Get Started with Data Transformation

Learning Objectives

In this project, you’ll:

• Define the requirements of the Data Processing Engine (DPE) definition.
  
• Sign up for a special Developer Edition org for Loyalty Management.
  
• Identify the nodes required for the DPE definition.
  
• Use Monitor Workflow Services to track DPE runs.
  

Before You Start

Before you start this project, make sure you complete the following content. The work you do here builds on the concepts and work you do in that content.

• Data Processing Engine
  

Meet Data Processing Engine

Data is vital for business growth, innovation, and day-to-day operations, yet it’s often disorganized and scattered across silos in different formats. Disconnected data is only useful when it’s transformed into actionable business intelligence. However, gathering and interpreting data can be challenging.

A common component available in Loyalty Management, here’s where Data Processing Engine (DPE) comes in. It’s a tool that extracts data from your Salesforce org, transforms the data based on your requirements, and returns the transformed results as new or updated records.

Let's understand how the loyalty team at Cloud Kicks uses DPE to meet business needs.

Cloud Kicks, a manufacturer of stylish and comfortable custom sneakers, runs a loyalty program called Cloud Kicks Inner Circle. The program is built on Salesforce Loyalty Management. When a customer places an order, the program rewards them with loyalty points. To seamlessly reward customers, the loyalty team wants to automatically generate transaction journals from newly created orders. Linda Rosenberg, the admin at Cloud Kicks, turns to DPE to set this up.

Design the DPE Definition

Integrating orders with a loyalty program is key for a great customer experience and program success. When a customer orders online or in-store, the order management system records the purchase details, including the customer’s name, items, quantities, and total amount. The loyalty system then uses this information to create transaction journals and reward members.

Linda designs a DPE definition to import data from orders and other sources, transform the data into a format the loyalty system understands, and create a transaction journal. The transaction journal triggers loyalty processes that reward members based on predefined rules. The Cloud Kicks loyalty program rewards members for accrual transactions related to partner purchases. Members receive qualifying points equal to the transaction amount, and non-qualifying points equal to twice the transaction amount. Let’s break it down to understand the data required for Linda’s DPE definition.

The diagram shows the flow of data through DPE nodes. You use nodes to structure, organize, and manage the flow of data processing tasks.

The Order object is the first data source, which the definition filters into active orders. The second data source is the Loyalty Program Member object, and the third source is the Contact object associated with each program member. The definition joins the second and third data sources and filters the data into active loyalty program members. After that, it joins all the active orders with active members. Next, the definition applies a formula to mark the order as processed, adding the partner and journal record IDs. Finally, two writeback objects create the transaction journal and update the order status.

Sign Up for a Developer Edition Org with Loyalty Management

To complete this project, you need a special Developer Edition org that contains Loyalty Management and our sample data. Get the free Developer Edition and connect it to Trailhead now so you can complete the challenges in this project. Note that this Developer Edition is designed to work with the challenges in this badge, and may not work for other badges. Always check that you’re using the Trailhead Playground or special Developer Edition org that we recommend.

1. Sign up for a free Developer Edition org with Loyalty Management.
   
2. Fill out the form:
   
   • For Email, enter an active email address.
     
   • For Username, enter a username that looks like an email address and is unique, but it doesn’t need to be a valid email account (for example, yourname@lm4ever.com).
     
3. After you fill out the form, click Sign me up. A confirmation message appears.
   
4. When you receive the activation email (this might take a few minutes), open it and click Verify Account.
   
5. Complete your registration by setting your password and challenge question. Tip: Save your username, password, and login URL in a secure place—such as a password manager—for easy access later.
   
6. You are logged in to your Developer Edition.
   

Now connect your new Developer Edition org to Trailhead.

1. Make sure you're logged in to your Trailhead account.
   
2. In the Challenge section at the bottom of this page, click the playground name and then click Connect Org.
   
3. On the login screen, enter the username and password for the Developer Edition you just set up.
   
4. On the Allow Access? screen, click Allow.
   
5. On the Want to connect this org for hands-on challenges? screen, click Yes! Save it. You are redirected back to the challenge page and ready to use your new Developer Edition to earn this badge.
   

Now that you have a Loyalty Management-enabled org, let’s create the DPE definition. In the next step, follow along as Linda gets to work.

Resources

• Salesforce Help: Data Processing Engine