Overview
Use Conventions in Funnel to define consistent naming structures for your marketing data, such as campaigns, ad groups or ads. After you set a convention, you can create dimensions based on the variables in your pattern. These conventions help ensure that key attributes, like business units, tactics or product categories, are structured in a way that enables reliable reporting and analysis.
Often, platforms do not offer the business-level breakdowns marketers need. Conventions allow you to encode and decode this information across platforms, improving consistency and reducing errors in your data.
To create a convention, you have to first define a pattern.
Tip: You can also view, create, edit, archive and restore conventions by asking Funnel AI, or from an AI client connected to Funnel MCP. Describe how your names are structured, then review and approve the proposed convention.
Patterns and variables
A pattern defines the structure of a convention. You set the number of parts, the delimiter, also called a separator, and the platforms the pattern applies to. You can create multiple patterns in a convention to handle platform-specific variations. After you add or remove parts in your pattern, define a variable for each part.
Each part in your pattern is a variable that holds a specific type of information, for example, Region or Product. After you configure a variable, you can reuse it in different patterns in the same convention. You can set a variable as an optional part or add validations to it. If you create an optional variable, place it at the end of the pattern.
A convention describes what variables you want to encode. For example, you can configure variables to encode your campaign names along with their possible values.
Supported delimiters
It is important to be consistent in variable placement and the use of delimiters to accurately extract the encoded information at a later stage. A delimiter is a character used to differentiate variables apart and to split the name into parts when decoding it.
You can use any of the following delimiters in your patterns:
Pipe (
|)Underscore (
_)Colon (
:)Hyphen (
-)Comma (
,)Space
Dot (
.)Slash (
/)
You can't use other characters as delimiters.
Syntax: variable Adelimitervariable Bdelimiter ……. delimitervariable n
For example, let’s assume you set the following pattern in a convention: Region | Brand | Product category | Product
The example values might look similar to US | Nike | Basketball Shoes | Air Jordan
Benefits of using a convention
Structure your data consistently at the source
Group campaigns easily and create collections for filtering
Enable platform-agnostic analysis using consistent breakdowns
Detect anomalies and enforce naming standards
Guidelines
Start with the broadest variables, and add new detailed ones when you have the need.
Do not change the structure of your old variables. Append new variables at the end of your convention.
Be mindful when you are deciding on the structure for your variable inputs. For example, if your product category is Basketball Shoes, you can represent it as Basketball Shoes, basketball shoes, or basketball-shoes. Decide which convention is more appropriate for your scenario, and ensure to use the same structure with all your inputs.
Choose a delimiter that is not used in the values of the variables. Let’s assume you set the convention as basketball-shoes for the product category. Don’t choose a hyphen as a delimiter, since it will separate basketball and shoes. Use another delimiter in such scenarios.
To maintain consistency, use one convention for all marketing campaigns. If you cannot use the same convention for all your marketing campaigns due to restrictions in specific platforms, you may need to modify the convention. Keep the number of variations to a minimum.
You can add any number of variables to your convention. If you report on a more granular level, consider specific conventions for each level to make sure you capture their attributes instead of adding all variables to one convention.
Use abbreviations in the name to avoid long names and spelling mistakes. Decode them later into full words or phrases. However, don’t use alternative spellings for a variable. For example, use UK for United Kingdom instead of GB.
If you use an optional variable in one of the parts, place it at the end of the convention.
If you think your campaign creator will add an optional free-text variable, place the variable at the end of the convention.
Avoid multiple managers for the convention. Assign the responsibility of creating and maintaining a convention to one user.
Do not use a platform-wide convention, and instead use a naming structure that makes sense for the team managing the campaign.
Fix errors at the source. Don’t clean the output data directly.
Prerequisites
You need the Business plan or the Enterprise plan.
Connect the data sources whose names you want to structure to Funnel.
Create and apply a convention
You can create a convention manually or with AI.
Create and apply a convention with AI
Note: If your workspace has opted out of Funnel AI features, Set up with AI isn't available. Use the manual setup instead.
Complete the following steps to create a convention with AI.
In Funnel, go to Data > Plan & govern > Conventions.
Click + New convention.
If you don't have a convention yet, click Create convention.
In the Create convention dialog, select the level at which you want to create a convention.
Your options are: * Campaign - Level 1: This is the highest level, often representing the overall objective or goal of your marketing activities. For example, a campaign in Google Ads or Facebook Ads, or a campaign group in LinkedIn Ads. * Ad Group - Level 2: This is the second level, often used to define audience targeting, placements or bidding strategies. For example, an ad group in Google Ads, an ad set in Facebook Ads or a campaign in LinkedIn Ads. * Ad - Level 3: This level contains the creative assets and messaging you show to your target audience. For example, an ad in Google Ads, Facebook Ads or LinkedIn Ads.
Note: You can't set up an Other convention with AI. To create one, use the manual setup.
Click Set up with AI.
In Dimension with campaign names (or ad group names or ad names), select the dimension that holds your names.
Dimensions that another convention already uses aren't available.
Select the checkboxes to choose samples from your data sources.
You can view the selected samples on the right under Selected samples, grouped by platform.
Click Continue.
Wait for the AI to analyze the patterns in your sample data.
Review the patterns and dimensions that the AI suggests, and click Continue.
You can edit the dimension names and turn off the Allowed values toggle if required.
Review the summary of the convention and the dimensions it creates, and click Create Convention.
Funnel names the convention after its level, for example Campaign Convention, and applies it to the dimension you selected in step 5. You can rename it later.
Create and apply a convention manually
Complete the following steps to create a convention manually.
In Funnel, go to Data > Plan & govern > Conventions.
Click + New convention.
If you don't have a convention yet, click Create convention.
In the Create convention dialog, select the level at which you want to create a convention.
Your options are: * Campaign - Level 1: This is the highest level, often representing the overall objective or goal of your marketing activities. For example, a campaign in Google Ads or Facebook Ads, or a campaign group in LinkedIn Ads. * Ad Group - Level 2: This is the second level, often used to define audience targeting, placements or bidding strategies. For example, an ad group in Google Ads, an ad set in Facebook Ads or a campaign in LinkedIn Ads. * Ad - Level 3: This level contains the creative assets and messaging you show to your target audience. For example, an ad in Google Ads, Facebook Ads or LinkedIn Ads. * Other: Use this custom convention to name anything that doesn't fit the three levels above.
Click Set up manually.
If your workspace has opted out of Funnel AI features, the button is Set up.
Check the Level and enter a Name for your convention.
Funnel fills in a name based on the level, for example Campaign Convention. After the convention has generated names in Name builder, you can't change its level.
Add a pattern for your convention.
In Platforms, select the connectors the pattern applies to. The default value is All platforms.
(Optional) Turn on Test with sample data to preview your data next to the pattern.
In the preview, select the platforms, the field with your names and a date range: Yesterday, Last 7 days or Last 30 days. We recommend that you test with sample data, so you can see the values in your data and set a convention that fits them.
Select a delimiter to separate the different parts of your convention.
Choose a delimiter that is not used in the values of your variables.
Click Add part for each part you want in the pattern.
Note: Funnel suggests a delimiter and number of parts based on your data. You can Apply the suggestion or ignore it.
Define a variable for each part. Select a variable you created earlier, or enter a name and click Create as a new variable.
You can add FunID (Funnel Unique Name ID) as one of your parts. Funnel populates this unique ID automatically when you apply the convention.
(Optional) Drag the parts to rearrange them in your pattern.
(Optional) Validate all your variables.
Preview your data on the right, and adjust the pattern if needed.
Funnel validates your variables in real time when you modify a pattern.
The preview highlights errors with color indicators and shows the share of each error type at the top: Missing separator, Invalid variable and Incorrect # of parts. Click an error type to filter the preview.
To show or hide the field your names are split from, click Supporting Columns and turn Show field to split on or off.
The preview displays the variables for one pattern at a time. Select another pattern in your convention to preview its variables.
(Optional) If Funnel shows that some data source types are not mapped, click Add pattern and repeat steps 6 to 8 to cover them.
Click Continue.
(Optional) Select an existing field as the Input field.
The convention checks this field for adherence and creates new dimensions from it. Fields that another convention already uses aren't available. If you skip this step, you can add an input field later from the convention page.
Review the dimensions that will be created.
You can uncheck the dimensions that you don't want to create.
Click Create and apply convention.
What to expect after you apply a convention
After you apply the convention, you can view the following details:
Convention name, level, platforms and delimiters
Syntax of the pattern in your convention
The dimension for which you applied the convention
Adherence from yesterday
Overall adherence score and reason for non-adherence
Adherence over time, in total or broken down by platform
The dimensions that the convention created
Creator and last update details
If you didn't select an input field, click Add input field to apply the convention to a field.
To change the convention, click Edit, update it and click Save & apply convention. Create more conventions as needed.
If your workspace uses media plans, click Name builder to generate names that follow the convention.
To remove a convention, click Delete and confirm with Remove convention. If the convention has generated names, they are deleted too. To get a removed convention back, ask Funnel AI or Funnel MCP to restore it.
Validate your variable
Set validations for your variables to check that your names use the values you expect. Complete the following steps to set validations for a variable.
Next to the part in your pattern, click Configure (the cog icon).
You can also click the column header of the variable in the preview. The Configuration for dialog opens.
(Optional) Update the name of the variable.
Enter a Description for your variable.
In Validations, select one of the following options:
None: Use this option if you don't want to validate your variable. This is the default option for all variables.
If you want to set this variable as an optional part, turn on Set as optional part. An optional part does not impact the adherence score. Use it for optional information, like free text, that you do not rely on for your reporting. Optional parts must be placed last in the pattern, one after the other. You can only set a part as optional when its validation is None. * Allowed values: Use this option if the valid values are limited to a specific list. You can add the values manually or from your data.
Add manually: Enter a value and click Add value to add one value, or copy and paste a group of cells in a column from a spreadsheet to add more than one value. If your pasted list has duplicate values, Funnel adds each value only once.
For example, if you paste the values display-n-remarketing, search, search, tracking, tracking, affiliate and affiliate, Funnel adds display-n-remarketing, search, tracking and affiliate.
Add from data: Select a dimension from the drop-down list and click Add suggestions to see Funnel's suggestions. You can Undo the suggestions if needed.
(Optional) To replace an allowed value in the output, enter the new value in Replace with (Optional). * Character limit: Use this option if you expect free-text values. Enter the minimum and maximum number of characters. If the value must not be empty, set the minimum to 1.
For Allowed values and Character limit, select what happens to values that fail validation: Keep original value or Skip value.
Validation fails for any value in your data that doesn't match the validation you set in step 4.
Click Apply.