Slate provides support for the capture and retention of multiple email addresses and telephone numbers. These multiple contact points are stored on the [device] table and are flattened and synced with other tables, such as the [person] table, through real-time updates. This is a complex process, and to help our partners fully understand this functionality and its implementation, we have enumerated several key points and scenarios below.
| Key | Description |
|---|---|
| Record | the person ID (or another record ID) |
| Type | email, phone, mobile, and business (these types are customizable) |
| Value | the email address or telephone number |
| Priority |
1 (high) 0 (normal) -1 (low) -2 (inactive) |
| Rank | the highest-priority, most-recently updated device for a record+type |
When setting the [email], [phone], [mobile], or [business] columns on the [person] table, as can happen through an online application, an Upload Dataset import, or a form, we will push that contact address into the [device] table, if it does not already exist, with a normal priority.
- If the device already exists and a change is made to the device type or device value, we will set its Device Updated Date to the current date/time to push it to the top. If no change is made to the type or value for the device, the Device Updated Date will not change.
- If the device already exists for the former value on the [person] table and the value is set to NULL on the [person] table, we will set the device to inactive. (Including a NULL value in an Upload Dataset import will not be affected by this, as NULL values are automatically excluded from imports.)
- If the device already exists for the former value on the [person] table and the new value is different, we will add a new device and will retain the former device.
- Devices appear on the Profile tab > Contact/Address.
- Through this interface, you can delete, modify, and insert any number of additional devices.
- When there are changes to the devices table, the ranks are recalculated and the [person] table is updated to match. This ensures that all existing data feeds, filters, and exports continue to function as originally designed.
When two records are merged, their devices list are merged following the same protocols as mailing addresses, where the high-priority, recently-updated addresses take precedence over normal or low-priority addresses.
The "Messages" section on the "Interactions" tab looks at the messages associated with all active and inactive email addresses, providing a comprehensive history of the email communications to that recipient.