Adobe Audience Manager
Send audience signals and trait qualifications to Adobe Audience Manager (AAM) for programmatic advertising, audience segmentation, and cross-channel activation. SignalSmith sends real-time signals to the AAM Data Collection Server (DCS), associating users with traits that power AAM segment membership.
Note: Adobe Audience Manager is transitioning to Adobe Real-Time CDP. Adobe recommends migrating to Adobe Experience Platform for new implementations. SignalSmith supports AAM for existing integrations, but consider AEP for new audience activation workflows.
Prerequisites
- An Adobe Audience Manager account with an active license
- At least one onboarded data source configured in AAM
- An Adobe Developer Console project with Server-to-Server OAuth credentials
Authentication
Adobe Audience Manager uses OAuth 2.0 Server-to-Server (client credentials) authentication.
- Go to the Adobe Developer Console
- Create a new project (or use an existing one)
- Click Add API and select Adobe Audience Manager API
- Choose OAuth Server-to-Server as the credential type
- Select a product profile with Audience Manager access
- Copy the Client ID and Client Secret
- Enter them in SignalSmith when creating the destination
Configuration
| Field | Type | Required | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Data Source ID | Text | Yes | The numeric ID of the onboarded data source in AAM. Found in Audience Manager > Admin > Data Sources. This determines which data source receives the incoming signals. |
| API Domain | Text | Yes | The AAM API endpoint domain. Default: aam.adobe.io. Legacy integrations may use api.demdex.com. |
Target Settings
| Field | Type | Required | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Object Type | Select | Yes | The type of AAM entity to sync to: Trait (qualify users for specific traits) or Segment (manage segment membership via trait rules). |
| Trait Folder ID | Text | No | The folder ID where new traits are organized in AAM. Found in Audience Manager > Audience Data > Traits > Folder properties. If omitted, traits are placed in the default folder. |
Supported Operations
Sync Modes
| Mode | Supported |
|---|---|
| Upsert | Yes |
| Insert | Yes |
| Update | — |
| Mirror | — |
Audience Sync Modes
| Mode | Supported |
|---|---|
| Add | Yes |
| Remove | Yes |
| Mirror | Yes |
| Upsert | — |
Features
- Field Mapping: Yes
- Schema Introspection: No
Required Mapping Fields
| Field | Description |
|---|---|
user_id | The unique user identifier matching your AAM data source. This is the cross-device ID or CRM ID onboarded into the specified data source. |
trait_id | The numeric AAM trait ID to qualify the user for. Found in Audience Manager > Audience Data > Traits > Trait details. |
Default Destination Fields
user_id, trait_id, trait_value, timestamp, data_source_id
How It Works
- SignalSmith reads audience membership data from your configured warehouse model
- For each record, SignalSmith sends a real-time signal to the AAM Data Collection Server (DCS) using the configured data source
- The signal associates the user (identified by
user_id) with the specified trait (identified bytrait_id) - AAM evaluates trait qualifications against its segment rules in real time
- Users who qualify for traits that match segment rule criteria are automatically added to the corresponding AAM segments
- Segments are available for activation to downstream advertising and media platforms configured in AAM
Traits vs. Segments
- Traits are the building blocks — they represent individual data signals or user characteristics (e.g., “purchased in last 30 days” or “interest: travel”)
- Segments are derived from traits automatically by AAM’s rule-based engine — they combine one or more traits using boolean logic (AND, OR, NOT)
- SignalSmith syncs at the trait level. Segment membership is computed by AAM based on which traits a user qualifies for.
Remove Operations
When using the Remove audience sync mode, SignalSmith sends a signal that disqualifies the user from the specified trait. If that trait was the sole qualifier for a segment, the user is automatically removed from that segment as well.
Rate Limits
- Standard DCS rate limits apply (varies by AAM contract tier)
- Default: 100 requests per second per data source for real-time DCS calls
- Bulk onboarding files: 1 file upload per data source at a time, up to 5 GB per file
- SignalSmith handles rate limiting, batching, and automatic retries
Troubleshooting
Authentication failed
Verify your Client ID and Client Secret in the Adobe Developer Console. Ensure the OAuth Server-to-Server credential is active and the product profile includes Audience Manager API access. If using the legacy api.demdex.com domain, confirm the endpoint has not been deprecated for your account.
Data source not found
Check that the Data Source ID is correct and the data source is active in Audience Manager > Admin > Data Sources. The data source must be of type Onboarded (not Cookie or Mobile) for server-to-server integrations.
Trait not qualifying
- Verify the
trait_idis correct and the trait is active in Audience Manager > Audience Data > Traits - Ensure the
user_idmatches the ID format expected by the data source (e.g., hashed email, CRM ID) - Check that the data source ID in the signal matches the data source configured for the trait
- Review the trait qualification logs in Audience Manager > Audience Data > Traits > Trait details > Expression to confirm the signal structure matches the trait rule
Signals received but segments not populating
Segments are derived from traits by AAM’s rule engine. If users qualify for traits but do not appear in expected segments:
- Review the segment rule expression in Audience Manager > Audience Data > Segments > Segment details
- Confirm the rule references the correct trait IDs with the correct boolean operators
- Allow up to 24 hours for segment population to fully reflect real-time trait qualifications in reporting
AAM deprecation and migration
Adobe is transitioning AAM to Adobe Real-Time CDP. If you are planning new audience activation workflows, consider using the Adobe Experience Platform destination instead. Existing AAM integrations continue to function, but new feature development is focused on AEP. Consult your Adobe account team for migration guidance and timelines.