Introducing Braze CDI Segments: Providing Zero-Copy Access to Your Data Warehouse

Braze is excited to launch Cloud Data Ingestion Segments (CDI Segments) to provide Braze customers with zero-copy access to information and insights held in their data warehouses. This powerful tool eliminates additional data processing layers, giving marketers direct, secure, and user-friendly access to the data they need to deliver relevant experiences at scale.

With CDI Segments, Braze customers can directly query their data warehouse to create new segments—and do it without copying any of the underlying data to Braze. Customers can also add a connected source to the Braze dashboard, allowing them to create CDI Segments that can be used to build and tailor audiences. And all of this is possible without duplicating any information from the customer's data warehouse into the Braze platform.

Even more exciting?

• CDI Segments are available for Snowflake in early access today.
• CDI Segments will be generally available later this year for Snowflake, Google BigQuery, Databricks, and Amazon Redshift.

Why do CDI Segments matter?

Marketing teams across industries understand that generating and collecting data is no longer a challenge: In 2023 alone, the world generated an estimated 337 exabytes of data daily. However, when it comes to that pool of data, prioritizing high-value data for insights, standardizing it into a consolidated source of truth, and activating it in real time for maximum impact is what provides a true competitive advantage.

To do that, brands need reliable tools to enable the use of zero- and first-party data in their customer engagement strategies. The numerous middleware layers that query and transport data from warehouses to engagement platforms can add complexity to brands’ data architecture and have the potential to introduce latency. This hinders marketers from capitalizing on real-time opportunities to engage with customers effectively and can lead to messaging that is outdated or ineffective.

That’s where CDI Segments come in. This feature helps keep brand data safe and secure, while making it easily available for marketers to build precise audience cohorts to deliver relevant experiences at scale.

The benefits of CDI Segments

1. Faster Time to Value

By reducing the need for intermediary data processing, CDI Segments can significantly cut down the time between data collection and when that data can be used to support segmentation and targeting, allowing marketers to move at the speed of customer expectations.

2. Enhanced Data Accuracy and Trust

Focusing on zero-copy and first-party data not only enhances the accuracy but also supports compliance with increasing privacy regulations. CDI Segments reduce the risks associated with data replication and unnecessary copies. Plus, storing fewer data copies reduces the impact of any data breaches and leaks, while helping to support compliance with data minimization principles.

3. Streamlined Operations

Eliminating complex data processing layers simplifies the data access process, making it easier for technical and non-technical teams to gather and utilize data efficiently, enhancing overall productivity.

4. Improved Customer Experiences

Direct access to accurate, timely data enables marketers to create more personalized, contextually relevant customer engagements. This tailored approach can foster deeper connections and enhance customer satisfaction and loyalty.

Final Thoughts

At Braze, we are committed to equipping marketers with the tools they need to meet and exceed their customers' evolving expectations. With CDI Segments, we’re helping make it easier for brands to use their data to build tangible, actionable strategies that drive meaningful engagement and substantial business growth.

To set up CDI Segments in your Braze environment, reach out to your CSM today!