What this screen is for
A segment is a set of rules rather than a fixed list, so its membership follows the data. The page counts total segments, active segments and the estimated contacts across them, and the table shows each segment with its description, how many rules it carries, its estimated size, its status and when it was last calculated.
Why it matters
The contact figure is an estimate with a calculation timestamp, so a segment that has not been recalculated recently may not reflect who would actually receive a campaign today. Changing a rule changes who is included from then on, including for campaigns you have already built against that segment.
What you see on this screen
Three counters: Total Segments, Active Segments and Est. Total Contacts. The word estimated is doing work in all three - these are calculated figures, not a live count.
The table has seven columns: Name, Description, Rules (how many conditions the segment carries), Est. Contacts, Status, Last Calculated and Actions. A segment that has never been calculated reads Never in the Last Calculated column, and its estimated size should not be relied on until it has.
Deleting a segment shows its name, how many conditions it holds and its estimated contacts before you confirm.
Filters and actions
A Search segments box narrows the list, and a status filter offers All Status, Active and Inactive. New Segment opens the rule builder. Rows can be edited or deleted.
Status values
Active - the segment is available as a campaign audience. Inactive - it is kept but not offered. An inactive segment is the safer way to retire one, since deleting it removes the definition entirely.
Related
- Contact Lists - fixed lists you curate by hand
- Suppression List - contacts excluded from every send
- Compliance - consent behind the contacts being targeted