Journey Builder contact update within Journey

Question

In Journey Builder I'm testing whether updating a contact's Data Extension record that is already in a Journey will update the contact in the Journey.

Here is my test:

Part 1

Create a Data Extension (Customer) with a few records of Status = 1

Part 2

Create Journey in Journey Builder with Email Audience entry (no filter) with Entry Audience as "Customer" Data Extension

1. Step 1: Wait 15 minutes
2. Step 2: Decision Split (If Customer.Status = 999) go to Branch A else go to Branch B
3. Branch A: Exit after 1 day
4. Branch B: Exit after 1 day

Part 3

Running the test:

1. Activate Journey
2. Wait until subscribers of Customer Data Extension are in the "Wait 15 minutes step"
3. While records are still in the "Wait 15 minutes step", update some records of the Customer Data Extension and change the "Status" value from 1 to 999 using Contact Builder (Edit records of Data Extensions functionality)
4. Wait until the journey completes

Expected Result:

1. Updated records (Customer.Status = 999) go to Branch A of Journey

Actual Result

1. All records go to Branch B of Journey

Is this the expected functionality of Journey Builder?

It seems to me that the record's value should be evaluated at the Decision Split Activity step, but instead I'm seeing only the original values of the Data Extension being evaluated at that step.

This has major implications on how Journeys are built.

Answer 1

I've discovered the problem.

Updating a Data Extension record with Contact Builder's "edit record in Data Extension" functionality doesn't seem to let Journey Builder know that there has been an update to the record.

When I performed the same steps as above, but instead of manually updating the record, I use a query activity, the contacts continued down the correct Journey Branch A.