---
schema_version: "1"
id: 2a9cd2c1fbe42cf8ca864e950b14c0657140d9a93e03306d3c041698e67f1c0a
title: Data Extension Sends
collection: admin
version: current
locale: en-us
portal_url: https://docs.salesforce.com/admin/current/en-us/mktg/264-0-0/mc_moc_data_extension_sends.md
canonical_url: https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=mktg.mc_moc_data_extension_sends.htm&release=264.0.0&type=5
source_site: help.salesforce.com
content_type: documentation
content_hash: 3896b258dc168a6a68100d1e029ad0d89131bc284b66b1ac8cdb3ada1a01bc2f
description: Improve audience segmentation and filtering for your MobileConnect messages. Use attributes and information stored in Marketing Cloud Engagement data extensions.
products:
  - Marketing
  - Marketing Cloud Engagement
release: "264"
---
# Data Extension Sends

Improve audience segmentation and filtering for your MobileConnect messages. Use attributes and information stored in Marketing Cloud Engagement data extensions.

To send to a data extension, select this audience type when you create a message. This audience type works with the schedule or automation send methods only.

## Data Extension Preparation

Create a data extension in Contact Builder with contact information. Data extensions appear in MobileConnect only if they meet these criteria:

- Marked as sendable
- Contain only one phone field
- Contain only one locale field
- Subscriber key, not subscriber ID, is used for the send relationship

## Mobile Number Validation

You can send only to normalized mobile numbers with a locale. Normalizing a mobile number ensures that the number is in the correct format. When you import mobile numbers into a data extension, select **Normalize Phone Numbers** on the Upload File step (even if you believe that the numbers are already normalized). Include the five-character locale in your source file when you import contacts into your data extension.

- **[Valid Locales for Data Extension Sends](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=mktg.mc_moc_data_extension_locales.htm&release=264.0.0&type=5)**  
    For MobileConnect in Marketing Cloud Engagement, you can send only to data extensions whose mobile numbers include a locale. Review this list to ensure that your locales are valid. Include a locale with each mobile number as part of the Phone field in your source file when you import contacts to your data extension. Imported locales are converted to upper-case letters. Upper-case and lower-case letters are allowed for SMS sending.

#### See Also

- [Valid Locales for Data Extension Sends](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=mktg.mc_moc_data_extension_locales.htm&release=264.0.0&type=5 "For MobileConnect in Marketing Cloud Engagement, you can send only to data extensions whose mobile numbers include a locale. Review this list to ensure that your locales are valid. Include a locale with each mobile number as part of the Phone field in your source file when you import contacts to your data extension. Imported locales are converted to upper-case letters. Upper-case and lower-case letters are allowed for SMS sending.")
- [Email Studio List Versus Email Studio Data Extension](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=mktg.mc_es_list_versus_data_extension.htm&language=en_US)
- [Data Extensions in Contact Builder](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=mktg.mc_cab_data_extensions.htm&language=en_US)
- [https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=mktg.mc\_cab\_data\_extensions\_manage.htm](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=mktg.mc_cab_data_extensions_manage.htm&language=en_US)