---
schema_version: "1"
id: 691d58930d734e94b1293ea124465d11ec3b4a2aad121fa63057ba8e4f92b914
title: Data Extension Entry Source Use Cases
collection: admin
version: current
locale: en-us
portal_url: https://docs.salesforce.com/admin/current/en-us/mktg/264-0-0/mc_jb_de_entry_source_use_cases.md
canonical_url: https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=mktg.mc_jb_de_entry_source_use_cases.htm&release=264.0.0&type=5
source_site: help.salesforce.com
content_type: documentation
content_hash: 15618473e25f897d85d585bd5283dbc66502ce1523ee2b352719bf57e68cdab2
description: Read about how Northern Trail Outfitters (NTO) used the data extension entry source to hold a raffle, sell winter accessories, and support disaster relief.
products:
  - Marketing
  - Marketing Cloud Engagement
release: "264"
---
# Data Extension Entry Source Use Cases

Read about how Northern Trail Outfitters (NTO) used the data extension entry source to hold a raffle, sell winter accessories, and support disaster relief.

## Monthly Customer Raffle

NTO collects purchase information about customers who buy its outdoor lifestyle goods in a data extension called NTO Customer Raffle. On the first Monday of each month, NTO holds a customer appreciation contest. As part of the contest, an email is sent to customers who purchased something the previous month. A gift card is awarded to one customer who opens the email.

A marketer at NTO creates a journey to facilitate the contest by clicking **Create Journey from Scratch**. The marketer drags the data extension entry source onto the canvas and clicks the entry source to configure it. Then, NTO selects the Customers data extension, which is linked 1: many to the NTO Customer Raffle data extension in Contact Builder.

The marketer then creates a filter to admit customers whose most recent purchase happened within the past month. The marketer drags the PurchaseDate attribute into the filter and sets the PurchaseDate to on or before today and PurchaseDate is after Today Minus 30 days.

The marketer then sets the journey’s schedule by clicking **Schedule** and selecting **Recurring**. The marketer sets the recurrence to happen once on the first Monday of every month. Because customers can make purchases at any time during the month to be eligible for the contest, the marketer selects **Evaluate all records**.

## Winter Accessories Journey

NTO’s marketer creates a journey to market winter hats and gloves to North American customers. To reach only customers in cold-weather climates, the marketer drags the data extension into the journey and chooses the Customers data extension. The marketer then configures a filter that includes only customers in colder areas, for example, Region equals Northeast or Region equals Midwest or Country equals Canada.

To set the journey’s schedule, the marketer clicks **Schedule**. To end the journey before warm weather arrives, the marketer chooses **Recurring** with an end date in April. The marketer then sets the schedule to repeat every Monday.

Because new contacts are continually added to the Customers data extension, the marketer selects **Evaluate new records only**.

## Disaster Relief Campaign

After a natural disaster hits a western U.S. state, NTO creates a journey to solicit disaster relief donations from its most active and loyal customers. To automate this work, NTO’s marketer creates a journey that runs only once on activation.

To set up the journey, the marketer configures the data extension entry source to admit contacts from the Loyalty\_Members data extension. NTO wants to solicit donations only from customers in the same country where the disaster occurred, so the filter is set to Country equals United States.

After configuring the entry source, the journey schedule. The intent of this journey is to send a single series of messages related to the disaster relief effort, the marketer selects **Run Once** as the schedule type.