External Name Editor

Short Description The External Name editor defines how tactic names are formatted when they sync to integrated systems. This article covers the editor and its behavior.

What this article answers

• What an External Name is and why it matters.
• How to configure the External Name template.
• When External Names are generated and regenerated.

What an External Name is

An External Name is the name Hive9 uses for a tactic when pushing it to an integrated platform (Eloqua, Marketo, Salesforce). It's distinct from the Tactic's display Name in Hive9.

External Names are useful when:

• Your integrated platform requires specific naming conventions (e.g., "FY26-Q3-US-Webinar-ProductX" rather than "Q3 Product X Webinar").
• You want consistency in how tactics appear across platforms.
• You need codes embedded in the name for downstream tracking.

The editor

The External Name editor is WYSIWYG with drag-and-drop:

1. Open the editor (Settings → Models → your Model → External Name section).
2. Drag standard and custom attributes from the bottom area into the pink Template area.
3. Order attributes in the sequence you want them to appear in the name.
4. Configure formatting options at the bottom:
   • Separator — character(s) between attributes (typically - or _).
   • Date formats — how dates render (YYYYMM, YYYY-MM-DD, etc.).
   • Keep or remove spaces — strip spaces from attribute values.
   • Other formatting options specific to your instance.
5. Save.

Once saved, Hive9 begins generating External Names for your tactics.

Example template

A template like:

{Year}-{Quarter}-{Region}-{TacticType}-{TacticName}

With values Year=FY26, Quarter=Q3, Region=US, TacticType=Webinar, TacticName="Product X Launch", produces:

FY26-Q3-US-Webinar-Product X Launch

If you've set "remove spaces," it becomes:

FY26-Q3-US-Webinar-ProductXLaunch

When External Names are generated

By default, the External Name is generated when the tactic is approved. Until approval, the field may be empty.

If your instance has Regenerate On Edit turned on:

• Approved tactics regenerate their External Name when edited and saved.
• Edits to attributes used in the External Name template propagate into the name.
• New External Name rules apply to any approved tactic edited after the rule change.

Without Regenerate On Edit, External Names are frozen once generated — they don't update even if the underlying attributes change.

Common questions

My tactic's External Name is blank — what went wrong? Most likely the tactic isn't approved yet. External Names typically generate on approval. If it's approved and still blank, check the template — one of the attributes it references might be empty on this tactic.

Can I have different External Name templates per Tactic Type? External Name is configured per Model. If different Tactic Types need different name formats, you'd need different Models (with different External Name templates) for those Tactic Types.

Will my old tactics get new External Names if I change the template?

• Without Regenerate On Edit: no, old tactics keep their old names unless edited.
• With Regenerate On Edit: yes, on next edit they regenerate.

What's the maximum External Name length? Hive9 doesn't impose a hard limit, but integrated platforms may. Eloqua and Marketo have campaign-name length limits. If your External Names are too long, the sync may fail or truncate.

Can I include free text in the template? Some templates allow constant text alongside attribute placeholders. Confirm with your CSM.
 

Related articles

• Models & Tactic Library
• Adding an integration — the general flow
• What are media codes and how do I use them?
• My integration isn't syncing data into Hive9