Understanding multi currency activity data
Ortto can receive transaction data in multiple currencies for Chargebee fields and activities, custom activities, and custom person fields. This allows you to:
- Filter activities by currency.
- View Chargebee activity data in the original (raw) and default (converted) currency values.
Set a default currency
In Ortto, you can set a default currency, which will ensure that you can view transactions in a currency you are familiar with. Setting a default currency helps make reporting on things like MRR more straightforward because the values are calculated and shown in your default currency.
Set your default currency at Settings > General > Default currency.
As an example, you are based in London so you set your default currency to £GBP.
When activity and field data containing multi-currency values are sent to Ortto, we will automatically convert them from their original (raw) currency (e.g. $USD and $CAD) into your default currency (£GBP).
Automatic currency conversion
For activity attribute and field data that is synced to Ortto as a multi currency field type, Ortto automatically converts the value into the default currency of the account, using the latest exchange rates between the two currencies. This applies to data source activities and fields, and custom activities and fields.
As an example, you operate a number of stores across the USA, Canada, and the UK. Because of this, you are sending customer transaction-related activities to Ortto in $USD, $CAD and £GBP. Your headquarters are in London, so you prefer to view transaction data in £GBP.
In your Ortto account, you can filter people by how much they spent in a particular currency value. For example, you can create a filter like “Purchase has occurred where Price is greater than $100 £GBP”. This will return results for:
- People whose transaction was sent in £GBP and the amount they spent was greater than £100.
- People whose transaction was sent in $USD or $CAD and the amount they spent was, at the time the activity occurred, equivalent to £101 or more (according to the foreign exchange rate).
Supported currencies
Ortto can receive multi currency data for the currencies detailed under Valid currencies in List of currencies.
How is the conversion rate determined?
Ortto obtains a list of foreign exchange rates, which are updated daily (at 00:00:00 UTC), via API from an external provider. We use this data to perform your currency conversions.
We also store the currency conversion data, including each day’s exchange rates, for up to 10 years.
What if I change my default currency?
If at any time you change your default currency, new activity data will be converted into your default currency automatically.
You can change your default currency at Settings > General > Default currency.
NOTE: If you change your default currency after you have already received data source activities that display a currency value (e.g. an “Invoice” activity with the attribute “Total”), the currency symbol will change but the value will not. For example, for an “Invoice: Total” shown in a default currency of $AUD100, changing the default currency to £GBP will show the “Invoice: Total” as £GBP100.
How do I view the currency associated with an activity?
Currency values will display differently depending on whether the activity is a data source (Chargebee) activity, or a custom activity or field. For data sources, it also depends on when the data source was connected to Ortto.
Data sources
When you view the Activity tab in your Chargebee data source’s view, you’ll see a list of people’s activities associated with the data source. Clicking Show details will allow you to see the activity attribute values.
Data source connected before April 18, 2024
Where you see an attribute containing “raw” (e.g. Amount paid (raw)) this represents the currency in which the activity was performed. By comparison, the same activity attribute without “raw” (e.g. Amount paid) shows you the value in your account’s currency.
In the below example, you can see the Amount paid (raw) in Australian Dollars (the customer’s currency), and the Amount paid in Euro (the account’s default currency).
The reason that we provide you with both the “raw” and “non-raw” attributes is to ensure that existing reports and filters that use the original activity attributes (non-raw) are not affected by incoming raw currency data.
TIP: We recommend that you disconnect and reconnect your existing Chargebee data source connection after April 18, 2024. For data sources connected after this date, we will sync only one of each of the activity attributes which have a currency value (e.g. Amount due only, not Amount due and Amount due (raw)). This will make activity details easier to read. It will also enable you to more easily select the relevant activity attributes to use in reports and filters.
Data source connected after April 18, 2024
Where you see an activity attribute containing a currency value, (e.g. Amount due) this represents the currency in which the activity was performed (the customer’s currency, not your account’s default currency).
The activity attribute values are converted in the background, so that you can filter and report on them in your default currency.
View activity currencies in your CDP
In your CDP, you can also filter people who made purchases or transactions in a particular currency. For example, you can view people who started a new trial where the MRR greater than a particular amount in Japanese Yen.
Custom activities and custom fields
A custom activity attribute or custom field with the field type multi-currency will display only the original (raw) currency and value.
For example, your account’s default currency is £GBP. You have a custom activity called “Booked flight” with a multi-currency attribute called “Price”. If a customer purchases a flight in $USD, the flight booking activity details will show the “Price” attribute value in $USD.
However, the custom activity and custom field values are still converted in the background, so that you can filter and report on them in your default currency.
Can I create a custom activity attribute for multiple currency values?
Yes, when configuring a new or existing custom activity, you can add an attribute which can receive data in multiple currencies.
When adding an attribute to your custom activity, select the data type Multi currency.
To send activities with multi-currency values, follow the instructions and examples shown in Create a custom activity event (create) and List of currencies.
Can I create a custom field for multiple currency values?
Yes, you can create a custom person field that supports multiple currency values.
When creating a new field, select the field type Multi currency. This field type will behave the same way as a data source field that supports multiple currencies, meaning that it can ingest values in multiple currencies and be used in filters and reports.
Learn more about creating a custom multi currency field in the Ortto app or via Ortto’s API.
Can I use multi-currency values in merge tags?
Yes, simply insert a merge tag in a message or notification content as usual.
The value displayed will depend on which data source activity attribute you insert:
- Chargebee attributes containing “raw” (e.g. “Amount paid (raw)”) will display the original value and currency associated with the transaction.
- Chargebee attributes without “raw” (e.g. “Amount paid”) will display the value in your default currency.
- Custom activity attributes and custom fields will display the original value and currency associated with the transaction.