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User ID Validation in Iterable

Whenever you create or update a user in Iterable, you can provide a userId value. When you do this, Iterable performs the following validations on the userId field:

  • Maximum length of 128 characters.

  • Must not contain non-printable ASCII characters, such as non-breaking spaces and soft hyphens.

    Non-printable characters are typically created programmatically and aren't visible printed characters. Not to be confused with space, tab, or other whitespace characters, or with hard hyphen (also called a minus sign).

  • Must not end with a space.

  • Values are case-sensitive.

  • Iterable doesn't generate values for this field. You must include the value when creating users.

  • Values should not contain PII, such as an email or phone number.

  • Uniqueness is:

    • Enforced in userID-based and hybrid projects.
    • Not enforced in email-based projects. In the event the same userId is associated with multiple users, there are some important considerations. To learn more, read Identifying users by userId in email-based projects.

# Providing a userId value

Iterable does not generate values for the userId field. You must include the value when creating users.

NOTE

The only exception is when you are using Unknown User Activation, in which case Iterable generates a userId value for you. To learn more, read Unknown User Activation Overview.

# User ID best practices

Ideally, user ID values are static (unchanging), not guessable, and meaningless outside of the context where it is used.

Here are some good options for userId field values:

  • The same ID field you use to identify a user in your application—assuming it meets these best practices.

  • The same ID field as another, primary system of record (such as your CRM, or another integration that you rely on to store your user's data).

  • Randomly generated universally unique identifiers (UUIDs). Learn more.

  • Other database-generated unique IDs.

Practices to avoid:

  • Anything that is considered personally identifiable information (or PII), such as:

    • Names
    • Email addresses
    • Phone numbers
    • Dates of birth

  • Any values that may be guessable, such as:

    • Formulas based on PII information
    • Sequential values (10001, 10002, 10003 ... n+1)
    • Usernames or "handles"

WARNING

You can edit values in the userId field.

Values stored in the userId field are not permanent in Iterable. They can be overwritten or changed. Learn more at Updating a User's Email Address or User ID.

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