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Hi everyone and welcome to this SwiftFox Masterclass. Today we're looking at dynamic rules custom fields. This is a feature that often clicks with people once they see it in action, because it solves a very common problem, keeping classification fields accurate when the logic behind them is complex and constantly changing.

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This is also a relatively new feature in SwiftFox and one that we've received overwhelmingly strong feedback on, in particular around how important it is and just how flexible it can be once people start using it in real scenarios.

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We'll talk you through not just about how to set one up, but also understanding when dynamic rules are the right tool, how they work behind the scenes, and how to design them so they stay reliable as your data grows. By the end of this session, you should feel confident about using dynamic rules to automate classification across your database, instead of relying on manual updates.

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At a high level, a dynamic rules custom field is a single select field that SwiftFox maintains for you. Instead of manually setting or updating the value on a profile, you define a set of rules using list builder conditions.

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SwiftFox then evaluates each contact against those rules and applies the correct value automatically. This is particularly useful for fields where the value depends on multiple conditions, such as financial status, donor classification, member type, or engagement level.

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The important shift here is that the value is no longer something you manage directly. It's something that's calculated based on rules. That change alone removes a huge amount of manual work, and significantly reduces the risk of data becoming outdated or inconsistent.

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When you create a rule, you're effectively saying that if a contact meets this set of criteria, apply this value. Those criteria can be anything you would normally use in list builder; profile details, custom fields, locations, organisation connections, event, forms, you get the idea.

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SwiftFox processes these rules automatically as part of a nightly job which evaluates every contact against all defined rules. When you view an individual profiles, we also perform a live refresh so that you can always see the most up to date data for that person.

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Dynamic rules fields are created in custom field settings, just like any other custom field. You start by choosing whether the field applies to people or organisations. Then you select dynamic rules as a field type and you give the field a label.

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From there, you create the select values exactly as you would for a standard single select field. For example, different financial statuses, donor tiers, or member types.

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At this point the field exists, but it doesn't do anything yet. The behaviour comes from the rule you attach to each value.

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Once the options are created, the next step is attaching rules to each select value. For each value, you can add a rule when you do this, a draw opens the familiar list builder criteria interface. This is important because it means you're not learning anything new.

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You're using the same criteria and logic you already use elsewhere in SwiftFox.

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You define the rule, save it, and repeat this process for other values as required. Each rule answers one simple question which contacts should have this value?

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One select value in the dynamic rules field can act as a fallback. The fallback value is applied when a contact does not meet any of the defined rules.

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You create a fallback simply by leaving one select value without a rule attached. SwiftFox enforces that there can only be one fallback value. If more than one value has no rule, you will see an error.

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It's important to understand here that the order matters as rules are evaluated from top to bottom, and the first match is what gets selected and the rest is ignored.

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That makes rule order critical. More specific rules should generally sit above broader ones. Otherwise contacts my match a general rule before they ever reach more precise logic.

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One thing to be aware of when creating a dynamic rules field for the first time is processing time in the first run, SwiftFox needs to check every contact against every rule.

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If you have a larger database and a lot of complex rules, it can take a while.

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As a rough guide, a database of around 20,000 people can take up to 12 hours to fully evaluate once processing begins overnight. So if you don't see the values populated straight away, that doesn't mean anything's wrong. It's usually just still processing.

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After the initial run updates are much faster and continue automatically, with live refreshes on individual profiles.

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Dynamic rules don't exist in isolation because they produce a standard custom field value that can be used everywhere else in SwiftFox.

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They can drive segmentation in list builder, they can be used in email campaigns, they can trigger automations, they can appear in action centres.

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What dynamic rules really do is create a single source of truth for classification, so everything downstream stays consistent without manual intervention.

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Before we wrap up, let's talk through some examples of where you might use this feature in ways you hadn't initially considered. One of the strongest and most common use cases is financial status for many membership based organisations, financial status is a critical concept. Whether someone is considered financial or unfinancial often depends on a combination of factors such as active subscriptions, payment types, or specific financial conditions.

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Using dynamic rules, you can create a financial status custom field that is automatically maintained by SwiftFox.

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For example, you might define rules such as if a contact has one of these active subscriptions, mark them as financial, or if they do not meet one of those criteria and mark them as unfinancial.

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Because this field is driven by rules rather than manual updates, it stays accurate as payments change, subscriptions start or end or financial conditions are updated.

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A second powerful example is donor classification using financial summary data for not-for-profit organisations. Understanding donor value over time is incredibly important, but also difficult to maintain manually. Using dynamic rules, you can classify donors based on how much they've contributed historically.

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For example, if someone has donated between $1 and $100, classify them as a low value donor, if they've donated between $100 and $400, classify them as a medium value donor and if they've donated more than $400, classify them as a high value donor.

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Once this is set up, SwiftFox automatically keeps that donor classification up to date as new donations come in, always giving you a clear and current view of your donor base.

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The last powerful use case is simplifying complex subscription setups into a clear member type.

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Many organisations have a large number of subscriptions plans, such as different student or concessional options. Using dynamic rules, you can group those subscriptions into a single member type field. So the logic becomes if a contact has any of these students subscriptions, classify them as a student member, or if they have any of these subscriptions, classify them as a full member.

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A similar pattern works well for payment method grouping. Instead of manually setting a payment method field, you can use dynamic rules to classify contacts based on the types of financial records they have, such as direct debit or other payment methods.

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Across all of these examples, the common theme is grouping. Dynamic rules are most powerful when you need to turn detailed, complex data into a simple, reliable film that the rest of the system can depend on.

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So, to wrap up, dynamic rules are about taking fields that would normally require ongoing manual effort and turning them into something SwiftFox manages automatically. If you find yourself regularly updating a field because the rules behind it are complex or changing, that's a strong signal that a dynamic rules field is worth considering.

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Start simple. Be clear about your rules. Pay close attention to ordering and allow time for the initial processing to complete.

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Thanks for spending the time with us today and we'll see you in the next SwiftFox Masterclass.

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