MERIDIANCreate a Schema in the UI10:22
Creating your first schema
You build schemas in the MDP UI under Data Management → Schemas. Click "Create schema," pick a class, and start adding field groups. The whole process takes about ten minutes for a basic profile schema.
1

Choose a class

Meridian Individual Profile for "who they are." Meridian ExperienceEvent for "what they did." This decision is permanent — pick carefully.

2

Name the schema

Use a descriptive name with brand or context. "Cordova Consumer Profile" reads better than "Profile1" in a list of forty schemas.

3

Add field groups

Start with standard groups (Demographics, Contact, Loyalty) and add custom groups for engagement-specific fields.

Identity and Profile enablement
Two checkboxes at the bottom of the schema editor determine whether the data ever reaches Real-Time Customer Profile. Both matter.

Set a Primary Identity

One field on the schema gets flagged as the primary identity — usually email for B2C, CRM ID for B2B. Without this, MDP doesn't know how to stitch profiles together.

Enable for Real-Time Customer Profile

Until this checkbox is on, data sits in the data lake but never reaches the profile graph. Segments and journeys can't see it. This is the most common "why isn't my data showing up" mistake.

Order matters

Set the primary identity first, then enable for Profile. Doing it in reverse order can throw a validation error mid-save.

Schemas are permanent (mostly)
Once a schema is enabled for Profile and starts receiving data, it is additive only. You can add fields and field groups, but you cannot remove them or change their types — ever.
  • Add fields anytime — new field groups, new custom fields. Safe.
  • Cannot remove fields once data has landed against them. The data integrity contract is one-way.
  • Cannot change types — turning a string into a number breaks every record that already used the string.
  • Workaround — if you truly need to restructure, you create a new schema, dual-write, and migrate. Expensive. Plan well the first time.

The 30-minute rule

Spend thirty minutes on paper before you touch the UI. Sketch the schema. Name the fields. Identify the primary identity. Confirm with the team. The single hour you spend planning saves a week of retrofit.

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