Hi, I’m curious if the Change Data Types for Event Fields is on the roadmap for Data Designer or Query fields? This is the related idea.

If we’re able to have all of these different data types (below) that we can still use in custom field mapping in the “old” advanced JO programs, I don’t understand why we can’t use them for queries and data designs in the new dynamic JOs.

@dayn.johnson, Thank you for you query. Looping in the PM @vmallya. 

hello @dayn.johnson , thanks for seeking clarification on this. The issue with Events and CSV is that we don't have a data type reference, so all fields are treated as String when synced. Therefore, providing the option to change made sense in this context. 

For other sources like Segments, Query, and DD, the data type is defined. However, the challenge is that case statements in DD and Query do not currently support the output type of Email. We are working on extending support for email in case statements from DD to address this in one of the upcoming patch releases. I hope this will resolve the issue mentioned in the linked thread.

Thank you for the insight, @vmallya!

The lack of a data type reference being an issue makes sense since custom field mapping is not currently a part of the new dynamic JO.

From my perspective, the ideal situation would be to have the ability to change the data type in the audience configuration screen for all source types. The bulk of our JO programs are built using a query source (most using a similar object and merging different data depending on the target audience).

Being able to add a case expression transformation within the JO query (not within a referenced DD) is part of why we continue to rely on the old advanced JO. It’s a quick, easy, and reliable method of ensuring that the case statement string is able to be used in the email fields.

I’ll stay tuned to the roadmap to hear more about these upcoming patch releases, and look forward to hearing more about it!