You can modify a Dynamic Group by updating the group name or adjusting its rules. Keep in mind that if you edit a group connected to an active campaign, your changes will immediately impact all training assignments and reporting connected to that group.
Edit with Caution
Exercise caution when modifying Dynamic Groups because the parameters are based on logic statements, which impact all group members. Double-check your rules before saving them.
Example You have a Dynamic Group consisting of supervisors, which is connected to your Leadership Skills campaign. To include all users in a supervisory role, one of your existing rule parameters would be: Supervisor IS true. But, say that you accidentally changed the “IS” parameter to “IS NOT” for the rule—i.e., Supervisor IS NOT true. That would remove everyone in a supervisory role from your group and include everyone who’s not a supervisor.
Before You Edit
Consider the following before editing a Dynamic Group:
- Identify whether any active campaigns are connected to the group;
- Consider how the changes might affect learner assignments;
- Evaluate the impact on completion tracking and reporting;
- Communicate planned changes to other admins.
Dynamic Groups aren’t designed for adding individual users. To create a group of specific users, create a Static Group.
Types of Changes
Changes to Dynamic groups involve broadening or narrowing rules, depending on whether your goal is to include more users, or fewer, in a particular group. Alternatively, you might want to edit a group in order to exclude a particular user. For example, you might want to exclude a new hire who has already received the required training at their previous workplace.
Make small, incremental changes to prevent unexpected results.
Excluding Users
You can exclude a particular user, or users, by editing group rules. However, you cannot add individual users to a Dynamic group due to its cumulative “and” logic.
Excluding an individual from a Dynamic Group
If you need to prevent one or more users in an assigned group from receiving the training, add an Email IS NOT rule to exclude them from the group.
Example A new manager, Leo Smith, already completed the required training at their previous company.
Add this rule: Email IS NOT leosmith@company.com. If you want to exclude more than one learner, add additional email addresses in the same field.
Training assignments will go to everyone in the group except the individual(s) whose email addresses are listed.
Including an Individual in a Dynamic Group
Dynamic groups aren’t designed for adding individual users. The cumulative logic of the rules prevents additions. This is because when you add an individual user, the system interprets it as also true—anyone in the group must be that person AND all the other parameters must also be true.
Reducing Group Size
Generally speaking, when you add parameters to existing group rules, the group becomes smaller and more narrowly-focused.
A narrowing-down change type carries the highest risk of accidentally excluding users.
Exclude Users from a Dynamic Group
If you need to exclude particular users based on a custom field, add a [custom field] IS NOT [value] rule.
Example You have two versions of the 2024 Diversity Training—in-person and online. You want to exclude users who completed the in-person training from receiving the online version. You’ve marked the users who trained in person with the code DIV24 in a custom field called “Retrain Code.”
Add this rule: Retrain Code IS NOT DIV24.
All users who meet the criteria will receive the training assigned to other users—except those with the Retrain Code of DIV24.
Expanding Groups
Expanding a group involves loosening your parameters. Generally this means fewer rules.
Include More Users in a Dynamic Group
If you need to use a profile field to expand which users fall into a group, add values to the existing rule.
Example You issued a Team Building training assigned to the Product team. Now you want to include additional teams that would benefit from the training.
Existing rule: Department IS Product
Updated rule: Department IS Product, Sales, Marketing.
(Add multiple departments in the same field.)
Any user who is in Product, Sales, or Marketing will receive the training assignment.
Alternatives to Editing a Dynamic Group
Create a Duplicate Campaign that Runs Simultaneously
While taking time to carefully plan your dynamic groups beforehand is best, it’s not always realistic. If you forget to include learners, or have new learners you need to add, there is a work-around.
You can duplicate the active campaign, add a new group of users to it, and run both campaigns simultaneously. This will enable you to reach all the users who need the training assignment between the two campaigns.
To add users by this method:
- Duplicate the active campaign that you want to add users to.
- Give it a name that will remind you that it’s going to run alongside the other campaign.
- Enter a start date.
- Add the Learning Content to match the selections of the campaign you duplicated.
- Create and add a new Dynamic Group to include the learners you want to add.
- Double-check your work—then deploy the campaign.
Avoid duplicate assignments by carefully reviewing the new dynamic group. Any learners who appear in simultaneously running campaigns will get duplicate assignments.
Edit an Empty Static Group Attached to Your Campaign
If you attached an empty Static group to your campaign during setup, you can add users to it after you deploy your campaign. This only works when you add an empty Static group before you deploy a campaign.
Making and Saving Changes
If you decide to proceed with editing a Dynamic Group, take the following steps—and a cautious approach.
- First, locate the group that you want to edit in the Groups list and select the edit icon (a pencil) for that group.
- The system displays a message to let you know about any campaign(s) connected to the group.
If the group is associated with any admin user roles, it also displays those to remind you that edits to the group may impact those roles. - To add a rule, use the Add Rule button.
- Delete a rule by selecting the Delete button for the rule you want to remove—located to the right of that rule.
- To edit a rule, use the dropdown menus to make new selections, then select the Save button.
Changes to Dynamic groups are not saved in real-time, so if you make a mistake while editing you can always start over by selecting < Go Back to exit the screen.
Summary of Changes
Before finalizing your edits, review the Summary of Changes pop-up message.
This explains how your changes will affect the group, including:
- Changes in total users. For example: the total number of learners in this group will change from 200 to 150.
- Types of modifications. For example: US State Added or Role Deleted.
Choose to proceed with your changes, or cancel the edits.
Deleting or Archiving Groups
Remove or archive groups that you no longer use in campaigns to keep your Groups list organized. This is helpful if your list becomes cluttered with groups that you no longer use.
Learn more about Dynamic Groups in Finding Users in a Dynamic Group and Creating Dynamic Groups.