# Creating a Real Time Triggered Activation

This feature is in Beta. Contact your Customer Success Representative for more information.

A real-time triggered activation allows you to communicate with a potential or existing customer within minutes instead of daily. Real-time triggered activations support the following events:

* [Wait Step](/products/customer-data-platform/journey-orchestration/realtime/creating-a-wait-step-for-a-real-time-journey): Insert multiple wait steps into a journey's path to define the cadence in which you interact with profiles.
* [Decision point](/products/customer-data-platform/journey-orchestration/realtime/creating-a-realtime-decision-point): Create one or more decision points to direct your user down a personalized path.
* [Merge](/products/customer-data-platform/journey-orchestration/realtime/creating-a-merge-for-a-real-time-journey): Merge multiple decision points into a single point.


This topic includes:

* [Create Triggered Activation](#create-triggered-activation)
* [Enter Real-time Activation Details](#enter-real-time-activation-details)
* [Braze](#braze)
* [Sendgrid](#sendgrid)
* [Salesforce Marketing Cloud Output Data Streaming](#salesforce-marketing-cloud-output-data-streaming)
* [Webhook Output Streaming](#webhook-output-streaming)
* [Using Real-time Attributes in Trigger Activations](#using-real-time-attributes-in-trigger-activations)
* [About Real-time Variables](#about-real-time-variables)


## Create Triggered Activation

1. Open TD Console.
2. Navigate to Audience Studio.
3. Navigate to an existing real-time journey and open it or [create a real-time journey](/products/customer-data-platform/journey-orchestration/realtime/creating-a-real-time-journey).
4. Select a stage.
5. In the left panel, select Triggered Activation and drag and drop it to the Journey canvas.


![](/assets/new-topic-6-2024-03-12.e6f8d83d02baeb64c9f88d42c672734439e22cf9f0dbb08020b38fb829e77c5f.9e7171ae.png)

Alternately, select the plus sign at the end of the stage rule and select **Add triggered activation**.

## Enter Real-time Activation Details

Marketers might need to contact their data engineer to identify the correct authentication details.

You can configure a triggered activation to work with the following streaming integrations:

* [Braze Output Streaming](https://docs.treasuredata.com/smart/project-integrations/braze-output-streaming-integration)
* [Salesforce Marketing Cloud Output Data Streaming](https://docs.treasuredata.com/smart/project-integrations/salesforce-marketing-cloud-output-data-streaming)
* [SendGrid Output Streaming](https://docs.treasuredata.com/smart/project-integrations/sendgrid-output-streaming-integration)
* [Realtime Webhook Activation](https://docs.treasuredata.com/smart/project-integrations/webhook-output-streaming-integration)


While the configuration details vary between integrations, the information you need to provide can generally be grouped as follows:

* Integration details -- these are integration-specific details that determine how the streaming data is returned.
* Payload -- these configurations are where you define what information will be returned in the payload. Using the TD Console you can specify Imported Attributes, Real-time Attributes, or Journey Metadata such as Journey Name, Journey Stage Name, Audience Name, etc.
* Timeouts and Retries -- these configurations are where you define how retries happen if the integration experiences a timeout condition.


To create or update a triggered activation:

1. Select the triggered activation you want to configure ![](/assets/triggeredactivation.66e546b8c4cc774c0bdd804d0d099b63cf12b1916181d85d7c715be95bd61810.9e7171ae.png).


![](/assets/detailstriggeredactivations.543b5576f6eee3be0b13f6ce47f5b851a5daa4159fe88a9181347dc644df88bc.9e7171ae.png)

1. In the triggered activation window, select an activation from the **Copy triggered activation from** drop-down menu.
2. Enter a **Triggered activation name**.
3. Enter an **Optional description** of the activation.
4. From the **Authentication** drop-down menu, select the authentication the activation should use.


Depending on the type of authentication you choose, the details you will need to provide will vary. Refer to the integration-specific tables below for more information.

1. Verify or provide the information required for the fields on the Details page.
2. After the Details are configured, select **Create** or **Update**.


The following tables describe the configuration fields for authentication integrations. For fields containing an Add batch attributes option, see the [Using Real-time Attributes in Trigger Activations](/products/customer-data-platform/journey-orchestration/realtime/creating-a-real-time-triggered-activation#rtatttrig) section for more information about the prefix notation used for selections.

### Braze

| Field | Action/Description |
|  --- | --- |
| **Integration Details** |  |
| API-Triggered Delivery | Select **Campaign** or **Canvas** for the API-triggered delivery. |
| Campaign ID | (Required) Enter the Braze campaign or canvas identifier that matches the selected delivery. |
| Send ID | (Optional) Enter the Braze send identifier associated with the authentication. |
| Broadcast | Selecting this checkbox sends the data as a broadcast.*Use caution--enabling broadcast can unintentionally send messages to a larger audience than expected.* |
| **Payload** |  |
| Trigger Properties | Enter the JSON payload for the triggered properties. Select **+ Add** to insert Imported attributes, Real-time attributes, or Journey Metadata (Journey Name, Journey ID, Journey Stage Name, Audience Name, Audience ID, Activation Timestamp in UNIX). |
| Connected Audiences | (Optional) Configure Braze connected audiences for the activation, if needed. |
| Recipients | (Optional) Configure the recipients section according to your Braze setup. |
| **Timeouts and Retries** |  |
| Maximum Number of Retry | Select how many times the activation should retry on failure. |
| Initial Retry Delay (in seconds) | Enter the number of seconds to wait before the first retry. |
| Retry Delay Multiple | Enter the factor that multiplies the retry delay after each attempt. |


![](/assets/screenshot-2025-03-19-21-40-38.94ca6d6cba648a9248ff9145463ab9b56bdcadd742643bfaef60abf763aff4fb.9e7171ae.png)
The `triggered_properties` object has a maximum size limit of 50 KB.

### Sendgrid

| Field | Action/Description |
|  --- | --- |
| **Integration Details** |  |
| From Email | (Required) Enter the email address of the campaign sender. |
| From Name | Enter the sender's display name. |
| Subject | (Required) Enter the subject of the email. |
| Template ID | Enter a template ID to override substitutions in the personalized email body. |
| Unsubscribe Group ID | (Optional) Enter a group ID that lets recipients unsubscribe from the campaign. |
| **Payload** |  |
| Personalized Email Body | Enter the JSON payload for the personalized email content. Select **+ Add** to include Imported attributes, Real-time attributes, or Journey Metadata (Journey Name, Journey ID, Journey Stage Name, Audience Name, Audience ID, Activation Timestamp in UNIX). |
| Content | Provide the JSON payload for SendGrid `content` settings. |
| Attachment | Provide the JSON configuration for SendGrid attachments. |
| Mail Settings | Provide the JSON configuration for SendGrid mail settings. |
| Tracking Settings | Provide the JSON configuration for SendGrid tracking settings. |
| **Timeouts and Retries** |  |
| Maximum Number of Retry | Select how many times the activation should retry on failure. |
| Initial Retry Wait (in seconds) | Enter the number of seconds to wait before the first retry. |
| Maximum Retry Wait (in seconds) | Enter the maximum amount of time to wait between retries. |


![](/assets/screenshot-2025-03-19-21-40-38.94ca6d6cba648a9248ff9145463ab9b56bdcadd742643bfaef60abf763aff4fb.9e7171ae.png)
For Personalized Email Body, input the configured email template. Use `__column_name__` to mark a substitute column or alias. All substitute columns and aliases must exist in the exported data. **Payload limitations:** the **Attachment**, **Mail Settings**, and **Tracking Settings** sections do not accept Journey Metadata values; the activation fails if Journey Metadata are included there.

### Salesforce Marketing Cloud Output Data Streaming

| Field | Action/Description |
|  --- | --- |
| **Integration Details** |  |
| Trigger action | (Required) Choose the Salesforce Marketing Cloud action to trigger:- Send an email- Trigger a journey |
| Definition Key | (Required) Enter the key associated with the selected trigger action:- Send an email: email template definition key- Trigger a journey: API entry event definition key |
| Contact Key | (Required) Select a String, Batch attribute, Imported attribute, Real-time attribute, or Journey Metadata, then provide the unique recipient identifier used in Salesforce Marketing Cloud. |
| Recipient Email Address | Displayed only when **Send an email** is selected. Choose one of the following:- String -- enter an email address- Imported attribute -- select an imported attribute- Real-time attribute -- select a real-time attribute- Journey Metadata -- select the metadata to use |
| **Payload** |  |
| Attributes | Enter the JSON payload for the attributes. Select **+ Add** to include Imported attributes, Real-time attributes, or Journey Metadata (Journey Name, Journey ID, Journey Stage Name, Audience Name, Audience ID, Activation Timestamp in UNIX). |
| **Timeouts and Retries** |  |
| Maximum Number of Retry | Select how many times the activation should retry on failure. |
| Initial Retry Delay (in seconds) | Enter the number of seconds to wait before the first retry. |
| Retry Delay Multiple | Enter the factor that multiplies the retry delay after each attempt. |


![](/assets/screenshot-2025-03-19-21-40-38.94ca6d6cba648a9248ff9145463ab9b56bdcadd742643bfaef60abf763aff4fb.9e7171ae.png)
Each selected batch attribute creates key-value pairs for personalization. For journeys, those values are stored in the Salesforce Marketing Cloud data extension defined for the trigger.

### Webhook Output Streaming

| Field | Action/Description |
|  --- | --- |
| **Integration Details** |  |
| HTTP Method | Select the HTTP method for the API call. Available options: GET, POST, PUT, DELETE, or PATCH. |
| URL | Specify the HTTPS endpoint for your third-party service. The URL must use the base URL defined in the authentication's URL Prefix and can be up to 2,048 characters. |
| Custom Headers | Specify any custom headers required for the API call (up to 32 headers, each <= 256 bytes). Provide both a key (for example, `content-type`) and a value (for example, `application/json`). |
| **Payload** |  |
| Request Body | Enter the JSON payload for the request body. Select **+ Add** to include Imported attributes, Real-time attributes, or Journey Metadata (Journey Name, Journey ID, Journey Stage Name, Audience Name, Audience ID, Activation Timestamp in Unix). |
| **Timeouts and Retries** |  |
| Retry Limit | Integer between 0 and 64 that specifies how many times the call retries. |
| Connection Timeout (seconds) | Integer between 1 and 900 that specifies how long to wait for the call to establish a connection. |
| Read Timeout (seconds) | Integer between 1 and 900 that specifies how long to wait for a read request to finish. |
| Write Timeout (seconds) | Integer between 1 and 900 that specifies how long to wait for a write request to finish. |


The Webhook connector does not check for duplicate headers. Ensure no duplicate keys are defined.

![](/assets/triggeredactivationsaddcontrol.10000058ceeb1d6e471d63c7122a7ebbd27b6cbecd378f3727e5cdc20a8b0ed4.9e7171ae.png) The maximum request body size is 250 KB. You can reference the authentication secret from the API Key field as `{{auth.api_key}}`.

## Using Real-time Attributes in Trigger Activations

You cannot directly access sliding counter attribute sub-durations and list attribute aggregations; instead, use the corresponding sub-attributes. Refer to the following table for the correct formatting.

| Attribute Type | Example | Description |
|  --- | --- | --- |
| list | `{{list.first}}``{{list.list_attribute.first}}` | Identifies a list aggregation. |
| counter | `{{counter.inc_value}}``{{counter.inc_value.by_2}}``{{counter.sliding_counter_inc_value.perweek}}` | Identifies a counter and, where present, the sliding counter sub-duration. |
| single | `{{single.sliding_consent_inc1.first}}` | Identifies a single-byte attribute. |
| imported | `{{imported.email}}``{{imported.order_id}}` | Prefix used for imported attributes. |


Learn more about [creating real-time attributes](/products/customer-data-platform/real-time/real-time-attributes-overview).

## About Real-time Variables

URLs, HTTP headers, and request bodies can reference authentication variables. Enter the variables manually in the triggered activation fields.

| Attribute Type | Example | Description |
|  --- | --- | --- |
| auth | `{{auth.api.key}}` | Contains the API key supplied by the authentication. |


Triggered activation fields can also reference metadata variables.

| Attribute Type | Example | Description |
|  --- | --- | --- |
| meta | `{{meta.time}}``{{meta.parent_segment_id}}``{{meta.journey_id}}` | Provides journey metadata. `meta.time` is the timestamp when the activation is sent. |