Testing a Message Through Simulation

The simulation tool is an additional test tool that lets you perform advanced testing on messages that contains complex personalizations and conditions. The simulation is like sending your messages for real and lets you validate all the possible variants of a message.

Prerequisite	This function is only available upon request and must first be enabled for your account. The message to be simulated must also be configured with the regions to validate (see Configuring a Message to Facilitate Validation of Variants).
Access Path	> Messages > EMail > Select a message > Test button OR If you are already in the message in edit mode > Test tab

 How To

1. Once on the test page of the message, scroll down to the Sending simulation section and click on Prepare simulation.
2. In the next window, select the recipients, who should basically be the same as the real ones if you want to properly tests all the variants. You also need to specify how to process contacts who have the same email address.
   
3. To check that the number of targeted contacts is accurate, click Calculate.
4. Execute the simulation by clicking on Launch simulation.
   As the simulation is like sending the messages for real, processing time varies according to the number of contacts and variants. So you can leave the simulation page and come back later on. When simulation is over, you'll be advised by email.
5. Once simulated is completed, you can start validating the generated variants by approving or rejecting each variant of the message or a region of the message. To do so:
   1. If your message includes different versions, you will see the number of targeted contacts by version. You must validate one version at a time.
      
      
   2. In the next field are displayed the various regions that have been created for your message. A region gives you the possibility to isolate a group of conditions in order to group the different variants related to this region. Regions provide you a way to better validate your message, one region at a time, instead of validating the entire message at once, which often generates too many variants that can be difficult to test. To see the different variants related to a region, just click on the name of the region
      * If more than 4 regions are set, they will be listed in a drop-down menu.
      
   3. Under the Markers field displays the conditions that apply to the currently selected contact. Markers only show if they have been defined in the message.
   4. To proceed to the validation of each variant, choose a version, a region and a variant.
   5. Then, check that the content of the message corresponds to the targeted contact and to the contact data shown in the Contact Profile section.
   6. To validate that data displays correctly for a variant, for all targeted contacts, you can select other contacts from the list.
   7. If the personalized content corresponds to the selected contacts, than you can assume this variant is correct and approve the variant by clicking on Approve.
      
   8. Move to the next or previous variant by using the appropriate arrowhead, or by selecting the variant name in the Variants field. When a variant is approved, a green check mark is displayed beside its name. A check mark is also added to a region when all its related variant have been approved. However, if a variant, or a region, is rejected, a red X is displayed instead. A region becomes approved or rejected, when ALL the related variants have been approved or rejected.
   9. Continue the validation process until all desired regions have been checked.
   10. Once simulation is completed, you can decide to send the messages, whether all variants have been approved or not. The simulation process is only a test tool and does not, in any way, prevent messages to be sent, unless obviousy the message contains an error preventing if from being sent.