Marketing cloud page to update data extension

Question

Tracking data are collected in javascript while browsing the website. I'd like to save them into a data extension sitting in marketing cloud.

These are non-identifiable personal data.

I was thinking the webpage could call a javascript sitting in marketing cloud as follows:

<script src="https://pub.sx.exacttarget.com/xxxxxxxxxx?a=1111&b=22222"></script>

The javascript sitting in marketing cloud could get these 2 parameters a and b to store them into a data extension. It seems SSJS is not possible in cloud pages. Am I thinking in the proper way?

Thank you in advance

Answer 1

First of all: SSJS is available in Cloud Pages, so this is not a limitation. Secondly, you must be aware that each execution/page view of a Cloud Page results in one SuperMessage being consumed. If you plan on implementing this on a website with millions of page view monthly, you will run out of SuperMessages before sending any emails based on data collected.

I will advise you to utilise AmpScript instead of SSJS, and a JS Code Resource, instead of a Cloud Page, as executions of Code Resources don't consume SuperMessages

The Code Resource can be built quite simple:

%%[
SET @a = RequestParameter('a')
SET @b = RequestParameter('b')
SET @currentSystemTime = NOW()
SET @insertCount = InsertData('WebLog','id',GUID(),'a',@a,'b',@b,'timestamp',SystemDateToLocalDate(@currentSystemTime))
IF @insertCount > 0 THEN
Output(Concat("Success - ", @insertCount))
ELSE
Output(Concat("Error - ", @firstName))
ENDIF
]%%

I will also recommend configuring appropriate data retention policy, to avoid your data extension to grow uncontrollably.