---
title: Configuring Your Prospect List for Upload
description: The dos and don'ts of uploading prospects into Halda for campaign email outreach.
---

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February 26, 2026

# Configuring Your Prospect List for Upload

## The dos and don'ts of uploading prospects into Halda for campaign email outreach.

Better data in means better emails out. Halda's simulation engine uses the information you provide about each student to craft personalized communications. The more data points you include, the more tailored and relevant each message becomes. Fewer data points? Less personalization. No data points? No personalization at all.

This guide walks you through exactly what your prospect list needs before you upload it into Halda.

---

### Required Fields

Every student record in your upload must include the following fields.

These fields allow Halda to:

- Build and maintain a unique student record
- Prevent duplicate profiles
- Maintain accurate cross-system tracking
- Support personalization and reporting
- Ensure long-term data hygiene

#### **First Name**

**Why required:** Used for identity confirmation, record matching, and personalization. First Name is a core identity field and is required to ensure proper deduplication and long-term data integrity.

#### **Last Name**

**Why required:** Used in conjunction with First Name and Email to support identity resolution and prevent duplicate record creation.

#### **Email Address**

**Why required:** Email is the primary communication identifier and the core key used for:

- - Messaging
    - Suppression
    - Engagement tracking
    - Cross-system reconciliation

This field is essential for maintaining a unified student record across systems.

#### **Student Status**

**Why required:** Used to segment communication and tailor outreach appropriately (e.g., prospect, applicant, deposited, enrolled).

Student Status also supports lifecycle reporting and audience targeting.

#### **Slate Reference ID**

**Why required:** Provides a persistent system-of-record identifier. This allows Halda to:

- - Reliably match records back to Slate
    - Prevent duplicates even if email addresses change
    - Maintain long-term data integrity between systems

This field is critical for cross-system reconciliation.

#### **Record Created at Date**

**Why required:** This field is used for:

- - Cohort tracking
    - Lifecycle reporting
    - Historical segmentation
    - Attribution analysis

This ensures records maintain accurate timeline context within Halda.

#### **Personalization Data Points**

You will be require to provide geographic, temporal, behavioral, and interest based data points. See **[THIS](https://info.halda.ai/knowledge/configuring-your-prospect-list-for-upload#Personalization-Data)** section below for more information on each type.

### Optional Field

#### **Preferred Name**

**Why recommended:** Many institutions communicate with students using a Preferred Name when available. When provided, Halda will use Preferred Name in messaging in place of First Name. However:

- - Preferred Name is not a replacement for First Name
    - First Name remains required for identity resolution and deduplication
    - Preferred Name enhances communication, not record integrity

If a student record does not include Preferred Name, Halda will default to First Name.

---

### Personalization Data Points

This is where things get powerful. Beyond the required fields, you'll want to include **data points that Halda uses to personalize each student's communication.**

**Minimum:** 5 data points per student **Recommended:** 8 or more data points per student

The simulation engine performs best with a rich, diverse set of data. Think of each data point as another signal Halda can use to speak to a student like a real person would — not like a mail merge.

---

### Explicit vs. Implicit Data

Your data points should include a mix of **explicit** and **implicit** information.

#### **Explicit Data Points**

These are things you'd openly reference in a communication to a student. They're fair game to mention directly.

*Examples: major of interest, extracurricular interests, admission status, state of residence*

#### **Implicit Data Points**

These shape *how* Halda speaks to a student — but they wouldn't be called out directly in a message. They influence tone, urgency, and framing behind the scenes.

*Examples: enrollment model scores, financial aid modeling outputs, email interaction history*

---

### The Four Data Categories

Strong personalization pulls from a range of signal types. Aim to include data points across all four of these categories:

#### **Geographic**

Where a student is located tells Halda a lot about how to frame your institution. Some examples of geographic data points are:

1. ZIP code
2. Distance from campus (miles)
3. Urban, suburban, or rural classification
4. In-state vs. out-of-state residency

#### **Temporal**

When a student entered your funnel — and how quickly they're moving through it — signals intent and urgency. Some examples of temporal data points are:

1. Date of first inquiry
2. Application submission date
3. High school graduation year
4. Time between inquiry and application

#### **Behavioral**

What a student has done (or hasn't done) reveals where they are in their decision-making process. Some examples of behavioral data points are:

1. Number of campus visits or virtual tour completions
2. Email open and click-through rates
3. Website pages viewed and visit frequency
4. Event registrations (open houses, info sessions, webinars)

#### **Interest Based**

What a student cares about drives the most relevant, resonant messaging. Some examples of interest based data points are:

1. Intended major or program of study
2. Extracurricular or club interests (athletics, arts, Greek life)
3. Housing preference (on-campus vs. off-campus)
4. Financial aid or scholarship interest

**Pro Tip:** You won't be required to use every data point when you build your campaign. It's always easier to exclude a data point later than it is to go back and add one for every student in your list. **When in doubt, include it.**

---

Just like that, your prospects are ready to be uploaded into Halda and enrolled in an AI Campaign.

Need help building your list? Reach out to your Account Manager for guidance and best practices.

 

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