Dependent selection

Dependent selection allows advertisers to tie dependencies between feeds to simplify feed management (e.g. first select car model, then select image, url, and headline based on car model selected).

About feed columns for dependent selection

Before you begin to setup your feed, it is important to understand the following terminology:

• Controlling column: Located in the parent feed, this column contains the values that will be matched with the values in filterable columns in the child feeds.
• Filterable column: In all dynamic feeds, this column has the values used to filter and select which rows are eligible to serve for an ad impression. Examples include geographical values and Campaign Manager 360 IDs. When you use dependent selection, all child feeds need at least one filterable column.

Set up your feed

When you use dependent selection, parent feeds can use filtering strategies (for example, geo-targeting or Campaign Manager 360 IDs) that do not depend on other feeds. In parent feeds, a column is set as the controlling column. The controlling column has the values used to match rows in child feeds. Based on the row chosen by the filtering strategy in the parent feed, the value in the controlling column will be used to the filter and match rows of the child feeds.

Example dependent selection feed

The following example of dependent selection uses geographic targeting and placement IDs to choose the right car model and message to show a user.

Geo Feed is one of the two parent feeds. It pairs an accurate geographic type (the geo column in the example) with a short id (the geo_id column in the example) to represent the full location.

In the examples that follow, the blue column is a filterable column and the orange column is a controlling column.

The Model Feed is the second parent feed. It pairs placement IDs (the dfa_id column in the example) with the car model (the model column in the example) that will be shown in that placement.

The Geo Feed and Model Feed are combined to choose the right message from the Message Feed. When the values in the two controlling columns in the parent feeds (model and geo_id) match in the same row of the child feed, the message in that row is used.

Best practices for dependent feed values

Since the values you use in the controlling column in the parent feed needs to match the value in the filterable column exactly, we recommend the following best practices:

• Create the values in the controlling column of the parent feed first, then copy and paste them into the filterable column of the child feed.
• To prevent mistakes, keep dependent feed values short and simple. We recommend using numbers and letters only.
• Comma-separated values in one cell are not supported in the controlling column of a parent feed, however they are supported in the filterable column of a child feed. For example, "sedan, truck, SUV".

Set up your profile

Follow the below instructions to setup your Studio profile for use with dependent selection:

1. Upload the parent feed to Studio.

2. In Step 2: Manage Data, f​​​​​​ind the row that has the controlling column.

   1. For the field type, select "Text".

   2. Turn the display setting on.

3. (Optional) If you're using other parent feeds, repeat steps 1 and 2 for each feed.

4. Upload the child feed to Studio.

5. In Step 2: Manage Data, find the row that has the child feed's filterable column.
   1. For the field type, select "List of Values".
   2. Check the Filterable checkbox.
   3. Repeat for any other filterable columns in the child feed.
   4. If the child feed also has a child feed, follow steps 2a and 2b above to set up the controlling column.
6. (Optional) If you're using other child or grandchild feeds, repeat steps 4 and 5 for each feed.

Add rules to your profile

1. Go to Step 3: Manage Rules. For each of the child and grandchild feeds, set the parent feed and the controlling column in the parent feed.
   1. For the child feeds, select Prioritized for the type.
   2. To set the parent feeds and controlling columns, click Manage. A window opens where you can edit feed rules.

2. In the Manage window, click New rule and enter a name for the rule. Give the rule a name that describes the filtering strategy for the rule (for example, "Filter for Product Family").

3. Set "Auto-filter" to Yes for the filterable columns of the child feed.

4. For the targeting strategy, select Dependent selection.

5. In Select element, select the name of the parent feed.

6. In Select attribute, select the controlling column of the parent feed. Any other filtering strategies set during Step 2 for the child feed should also be set again here.
   

Frequently asked questions

How do I set defaults when using dependent selection?

In the parent feed, set the default row using a Boolean column. This is the same way you would set defaults when not using dependent selection.

• In the parent feed, leave the cells in the filterable column and the controlling column empty for the default row.
• In the child feed, set the default row with a Boolean column and leave the cells in filterable columns empty.

Example feeds with default rows

How many levels of dependent selection can I use?

Currently, you can use three levels of dependent selection: parent, child, and grandchild feeds.

Is there a limit to the number of feeds I can add to a profile that uses dependent selection?

No, the only limit is related to the levels of feeds. For example, five different dependent selection attributes could pass to 3 different child feeds. There can be parent, children, and grandchildren feeds, but the number of them is not limited.

Can a profile that uses dependent selection use feeds that are not dependent?

Yes, a single profile can contain feeds that use dependent selection, as well as other feeds that do not use dependent selection. For example, a profile could have a feed that just filters on geographic location to determine which brand's logo appears in the creative. The same profile could also have a parent and child feed, using dependent selection.

How do I preview a profile with dependent selection?

To preview a profile using dependent selection, you only need to select the filters for the parent feed. For instance, if a parent feed filters on Campaign Manager 360 placement ID which is paired with a product family, and the product family is passed from the parent's controlling column to the child feed to filter by product family, you only need to the Campaign Manager 360 placement ID to preview it.

One way to think about this is that the preview mimics what happens when your ad is live. At impression, Campaign Manager 360 sends Studio relevant information for the impression (in this case, a Campaign Manager 360 placement ID). Campaign Manager does not pass the dependent value used in the child feed (product family). Studio chooses an eligible row from the parent feed based on the placement ID. Based on the parent feed row, a dependent value is chosen from the parent feed and passed to the child feed.

How many values can be passed in any row of the controlling column?

Only one value can be passed from the controlling column of the parent feed to the filterable column of the child feed. This means that you can only enter one value per row in the controlling column. The controlling column cannot contain comma-separated values or a list of values.