# Getting Started with Real-Time 2.0

This guide covers the prerequisites, setup workflow, configuration limits, and best practices you need to successfully implement Real-Time 2.0. Use this guide to plan and execute your Real-Time 2.0 deployment.

**New to Real-Time 2.0?** Start with the [Real-Time 2.0 Overview](/products/customer-data-platform/real-time/real-time) to understand what Real-Time 2.0 is and what it can do for your business.

## Prerequisites

Before configuring Real-Time 2.0, ensure you have:

### Required

- **Parent Segment created:** You must have at least one Parent Segment already created. Real-Time features are enabled on a per-Parent Segment basis.
- **Administrator access:** The Parent Segment owner must be a Treasure Data administrator, or you must have administrator privileges to enable real-time features.
- **Enterprise Support contract:** Real-Time 2.0 requires an Enterprise Support agreement (Standard Support is not sufficient) to receive SLA guarantees.


### Recommended

- **Profile key strategy:** Plan your profile key (primary ID) before enabling real-time, as it cannot be changed later.
- **Data ingestion setup:** Have your real-time data ingestion configured (web tracking, mobile SDKs, or streaming APIs).
- **Use case definition:** Identify specific use cases you want to implement (e.g., abandoned cart, web personalization).
- **Channel integration:** Ensure destination channels (email, SMS, personalization engines) are configured.


## Setup Workflow

Here's the high-level process for enabling and configuring Real-Time 2.0:

### Step 1: Create Parent Segment

If you don't already have a Parent Segment, create one using Data Workbench. This Parent Segment will contain the batch customer data you want to use in real-time decisioning.

**Key decisions:**

- Define your profile key (primary ID) - this cannot be changed later
- Include all relevant batch attributes you'll need for personalization and triggering


**Learn more:** [Creating Parent Segments](/products/customer-data-platform/data-workbench/parent-segments/creating-parent-segments)

### Step 2: Request Real-Time Enablement

Contact Treasure Data Customer Support to enable Real-Time features on your Parent Segment. Provide:

- Customer account information
- Parent Segment ID(s) to enable
- Link to your order form
- Desired connectors for activations


This step provisions the Real-Time infrastructure for your Parent Segment and can take several hours.

### Step 3: Ingest Real-Time Data

Set up data ingestion to capture customer events in real-time:

- Configure web tracking SDKs for website behavior
- Set up mobile SDKs for app events
- Integrate webhooks or streaming APIs for other event sources


**Learn more:** [Ingesting Real-time Data](/products/customer-data-platform/real-time/ingesting-real-time-data)

### Step 4: Configure Parent Segment for Real-Time

Use Data Workbench to configure your Parent Segment for real-time processing:

1. **Event Tables:** Specify which streaming tables should trigger real-time processing
2. **Event Definitions:** (Optional) Create filtered event definitions to refine triggering logic
3. **Attributes:** Import batch attributes and configure real-time attributes
4. **ID Stitching:** Define ID stitching keys to recognize and unify customer profiles
5. **Profile Key:** Select the profile key for looking up customer data


**Learn more:** [Setting Up Parent Segments](/products/customer-data-platform/real-time/creating-a-real-time-configuration)

### Step 5: Build Journeys and Personalization

Once your Parent Segment is configured, you can:

- Create real-time journeys with triggered activations
- Configure personalization rules and API integrations
- Set up web or mobile personalization


**Learn more:**

- [Real-Time Journey Orchestration](/products/customer-data-platform/journey-orchestration/realtime)
- [Real-Time Personalization](/products/customer-data-platform/real-time/about-real-time-personalization)
- [Real-Time Attributes](/products/customer-data-platform/real-time/real-time-attributes-overview)


## Configuration Limits & Behavior

Understanding these limits helps you design an effective Real-Time 2.0 implementation:

| Category | Limit / Behavior | Notes |
|  --- | --- | --- |
| ID Stitching Keys | Up to 100 IDs can be defined as stitching keys | Examples: email, user_id, td_client_id. Used to link events to profiles. |
| Batch ID Sync (Initialization) | Optional. Batch ID graphs can be imported into real-time to ensure continuity | Recommended when existing batch identities need to be available in real-time. |
| Profile Key (Primary ID) | Defined at Parent Segment creation; cannot be changed later | Determines the main join key across batch and real-time data. |
| Event Tables | Maximum 100 event tables per Parent Segment | Applies to both batch and real-time event tables. |
| Event Definitions | No hard limit | Aggregate filter length across definitions must be ≤1000 characters. |
| Attribute Backfill | Supported for batch attributes | Use backfill to pre-populate RT attributes with values from existing batch data. |
| Importing Batch Attributes | Supported | Newly added fields in batch tables become available after segment refresh. |
| New Event Fields | Automatically available in the database | Must be explicitly configured as RT attributes to use in personalization or triggers. |
| Multi-Account Deployment | Supported via CI/CD pipeline | Configurations can be exported from one environment and reused in another. |


### Important Behaviors

**Profile Key Selection**

- Chosen during Parent Segment setup and **cannot be changed** after real-time is enabled
- Must be both an ID Stitching key and a Parent Segment attribute
- Used as the primary lookup key for retrieving customer profiles


**Batch ID Sync**

- Not mandatory, but recommended when migrating existing batch identities into real-time
- Ensures continuity between batch and real-time identity graphs
- Improves profile recognition accuracy from the start


**Attribute Configuration**

- Backfill allows you to populate real-time attributes with historical batch values
- New event fields automatically appear in the database but must be explicitly configured as real-time attributes to use in activations or personalization


**Configuration Deployment**

- Configurations can be exported and reused across multiple environments
- Supports CI/CD workflows for consistent deployment


## Performance & Scale

Real-Time 2.0 is built to handle enterprise-scale workloads:

### Service Level Agreements (SLAs)

- **Web Personalization:** 100 milliseconds (for up to 20 attributes)
- **Triggered Activations:** 3 minutes end-to-end (from event ingestion to activation delivery)


SLAs require an Enterprise Support contract. Standard Support does not include SLA guarantees.

### Scale Capacity

- **Event Ingestion:** 2,000 events per second per customer (scales horizontally to 100,000+ events per second)
- **Real-Time Decisioning:** 8,000 events per second per customer (horizontally scalable with expected limit at 100x)
- **Triggered Activations:** 8,000 events per second per customer (horizontally scalable)
- **Profiles:** Supports billions of customer profiles


## Best Practices

### Before You Begin

1. **Plan your profile key strategy** carefully before enabling real-time. Once set, it cannot be changed.
2. **Define your use cases** clearly. Know what customer behaviors you want to respond to and what actions you want to trigger.
3. **Start simple:** Begin with 2-3 campaigns in one channel, then expand as you build expertise.
4. **Separate streaming and batch data:** Keep streaming event data separate from Parent Segment tables for better organization.


### During Configuration

1. **Use attribute backfill** when enabling real-time for existing batch segments to ensure historical data is available.
2. **Limit the number of ID stitching keys** to those that truly identify unique customers (email, phone, customer ID).
3. **Configure Event Definitions thoughtfully** to filter only the events you need, reducing unnecessary processing.
4. **Test thoroughly** in a non-production environment before deploying to production.


### After Deployment

1. **Monitor activation logs** regularly to track successes, failures, and performance.
2. **Review new batch or event fields** periodically to decide if they should be promoted to real-time attributes.
3. **Manage configurations with CI/CD** to ensure consistent deployments across multiple environments.
4. **Iterate and optimize:** Use A/B testing to continuously improve your real-time experiences.


## Real-Time Maturity Model

Real-time engagement expertise takes time to develop. Use this maturity model to guide your journey:

### Foundational

Begin with 2-3 campaigns in 1 channel like email or web. Build expertise in real-time engagement.

**Focus:** Learn the basics of triggered activations and simple personalization

### Beginner

Expand foundational campaigns to incorporate 2-3 more channels.

**Focus:** Orchestrate real-time interactions across multiple channels

### Intermediate

Incorporate ML & AI into real-time interactions. Include sales and service touchpoints in your real-time strategy.

**Focus:** Automate decisioning and expand beyond marketing

### Expert

Build omni-department journey strategy to deliver fully unified experiences for all customers interacting with your brand.

**Focus:** Enterprise-wide real-time decisioning with AI/ML optimization

## Next Steps

Now that you understand the setup process, proceed to:

1. **[Ingesting Real-time Data](/products/customer-data-platform/real-time/ingesting-real-time-data)** - Set up web tracking, mobile SDKs, or streaming APIs
2. **[Setting Up Parent Segments](/products/customer-data-platform/real-time/creating-a-real-time-configuration)** - Configure Event Tables, ID Stitching, and Attributes
3. **[Real-Time Journeys](/products/customer-data-platform/journey-orchestration/realtime)** - Build triggered activations
4. **[Real-Time Personalization](/products/customer-data-platform/real-time/about-real-time-personalization)** - Deliver personalized web/mobile experiences


## Additional Resources

- [Real-Time 2.0 Overview](/products/customer-data-platform/real-time/real-time) - Product overview, capabilities, and use cases
- [Performance Limitations and Expected Behavior](/products/customer-data-platform/real-time/real-time-2-0-system-performance-limitations-and-expected-behavior)
- [Observability and Logs](/products/customer-data-platform/real-time/real-time-observability-and-logs)
- [Real-Time Attribute FAQs](/products/customer-data-platform/real-time/real-time-attribute-faqs)