How to integrate Unify with Iterable
To integrate Unify with Iterable, configure a Unify Play Webhook action to call the documented API with POST, the required credentials, and the destination-specific JSON body. Use this connection to update Iterable user context from a Unify handoff.[1][2][3]
- Connection
- Via API
- Customer engagement
- Tool
- Iterable
- Iterable
- Data flow
- Unify → Iterable
- JSON payload
At a glance
- Via API: Iterable receives the handoff
- POST request with an explicit JSON contract and destination authentication
- Test scenario: Preserve nested preferences
When this workflow makes sense
Start with the decision your team needs to make, then choose the connection that supports it.
Lifecycle teams need context they can interpret consistently. Keep source labels explicit and avoid filling a product-usage field with a sales-selection event. Before launch, have the marketer review the resulting profile and the segment it would enter.
A good fit when
Teams that want to update Iterable user context from a Unify handoff and have an owner for the receiving process. The destination account must permit the documented request and the chosen downstream action.
Reconsider the plan when
The receiving team has not agreed how this Iterable operation should behave when the same record arrives again. Resolve the matching rule before enabling retries.
Design the handoff
Use this framework to agree on the input, the next action, and who owns the result.
Suggested workflow design, based on the documented capabilities below.
| Stage | Decision to make |
|---|---|
| Business decision | Update Iterable user context from a Unify handoff |
| Receiving contract | Agree which of the 2 example data fields the receiving process actually needs. Set missing-value and identity rules in the field mapping below. |
| Execution boundary | Give one owner access to inspect the Iterable request and its resulting action. |
| Completion | Decide who can confirm the Iterable outcome and recover a failed or repeated handoff. Use the completion check below as the acceptance criterion. |
Explore the scenarios
Choose the situation that fits your team and work through the proposed plan.
Open a scenario to explore its plan. Checklists track your selections in this page only.
Update Iterable user context from a Unify handoff
Start with one controlled record and one intended Iterable outcome. Keep the test destination separate from live operations.
The receiving owner must distinguish accepted input from completed work. Agree on the evidence required before treating this handoff as successful.
- Prepare the destination using the Iterable setup checklist
- Resolve the sample fields for one known record and inspect the request before sending it
- Trace that handoff through the receiving operation and compare the actual destination values with the source
Preserve nested preferences
Preserve nested preferences: use a sandbox profile with an existing nested object, update one child value, and verify the chosen merge behavior before using the pattern in production.
Decide whether this case should be held for review, corrected, or retried. Make that decision before running Iterable against live records.
- Isolate the test in a controlled destination and record the starting state
- Run the edge case described above and capture the actual response and destination state
- Recover the record once, then check that recovery did not create unintended additional work
Illustrative workflow, not a preconfigured automation. Complete these checks in your own account.
Define success before launch
Inspect the data and the intended outcome separately. Connection status is only the first check.
Expected, not tested
Update Iterable user context from a Unify handoff
Inspect the user profile in the correct project and compare both changed fields and any nested values that should remain.
Documentation-based reference. This workflow has not been tested end to end. Use a record or event you control before enabling live activity.
Questions answered
Common decisions when connecting Unify and Iterable.
What does mergeNestedObjects change?
When enabled, Iterable merges data in top-level objects instead of replacing those objects with the values supplied in the request.[3]
Limits & decisions
Check these boundaries before designing a live workflow around the connection.
- Nested object updates can overwrite existing content unless the intended merge behavior is selected. User identity rules depend on the project type.[3]
- API and trigger access depend on the destination account, permissions, and configuration. This request pattern is not a claim of native Unify sync.[3]
What the connection supports
Understand the connection, the data involved, and the behavior that matters for a Unify + Iterable workflow.
POST / JSON
| Decision | What to know |
|---|---|
| Unify action | Outbound HTTP request with configurable method, authentication, headers, and body[1] |
| Receiving operation | Confirm whether the project identifies users by email, userId, or a hybrid model. Use the identifier appropriate to that project.[3] |
| Response handling | Webhook response bodies are not available as inputs to later Unify Play actions[2] |
Technical setup reference
References and requirements for the Iterable connection.
Connection requirements and setup checklist
Before connecting
- A Unify Play with a Webhook action and a controlled record for testing
- Access to the intended Iterable environment and the permissions required by the cited API or trigger
- The destination identifiers, credentials, and schema used by the request below
- An agreed record identity, duplicate policy, and owner for failed handoffs
Prepare the Iterable destination
Confirm whether the project identifies users by email, userId, or a hybrid model. Use the identifier appropriate to that project.[3]
Configure the destination action
Call users/update with dataFields. If writing nested objects, decide deliberately whether mergeNestedObjects should preserve existing nested values.[3]
Configure the Unify request
Use POST, the endpoint and authentication below, and JSON body format in the Webhook action. Replace setup placeholders, then inspect Expand preview with a controlled record. The receiver must respond within 8 seconds; webhook response bodies are not exposed to later Play steps.[1][2]
Validate the complete handoff
Run the success and edge-case scenarios in Explore the scenarios with a controlled record. Save the request identity and destination evidence, then apply the completion check before enabling live traffic.[3]
Request configuration
- Method
POST- URL pattern
https://api.iterable.com/api/users/update- Headers
Content-Type: application/jsonApi-Key: YOUR_ITERABLE_API_KEY- Authentication
- Use an Iterable server-side API key in Api-Key. Select the API host for the project’s US or EU data center.
Choose JSON as the body format. Unify sets Content-Type automatically. The receiver must respond within Unify’s 8-second timeout; request responses are not passed to later Play steps.[2]
Replace URL placeholders with the actual receiver URL from your account or deployed application. These example URLs are not working endpoints.
Example handoff payload
Start with a fictional prospect. Validate the resolved values before using a real record.
Inspect the sample payload and field mapping
{
"email": "alex@example.com",
"dataFields": {
"company_name": "Example Company",
"handoff_source": "Unify"
}
}Fictional data. Replace sample values before using a real Play.
Illustrative JSON for the documented receiving operation. All prospect values are fictional. Replace credentials, identifiers, schema-specific fields, and fixed example values before a controlled test. Use the field mapping to distinguish record data from fixed settings. Select available fields in your Play and inspect Expand preview; do not replace configuration values with prospect data.[1][2][3]
| Payload field | Value to send |
|---|---|
email | Select the available email field for the controlled person or company record in Unify. Keep the receiving field a string. If missing: Skip or hold the handoff if this value is required by the destination; omit it only when the destination contract permits omission. Do not send a guessed value. |
dataFields.company_name | Select the available company name field for the controlled person or company record in Unify. Keep the receiving field a string. If missing: Skip or hold the handoff if this value is required by the destination; omit it only when the destination contract permits omission. Do not send a guessed value. |
dataFields.handoff_source | Keep the literal "Unify" required by this example request; change it only when deliberately changing the receiving contract. If missing: Keep this configured value in the request; do not replace it with a blank prospect field. |
The example targets an email-based profile. Place custom context in dataFields and do not mix subscription-control fields into a generic profile update.
Troubleshooting
Start with the stage where the expected data or action stops appearing.
The request is rejected
Use an Iterable server-side API key in Api-Key. Select the API host for the project’s US or EU data center. Check the receiving account, permissions, endpoint, and required fields against the cited documentation.[3]
The values or destination are wrong
Compare the resolved JSON with the field-by-field contract in Example handoff payload. Check identifiers against the selected Iterable environment, and distinguish an absent source value from an intentional static value. Fix the mapping before repeating the write.[3]
Receipt does not match the expected result
Find the request in the receiving logs, then inspect the actual Iterable resource or execution. If the request was accepted but no result exists, investigate the destination failure before retrying. Keep the same logical handoff identity when recovering a repeat.[3]
Sources & review
Official documentation reviewed on September 15, 2026.
Technical claims link to primary documentation from Unify and the destination tool. Scenarios, field choices, and recovery plans are editorial implementation examples. Documentation review is separate from execution testing.
Documentation reviewed; end-to-end execution not tested. No named technical reviewer has signed off on these articles yet.
Content updated: . Report a correction to Unify with the tool name, source URL, and behavior you observed.
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