Segments

Segments are saved sets of rules that match groups of profiles. They power targeted communications, campaign audiences, automation triggers, and reporting filters. Segments combine rules from multiple data sources — profile fields, application status, event attendance, campaign engagement, and more — into flexible queries.

Overview

A segment is a collection of rules that define criteria for matching profiles. Rules can be combined with AND logic (all rules must match) or OR logic (any rule can match). Multiple segments can be layered together for complex targeting.

flowchart TD
    S[Segment] --> R1[Rule: Tagged with 'alumni']
    S --> R2[Rule: In class 'MBA 2025']
    S --> R3[Rule: Opened campaign 'Newsletter']
    R1 & R2 & R3 --> Q[Query Engine]
    Q --> P[Matching Profiles]

Segment Types

FullFabric has four segment types, each serving a different purpose:

Type	Reusable	Description
Embedded	No	Defined directly within a campaign or form. Scoped to its parent entity.
Shared	Yes	Reusable across campaigns and automations. Can be assigned to specific teams.
Pinned	Yes	Mandatory filters always applied with AND logic. Cannot be combined with OR.
Static	No	Snapshots created when a campaign is dispatched. Preserves the audience at send time.

Embedded Segments

Embedded segments are one-off targeting definitions created inside a campaign or form. They cannot be reused elsewhere. When a campaign is duplicated, its embedded segments are deep-copied.

Shared Segments

Shared segments are the most common type. They act as reusable audience definitions (e.g., "All Active Students", "Alumni in London") that can be referenced by multiple campaigns and automations. Shared segments:

Track their creator
Can be scoped to specific teams
Report whether they are in use (referenced by campaigns or automation rules)

Pinned Segments

Pinned segments act as mandatory institutional filters. They are always applied with AND logic on top of other segments. Use cases include enforcing compliance requirements (e.g., "must have marketing consent") or institutional boundaries.

Static Segments

Static segments are snapshots created automatically when a campaign is dispatched. They capture:

Property	Description
`ids`	All matching profile IDs at dispatch time
`addressable_ids`	Profiles with valid email addresses
`bounced_ids`	Profiles with bounced emails
`marked_as_spam_ids`	Profiles who marked previous emails as spam
`unsubscribed_ids`	Profiles who have unsubscribed

Static segments ensure consistent reporting — even if the underlying rules would produce different results today, the static snapshot reflects the actual audience at send time.

Rule Categories

Rules define the filtering criteria within a segment. Each rule category queries a different data source.

Profile Rules

Rules that filter on direct profile properties.

Rule	Description
`TaggedWith`	Profiles with specific tags
`InTeams`	Assigned to specific teams (supports AND/OR)
`IsActive` / `IsInactive`	Account active status
`IsSubscribed` / `IsUnsubscribed`	Email subscription status
`IsForgotten` / `IsNotForgotten`	GDPR forgotten status
`EmailIsBouncing`	Primary email has bounced
`HasRoles`	Has specific lifecycle roles
`Search`	Free-text search across profile fields

Context Rules

Rules based on a profile's roles in classes, courses, and programmes.

Rule	Description
`IsIn` / `IsNotIn`	In (or not in) specific classes, courses, themes, or campuses
`PlaysRole`	Has a specific role with optional state/substate filter
`NotRole`	Does NOT have a specific role
`OwnedBy` / `NotOwned`	Owned by specific staff or unassigned
`HasWithdrawn` / `HasNotWithdrawn`	Withdrawal status in a context
`Unassigned`	No owner assigned

Application Rules

Rules based on application (applic) status.

Rule	Description
`HasApplic` / `DoesNotHaveApplic`	Has any application
`HasStartedApplic`	Has started an application
`HasSubmittedApplic`	Has submitted an application
`HasPendingPaymentApplic`	Has an application awaiting payment
`Submitted`	Submitted a specific application template
`HasStartedApplicByThemself` / `ByProxy` / `ByStaff`	Who initiated the application

Evaluation Rules

Rules based on application evaluations.

Rule	Description
`HasEvaluation` / `HasNoEvaluation`	Has an evaluation
`HasStartedEvaluation`	Evaluation initiated
`HasSubmittedEvaluation`	Evaluation completed
`HasAssignedEvaluationTo`	Evaluation assigned to a specific reviewer

Campaign Rules

Rules based on email campaign engagement.

Rule	Description
`Sent` / `NotSent`	Received (or did not receive) specific campaigns
`Open` / `DidNotOpen`	Opened (or did not open) a campaign
`Click`	Clicked a link in a campaign

Event Rules

Rules based on event registration and attendance.

Rule	Description
`Registered` / `DidNotRegister`	Registered (or not) for an event
`Attended` / `DidNotAttend`	Attended (or not) an event
`RegisteredButDidNotAttend`	Registered but did not attend

Form Rules

Rule	Description
`Submitted` / `DidNotSubmit`	Submitted (or not) a specific form

Field Rules

Rules that filter on custom field values.

Rule	Description
`Is` / `IsNot`	Field equals / does not equal a value
`Contains` / `DoesNotContain`	Field contains / does not contain a substring
`After` / `Before`	Date is after / before a value
`AfterOrOn` / `BeforeOrOn`	Date comparisons inclusive of boundary
`Exists` / `DoesNotExist`	Field has / does not have a value

Policy Rules

Rules based on consent and policy agreements.

Category	Rules
Marketing	`HasAgreed`, `DoesNotWant`, `HasNotResponded`, `Selection`, `DoesNotIncludeEmail`
Privacy	`HasAgreed`, `HasNotAgreed`, `HasNotResponded`
Data Processing	`HasConsentGivenByStaff`, `DoesNotHaveConsent`

Organisation Rules

Rule	Description
`IsInTheCommunityOf`	In an organisation's community
`IsPrimaryContact`	Is the primary contact for an organisation

Other Rules

Category	Rules
Transcripts	`HasTranscript`
Course Registrations	`StateIs`, `RegistrationStateIs`, `CourseStateIs`
Experience	`HasExperienceAt`

Query Resolution

The segment query engine translates rules into MongoDB queries and resolves matching profile IDs.

How Rules Combine

flowchart TD
    subgraph "Pinned Segments (always AND)"
        PS1[Pinned: Has marketing consent]
        PS2[Pinned: Is not forgotten]
    end
    subgraph "Filter Segments (OR by default)"
        FS1[Shared: Alumni in London]
        FS2[Embedded: Opened newsletter]
    end
    PS1 & PS2 --> AND1[AND]
    FS1 --> OR1[OR]
    FS2 --> OR1
    AND1 --> FINAL[AND]
    OR1 --> FINAL
    FINAL --> RESULT[Final Query]

Pinned segments are always combined with AND — all must match
Filter segments are combined with OR by default — matching any is sufficient
The pinned result is ANDed with the filter result for the final query

Within a Single Segment

Inclusive = false (default): All rules must match (AND logic)
Inclusive = true: Any rule can match (OR logic)
System rules: Rules marked as system: true are always required, even in inclusive mode

Selected Profiles

In addition to rule-based matching, segments support manual profile selection. Staff can hand-pick profiles to include in a segment, which is combined with rule results.

Scoping

Segments can be scoped to specific contexts, limiting which campaigns or automations can use them. This supports institutional boundaries and team-based access control. See Data Access Scopes for how scopes integrate with the authorization system.

Use Cases

Use Case	Segment Type	Example
Email campaigns	Shared or Embedded	Target alumni who attended events in 2025
Automation triggers	Shared	Trigger welcome email for new prospects
Compliance enforcement	Pinned	Ensure marketing consent before any campaign
Campaign reporting	Static	Know exactly who received a campaign
Audience building	Shared	"MBA Prospects in Europe" reused across campaigns
One-off targeting	Embedded	Custom audience for a single email blast

Custom Fields

Profile Operations