Setting contact tags with data exchange framework

Question

I am working on getting the Data Exchange Framework to update xDB contacts. I have it working for email and phone numbers, but now I have some properties that I'd like to store in the contacts' tags. I have tried different setups with a Facet Collection Property Value Accessor and a Facet Indexer Property Value Accessor, but that results in failed mappings. Is there anyone who has managed to update the contacts visitor tags with DEF?

Answer 1

After much debugging and decompiling I found the answer.

This can be done by implementing a ValueAccessor that uses PropertyValueReader("Tags") and IndexerPropertyValueWriter("tagname"). I was on the wrong track for long because the class structure of the tags seems related to how email addresses and phone numbers are implemented, however reading and setting them using DEF is completely different.

When running a repeating import, be aware that visitor tags are timestamped values, so be sure to add an "Objects Are Different Mapping Rule", which comes with the Sitecore provider, to prevent the contact tags filling with useless duplicate values.

Answer 2

One more approach how to map tag value by tag name. The example shows only a writer.

Writer:

---

    public class ContactTagValueWriter : IValueWriter
{
    public string TagName { get; set; }

    public CanWriteResult CanWrite(object target, object value, DataAccessContext context)
    {
        var contact = target as Contact;
        if (contact == null || value == null || string.IsNullOrEmpty(this.TagName))
        {
            return CanWriteResult.NegativeResult();
        }

        return CanWriteResult.PositiveResult();
    }

    public bool Write(object target, object value, DataAccessContext context)
    {
        if (!this.CanWrite(target, value, context).CanWriteValue)
        {
            return false;
        }
        var contact = target as Contact;
        contact.Tags.Set(this.TagName, value.ToString());
        return true;
    }
}

Converter:

• Create a template based on Value Accessor.
• Add field: FieldName:"TagName", Type: Single-Line Text.
• Change [custom template id] according to created template id.

---

[SupportedIds("[custom template id]")]
public class ContactTagValueAccessorConverter : ValueAccessorConverter
{
    public ContactTagValueAccessorConverter(IItemModelRepository repository) : base(repository)
    {
    }

    public override IValueAccessor Convert(ItemModel source)
    {
        var valueAccessor = base.Convert(source);
        if (valueAccessor.ValueWriter!=null)
        {
            return valueAccessor;
        }

        valueAccessor.ValueWriter = new ContactTagValueWriter() {TagName = source["TagName"].ToString()};
        return valueAccessor;
    }
}