Getting started for Customer Data Platforms

NOTE: This guide is intended for customer data platform (CDP) developers integrating with The Trade Desk.

The Trade Desk offers several API integration options for CDPs, enabling external providers to activate audiences and measure results using client data from multiple sources. The API supports the following:

First-party data integration through the First-Party Data Uploader
Measurement and commerce data uploads
Full customer data management, including activation and conversions

The following sections provide decision-making workflows and outline key tasks for uploading first-party, measurement, and commerce data. There are also instructions for opting out and deleting specific types of user IDs, along with FAQs.

NOTE: For a list of all partners with whom The Trade Desk has integrations for third-party data onboarding, see Third-party data partners.

First-party data activation

If you're building a platform for uploading first-party data to target audience segments, make sure the platform can do the following:

Send data for all data types accepted by The Trade Desk, including cookies.
Remove users from individual segments.
Remove users from all segments in one action through the POST /data/deletion-optout/advertiser endpoint for external providers.

You can onboard first-party data from your platform using one of several integration options. The best option depends on your setup, such as whether you use directly identifying information (DII), UID2, or Snowflake, and your data activation requirements.

Workflow diagram

The following diagram illustrates the process outlined in the next section for uploading and activating first-party data, which also includes links that provide additional guidance on the decisions you might need to make along the way.

Process overview

The following table describes each option and key considerations for uploading first-party data, while the diagram in the preceding section illustrates the decision-making workflow.

Option	Consideration	Integration option	Capabilities
A	You store your data in Snowflake.	Use the Snowflake connector.	Third-party data Offline Conversion API (CAPI) Opt-out management
B	You do not store your data in Snowflake.	Choose whether to integrate with UID2: If you need UID2 for measurement, map and maintain UID2s using one of the UID2 integration methods. If you do not need UID2, use the CRM endpoint through the First-Party Data Uploader.	Offline CAPI (excluding commerce data) National Provider Identifier (NPI) for healthcare providers No third-party data No opt-out support

Here's what you need to know about Option B:

Depending on the timeframe for measurement, The Trade Desk recommends storing the current UID2 value along with the two previous values for each piece of DII.
To test the normalization and hashing of email addresses and phone numbers, use the UID2 Hashing Tool. It provides the Base64-encoded value.
The Trade Desk recommends using the First-Party Data Uploader, an upgraded and expanded version of the legacy CRM Data API that can ingest anonymous IDs without the requirement of signing UID agreements. Alternatively, you can use the POST /data/advertiser (External Provider) endpoint, but it does not accept DII, which limits data visibility.

Supported ID types

The First-Party Data Uploader supports the client ID types defined in the PiiType property. For details, see Supported ID types. Before uploading your data, make sure your platform meets these and other criteria.

Measurement data

You can onboard measurement data from your platform using one of several integration options. The best option depends on your setup, such as whether you use log-level campaign data, UID2, or conversion data.

Workflow diagram

The following diagram illustrates the process outlined in the next section for uploading measurement data, which also includes links that provide additional guidance on the decisions you might need to make along the way.

Process overview

The following sections describe each option and key considerations for uploading measurement data, while the diagram in the preceding section illustrates the decision-making workflow.

To support measurement workflows for clients and their platform partners, consider using the integration options in the following table:

Option	Consideration	Integration Option Description	Notes
A	You are a data measurement partner integrated with UID2.	Store at least two previous UID2 values for each hashed and mapped email address or phone number.	Storing the additional UID2 values ensures you can resolve UID2s back to their original identifier, even if they rotate during the measurement window.
B	Your advertisers need to share measurement data with third parties for reporting.	Upload log-level campaign data for processing through the REDS Impressions feed.	Make sure you have a client that can build and test this integration. For a comprehensive list of data types in an Impressions feed, see Curated REDS feeds.
C	You are a retailer uploading conversion data to The Trade Desk.	Use the Commerce data workflow.	None.
D	You are an external provider uploading offline conversion data to The Trade Desk.	Integrate with the POST /providerapi/offlineconversion endpoint.	None.
E	You are an external provider uploading real-time conversion data to The Trade Desk.	Integrate with the POST /track/realtimeconversion endpoint.	All events are timestamped when ingested.

Commerce data

You can onboard commerce data from your platform using one of several integration options. The best option depends on your setup, such as whether you use the Merchant Product Catalog or third-party audience segments and conversions.

The following sections describe each option and key considerations for uploading commerce data:

Merchant product catalog
Commerce conversion data
Third-party audience segments and conversions

Merchant product catalog

If you are a retailer, you can share product details with The Trade Desk through the product catalog endpoints. With a Master Services Agreement, you can manage your catalog using the UI and create categories using a custom taxonomy or existing taxonomy structures from Google or Meta.

NOTE: To learn more about product catalogs, see Building merchant product catalog and Managing access to merchant product catalog.

The following diagram illustrates the options available for syndicating and managing your catalog. Steps performed without The Trade Desk APIs are highlighted in green.

The following table outlines some integration options.

Option	Consideration	Integration Option Description	Notes
A	You work with external vendors, or have UI access.	Ask external vendors to syndicate data for you.	None.
B	You do not work with external vendors, nor have UI access.	Work with an external partner integrated with the Commerce Solutions API workflow.	For details, see Commerce Solutions API.

After setting up the Merchant Product Catalog, you can implement more CDP configurations, such as the following:

If you work with retailers, see Commerce conversion data.
If you want to monetize audience and conversion data, see Third-party audience segments and conversions.

Commerce conversion data

If you are an external provider working with retailers, you can use offline or real-time conversion events APIs to integrate with merchant event feeds. The following diagram illustrates the options you have for sending commerce conversion data.

The following table outlines your integration options.

Option	Consideration	Integration Option Description	Notes
A	You want to match offline conversion events, such as in-store purchases, with online identifiers for advertising, as well as support late or back-dated bulk events.	Integrate with the POST /providerapi/offlineconversion endpoint using the merchant event feed data examples.	Be aware that the JSON structure, required fields, and process for merchant events differ from the standard offline conversion API.
B	You want to match real-time conversion events with online identifiers for advertising.	Integrate with the POST /track/realtimeconversion endpoint or Universal pixel.	All events are timestamped when ingested.

IMPORTANT: If you want to use UID2s for measurement, be sure to store at least two previous UID2 values for each hashed and mapped email address or phone number. Storing previous UID2 values ensures you can resolve UID2s back to their original identifier, even if they rotate during the measurement window.

Third-party audience segments and conversions

If you are a retailer choosing to monetize your audience and conversion data on The Trade Desk through an external platform, integrate your audience segments and conversions using our Data APIs.

The following diagram illustrates the options you have for integrating your audience segments and conversions.

To integrate your audience segments and conversions, use the following steps.

Step		Description	Notes
1		Onboard your data using our Third-party audience data integration guide.	For general information about our third-party audience API, see Getting started for audience data providers. If retailers want to manage audience segments, they need to use their own credentials.
2		Two hours after segment creation, check the taxonomy compliance status of the segment for approval. If the segment is denied because of sensitive terms, re-word the segment display name and description.	None.
(Optional)		Customize third-party data access using allow and block lists.	This feature requires access and write permissions. If you can't access it, contact your Technical Account Manager.
3		Choose how you want to integrate your conversions.	None.
	a	To match offline conversion events, such as in-store purchases, with online identifiers for advertising, integrate with the POST /providerapi/offlineconversion endpoint.	The endpoint supports late or back-dated bulk events.
	b	To match real-time conversion events with online identifiers for advertising, integrate with either of the following: POST /track/realtimeconversion endpoint Universal pixel	All events are timestamped when ingested.
4		Assign rates to data elements in your taxonomy and update all buyable segments as a batch using the POST /v3/datarate/batch endpoint.	None.

IMPORTANT: If you want to use UID2s for measurement, be sure to store at least two previous UID2 values for each hashed and mapped email address or phone number. Storing previous UID2 values ensures you can resolve UID2s back to their original identifier, even if they rotate during the measurement window.

User ID opt-out and deletion

The opt-out and deletion endpoints allow you to request opting out or deleting user IDs from data segments. For Merchant Product Catalog integrations, these endpoints ensure that data is removed across all retailer data sets. Your platform should support endpoints for advertisers and third parties and syndicate all opt-out requests when a retailer monetizes their data.

For details, see the POST /data/deletion-optout/advertiser and POST /data/deletion-optout/merchant endpoints.

FAQs

The following are most commonly asked questions about integrating CDPs.

What data types are supported by the First-Party Data Uploader?

The First-Party Data Uploader supports all data types accepted by The Trade Desk, including cookies, hashed email addresses, phone numbers, and UID2s. It can ingest anonymous IDs without the requirement of signing UID agreements.

What information is included in log-level campaign data?

Log-level data includes details like timestamps, advertiser costs, and device information, as well as IDs for campaigns, audiences, and creatives. For a comprehensive list of data types in an Impressions feed, see Curated REDS feeds.

How can retailers share product details?

Retailers can share product details using the Merchant Product Catalog endpoints. They can manage categories using a custom taxonomy or existing structures like Google or Meta taxonomies. For details, see Merchant product catalog.

Can I monetize third-party audience and conversion data?

Yes. Retailers can monetize their audience and conversion data using external platforms. For details, see Third-party audience segments and conversions.

How long does it take to activate first-party data uploading?

First-party data is typically activated on the platform within one to two hours.

What happens if UID2s rotate mid-campaign?

When a UID2 within a data segment used in a campaign rotates, it becomes obsolete because it cannot be matched to its updated value in the bidstream. To ensure the user remains recognizable, the UID2 must be updated or resent to the segment.

Can I use the First-Party Data Uploader and Snowflake or external provider integrations simultaneously?

Technically, you can send data through multiple paths, but The Trade Desk does not recommend it. Using two vendors, like Snowflake plus another CDP, can be costly.