Troubleshooting Incorrect Column Order in Audience Studio Activation Output

Problem

In Audience Studio, you've configured an Activation with a specific column arrangement in the "Output Column Mapping" section. However, when examining the resulting output file or table (in your data warehouse or cloud storage), you notice the columns appear in a different order than what you carefully set up in the UI.

For example, you might find that a column you positioned last in the UI mapping (like "last_column_desired") unexpectedly appears somewhere in the middle of your output, perhaps before columns like "attribute_column_1" or "attribute_column_2" that should precede it.

Cause

The order of columns in your Audience Studio Activation output is determined by the sequence in which you originally added those columns to the "Output Column Mapping" configuration - not by their current visual arrangement in the UI.

This means if you added "last_column_desired" early in your configuration process (even if you later dragged it to be visually last in the mapping list), it will retain its earlier position in the output based on that initial "add order."

Example: If you initially added columns in this order:

1. primary_key
2. last_column_desired
3. attribute_column_1
4. attribute_column_2

Your output will maintain this sequence regardless of how you rearranged them visually in the UI.

Resolution: Resetting and Re-adding Columns

To ensure your Activation output respects your desired column order, you need to remove the columns from the mapping and re-add them sequentially in the exact order you want them to appear in your final output.

Prerequisites

• Appropriate permissions to edit Activations in Audience Studio

Detailed Steps

1. Navigate to the Activation: Log in to Audience Studio and locate the specific Activation you need to modify.
2. Edit the Activation: Open the Activation for editing by clicking the edit button or icon.
3. Access Output Column Mapping: Navigate to the section where you configure the output columns (typically labeled "Output Column Mapping").
4. Remove Columns: Carefully remove all attribute columns from the mapping except for the primary identifier column (e.g., user_id, primary_key, or whichever column uniquely identifies your audience members).
   • Important: Removing and re-adding the primary identifier is generally unnecessary and sometimes problematic, so focus on the attribute columns whose order needs correction.
5. Save Changes: Click the Save button to update the Activation with only the primary identifier remaining in the mapping. This clears the stored "add order" for the removed columns.
6. Edit the Activation Again: Re-open the same Activation for editing.
7. Re-add Columns Sequentially: Return to the "Output Column Mapping" section. Now, add your attribute columns back one by one, strictly in your desired final output order. For example, if you want this order after the primary_key:
   • attribute_column_1
   • attribute_column_2
   • demographic_attribute
   • behavioral_segment
   • calculated_score
   • last_column_desired
   You must add attribute_column_1 first, then attribute_column_2, and so on, finishing with last_column_desired.
8. Save Changes Again: Once all columns are added back in the correct sequence, save the Activation.
9. Run the Activation: Trigger a new run of the Activation to generate output with your corrected column order.

Verification

After the Activation run completes, inspect the output destination (download the output file or query the target table in your data warehouse). Verify that the columns now appear in the precise order you defined in Step 7.

If you still experience issues, note the Session ID or Run ID of your latest execution for troubleshooting purposes.