Update and validate an object type mapping in Customer Profiles
This topic explains how object type mappings change over time and how Connect Customer Customer Profiles validates them, so you can update a mapping with confidence and avoid surprises in already-ingested data.
Upsert semantics
Object type creation uses upsert semantics: creating an object type whose name already exists updates the existing definition rather than failing. The same PutProfileObjectType API (and the console's data-mapping editor) is used for both creating and updating.
What happens to existing data when you update
Important
Updating a mapping doesn't automatically reprocess data that was previously ingested. A new or changed mapping applies only to objects ingested after the update.
Keep these behaviors in mind when updating:
-
Retention: Changing
ExpirationDaysonly affects newly ingested data. Existing objects keep the retention they were ingested with. -
Tags: Tags can't be changed through the update path. Use TagResource and UntagResource instead.
-
Encryption key: After Data store is enabled on the domain, the encryption key for an existing object type can't be changed.
-
Unused keys: If you remove a key reference and no other object type in the domain still references that key, Customer Profiles cleans up the unused domain key.
-
Key consistency: If a key name already exists in the domain, the updated definition's field content types must match the existing definition.
Test a mapping before a full integration
To validate your mapping against real data safely, we recommend the following:
-
Create the object type mapping. Successful creation confirms the mapping is structurally valid.
-
Ingest a small batch of representative source objects with PutProfileObject.
-
Use SearchProfiles to confirm the objects landed on the expected profiles and that the standard profile fields were populated as intended.
-
Adjust the mapping and repeat before pointing a full integration at it.
