segment 1 list, is
who you want to actually
mail in Segment 1
Segment 1

20. FOR COMPLETENESS
OR
XOR
Not Included

21. RECAP
 SUB merge – Inclusions Minus Exclusions
 From your new query, AND merges with the
criteria.
 We now have 3 segments, which will only pull
records that were in our inclusions, not in our
exclusions, and adhere to the segment criteria.

22. The Dynamic And

23. THE LAMENT OF THE MERGE QUERY
Query merges take a lot of
time
 Inclusion/Exclusion SUB
 Segment 1 AND
 Segment 2 AND
 Segment 3 AND
Lather, rinse, repeat…

24. “AND” MERGES - DYNAMICALLY







Select Merge
Select Query 1 (Inc minus Exc)
Select Query 2 (Criteria X)
Select Type
Run
Overwrite?
Complete
 Run

25. THE DYNAMIC “AND” MERGE
 Go to Query Options
 Go to Record Processing
 Choose a “Select From”
Query of “Inc minus Exc”

26. THE WINNING QUERIES
1. Queries for Inclusions, Exclusions, and
Segments
2. Using Query Merges for best results.
3. Random Samples in Query – Creating Tests and
Controls

27. Onto the Test!

28. I WANT TO TEST THIS SEGMENT
A

29. I WANT TO TEST THIS SEGMENT
A
B

30. SEGMENT A
 We could build another query and SUB merge
them like Inclusions and Exclusions.
 But how do we build B?

31. RANDOM SAMPLES
In Record Processing under
the Query Options, there is
a greyed out section.

32. RANDOM SAMPLES
If we turn our dynamic query
into a static, the “Apply
Output Limits” option will be
available.

33. RANDOM SAMPLES
By checking “Apply Output
Limits” we can then select
two options:
 Random Sampling
 Limit to Top Rows

34. RANDOM SAMPLES

35. OUR QUERIES
 So we now have Segment Query 1, which selects
records from Inclusions/Exclusions
 We have now set to Static and Applied Output
Limits based on a Random Sample.
 Let’s *SAVE AS* as a new Query. Let’s call it,
Segment Query 1B
 Now, we need to make sure that those in B group
don’t get the A mailing.

36. SEGMENT A
 So now we take our Segment Query 1 and SUB
Segment Query 1B. We save this as new query
Segment Query 1A.
 Now we have an A and B
 A should be approx. 80%
 B should be approx. 20%

37. THE WINNING QUERIES
1. Queries for Inclusions, Exclusions, and
Segments
2. Using Query Merges for best results.
3. Random Samples in Query – Creating Tests and
Controls

38. Putting it all together

39. STEP 1: INCLUSION
Create a general Inclusion
Query
Gift Date >= 2009-10-01
OR
Event Participation Event Is
Not Blank
OR
Volunteer Type Is Not Blank

40. STEP 2: EXCLUSION
Create your Exclusion query
Last gift date >= 2013-07-01
OR
Assigned Solicitor Name not
Blank
OR
Deceased = YES
OR
Inactive = YES
OR
Solicit Code ONE OF
Do not mail
Do not solicit

41. STEP 3: SUB YOUR BASE QUERIES
Inclusions
Exclusions

42. STEP 3: SUB YOUR BASE QUERIES

43. STEP 4: SEGMENT QUERIES
Create your Segment Queries
Use “Select From” on your merged Inclusions minus
Exclusions with each Segment Query

44. STEP 5: CREATE “B” GROUP
Now we can create our
random samples by creating
new static queries.
Save as *new* queries so
that the original dynamic
query remains.

45. STEP 6: CREATE “A” GROUP
Now we SUB the B group from the Dynamic Query,
and save as your new A group.

46. Moving Forward

47. STEPS
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
Inclusions
Exclusions
SUB Merge
Segments using Select From
Create Random Samples
SUB Random Samples from Segments

48. ANYTHING ELSE?
 De-duplication – are your Segments mutually
exclusive?
 Apply Appeals and Packages to these groups
 What happens if we need to re-generate?
 This is where we would use the Segment tool,
located in Quick Letters…

49. WANT TO KNOW MORE?
Method Works offers online training by individual
course or by organization-wide subscription.
Come visit us at
http://www.methodworksconsulting.com for more
information.

50. WANT TO KNOW MORE?
Method Works in Toronto
Kathleen Pollard, Training Manager
kathleenp@methodworksconsulting.com
416-587-0059
Allison Skahan, Online Strategist
allisons@methodworksconsulting.com
647-669-1552

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