Search Content


Featured Content


Content Categories



ExactTarget API tip - complex filters

A couple of weeks ago I was at a client site doing ExactTarget API consulting. This client is standardizing on ExactTarget as their single source of all e-mail communications from three of their internal applications. They will use 5Buckets for the automation in certain cases, but also needed to develop their own integration with ExactTarget directly.

One of the developers posed me a question about “filters” in the ExactTarget web service. You can use
simplefilterpart() to specify what data point you want to filter on, and of course the value. For example, to filter on CustomerKey -


SimpleFilterPart sfp = new SimpleFilterPart();
sfp.Property = “CustomerKey”;
sfp.SimpleOperator = SimpleOperators.equals;
sfp.Value = new string[] { “TransactionalSendKey” };

Here you are first creating an instance of SimpleFilterPart. Then indicating that you want to filter using “CustomerKey”, indicating the operator and finally the value of the CustomerKey.

Now, if you have two filter criteria, you create two instances of the SimpleFilterPart and join the two using ComplexFilterPart (see code example in the Webserivces API guide, pg. 36)

Going back to the question that came up at client site - they wanted to know how they would add a third filter criteria. Well, it’s simple enough. Create a third instance of SimpleFilterPart and set the property and values as appropriate. Then create another instance of a ComplexFilterPart and assign you first ComplexFilterPart to the LeftOperand and the third SimpleFilterPart to the RightOperand.


ComplexFilterPart ComplexFilter2 = new ComplexFilterPart();
ComplexFilter2.LeftOperand = ComplexFilter1;
ComplexFilter2.LogicalOperator = LogicalOperators.AND;
ComplexFilter2.RightOperand = ThirdSimpleFilterPart;




Related Enterprise Application Articles

CRM Surges as Brands Demand Measurable Results


Here are several excerpts from an article by Michael Bush and Rupal Parekh, More Marketers Want to Get to Know You: The days of putting millions of dollars against something without being able to track its effectiveness are soon to be over....

Read more about CRM Surges as Brands Demand Measurable Results...

And now also Tweeting....


Had I been a venture capitalist a few years back, and, had I entertained a pitch from the folks looking to develop Twitter, then here’s what I would have said (choking back tears of laughter): ‘OK, so let me get this straight, you want to develop...

Read more about And now also Tweeting.......