How do I get a segment or an audience from an external system that is not from Adobe into Target, what are my options?

[MauG]

We are going to use SalesForce DataCloud in the company I work for and at this point we don't know how to import audiences to Target.

Is there any documentation or anyone that did this in the past?

Thanks!

[NarenKotipalli]

@MauG  Salesforce Data Cloud and Adobe Target don’t have a native, out-of-the-box integration, so importing audiences directly isn’t straightforward. However, there are a few ways you can stream data into Target
 

1. Custom Integration via APIs: Salesforce can export audience data, and you can use Adobe Target’s Bulk Profile Update API to update user profiles.
2. Customer Attributes: If you can export audience data from Salesforce Data Cloud with a known identifier (like CRM ID or hashed email), you can upload this data as Customer Attributes in Adobe Experience Cloud. Once linked to Target, you can use those attributes to build audiences.
   To use this:
   • Upload your Salesforce audience data as a CSV or connect via an SFTP/automated feed
   • The data must include a key (e.g. ECID, CRM ID, email hash) that matches users visiting your site
   • Adobe Target can then use this to personalize experiences based on these attributes
   • Documentation link: https://experienceleague.adobe.com/en/docs/target/using/audiences/visitor-profiles/working-with-cust... 
3. Profile Attributes or Profile Scripts in Target: You can capture user identifiers or traits on-site and store them in Target profiles using mbox parameters or scripts. If you can pass something from the Salesforce audience (e.g. a flag, ID, or segment name), Target can use it to build audiences.
   
   

For more information about the different methods you can use to get data into Adobe Target check below documentation

https://experienceleague.adobe.com/en/docs/target-dev/developer/implementation/methods/methods-to-ge... 

Hope this helps!

Best,
Narendra

[pradnya_balvir]

Hi @MauG ,

Integrating external audiences (like from Salesforce Data Cloud) into Adobe Target is definitely possible, but it requires leveraging Adobe’s People core services, Experience Platform, or Customer Attributes, depending on your stack

Use Adobe Experience Platform (AEP) + Real-Time CDP (Most Scalable)

If you have Adobe Experience Platform (AEP) with Real-Time CDP:

• Salesforce Data Cloud → AEP → Adobe Target

Steps:

1. Ingest data/audiences from Salesforce into AEP via APIs or connectors

2. Use AEP Segmentation Service to build audiences

3. Share audiences to Adobe Target via AEP Destinations

Benefits:

• Real-time activation

• Unified profiles

• Easy scaling for multiple platforms

Documents:

• Activate AEP audiences to Adobe Target

• Ingest external data into AEP