Program Name Validation in Smart List Filters

Current behavior allows an invalid, nonexistent, or blank Program Name value to be treated as "Is Any" rather than returning no results or generating an error. In my example, I have a list of program names provided to me by a team member. I put it in the Member of Program is and pasted them all in along with a constraint of status = Event > Registered. The smart list gave me thousands of results. In reality, none of those programs I put in the Member of Program criteria was even valid. So why would it show me any results?

This behavior is counterintuitive and creates a significant risk for audience selection, reporting accuracy, and operational decision-making. If a user enters an invalid Program Name, the Smart List appears to function correctly while silently broadening the audience. As a result, configuration errors can go undetected and may lead to unintended campaign execution or inaccurate reporting.

From a product usability and data integrity perspective, an invalid filter value should not default to a broader audience. User expectations would generally be one of the following:

• Return 0 results when the Program Name does not exist.
• Display a validation error indicating the Program Name is invalid.
• Display a warning that the specified Program Name could not be validated.

Recommended behavior:

• Validate Program Name values when the Smart List is saved or executed.
• Return no matches for invalid or nonexistent Program Names.
• Surface a warning or error message to help users identify and correct configuration issues.

This enhancement would improve data quality, reduce the risk of audience selection errors, and make filter behavior more consistent with user expectations.