Transactional messages are messages that are based on a business relationship between two entities; these messages are considered "business as usual," and range from invoices to receipts to any other transaction-based communication. However, while transactional messages are typically considered outside the realm of typical email-marketing communications, Higher Logic Thrive Marketing Professional includes a Transactional module that enables you to manage your transactional messages.

Transactional messages are similar to other messages in that you'll use things like a template and a Target Group. A transactional message, however, can also have a PDF attachment that contains information about the transaction at hand (such as an invoice). In fact, transactional messages don't even have to contain standard message content such as stories; they can simply consist of the template and attached PDF.

The Transactional module allows for greater efficiency when you're able to couple your transactional messages with your regular messages — especially if you are using an AMS-managed database.

Transactional message templates

When working with a transactional message, there are two types of templates you'll need to consider:

• The first is the standard message template that is used for most messages,
• and the second is a unique transactional template called an Attachment template.

Attachment template

The Attachment template tells the system how the attachment should look. The data placed in that template is merged from your recipient data file or SQL view and then placed into the template for each message recipient.

NOTE: Transactional messages only accept personalization codes associated with the recipient data file or SQL View. They cannot accept other personalization fields.

• Recipient Data File - The data that is merged into the attachment or transactional message can be pulled from a separate recipient data file that is uploaded when the transactional message is created. For example, if an invoice requires seven pieces of data: first name, last name, organization, amount due, due date, quantity of order, and date of order — all seven pieces of data for each transactional message must be a part of the uploaded recipient data file. See Recipient Data Files.
• SQL View - You can use a SQL View from an iMIS integrated database to bring data into a transactional message. The database must contain the required data and they must be added to the SQL View so that they can be brought into the transactional message. See iMIS SQL Views.

Learn more about Recipient Data File and iMIS SQL View formats and importing rules in iMIS Transactional Mailings Formats.

Only iMIS SQL Views can be set as recurring transactional messages.

• If a recurring message is sent immediately (Send Now), the "recurring" setting is overridden and the message is no longer sent on a recurring schedule.
• If a recurring message is set to On Hold, no additional messages are sent.

Transactional message reporting

Every time you send a transactional message, its metrics are recorded in a corresponding report: the Mailing Activity Report (MAR). Each MAR is specific to one mailing.

See Transactional Message Reporting for more information.