The path
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1. Read the overview once
Naming conventions overview explains how the conventions relate and why the field values have to be closed lists. Read it once, not every time.
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2. Find the pattern
Open the convention from the table above. Each one gives the field order, the separator, and the allowed values per field.
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3. Check the value exists
Every field draws from a closed list. If the value you need isn’t on the list, that’s a decision, not a typing problem. Add it to the convention document first, then use it.
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4. Apply it everywhere at once
A campaign name has to match its UTM values, or the two datasets won’t join. Build the name and the UTM together, from the same values.
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5. Don't rename
If a name is wrong, the cost of fixing it rises every day it collects data. Fix it immediately or leave it and note the exception.
Why the closed lists matter
Naming conventions look like formatting. They’re really the join key between systems: platform reporting, analytics, and the flat file all match on these values. An open field where anyone can type producespaid_social, Paid Social, and paidsocial as three different channels in the same report.
Name jamming covers the related failure: cramming so much into a name that nobody keeps it accurate.
Related resources
- Naming conventions overview How the six conventions fit together.
- UTM standards The values that have to match your campaign names.
- Make a campaign Where naming sits in the campaign path.
- Glossary Definitions for the field values used in patterns.