The Transaction Header and Transaction Data Elements

The transaction header information supports the Transaction ID, the Store ID, and the Receipt data and time data, as described below.

Note: The Transaction ID must be unique within a file, otherwise the import will fail.

Records within a single file that have duplicate transaction IDs will not be loaded. TIBCO Reward’s Data Integration team can help to ensure that a unique transaction identifier is used.

Store ID provides information on the store where the transaction took place. This data is required if you are using offers that are redeemable only at certain stores. To use this functionality, you must have implemented the store file import in addition to providing store information in the transaction file.

The ReceiptDateTime defines the date and time of the transaction, and so serves as a time stamp. This information can be used to:

  • Identify a transaction’s eligibility for offers and awards.
  • Target customers based on past purchases and Recency Frequency Monetary (RFM) considerations.
  • Establish the membership start date. This occurs when a new customer record is being created with the transaction, and the customer is being defined as a member of the loyalty program.
  • Serve as a dimension in reporting and analysis.

ShipDateTime is an alternate field that can be used to date a transaction. Some clients prefer to use this date, especially for their e-commerce systems. Use ReceiptDateTime if the award is to be given as of the date of receipt of the item. Use ShipDateTime if the award is to be given as of the date the product is shipped.

TIBCO Reward requires Transaction IDs to be unique within a file, and this is enforced as a technical restriction during file processing. Note that Transaction IDs should in fact be unique across all files. To achieve this result, TIBCO Reward advises clients who re-use old transaction IDs to add a date/time stamp to the Transaction ID.