How to Configure Marketing Campaign in iDempiere

The Marketing Campaign window in iDempiere is the central configuration point for planning, executing, and tracking marketing initiatives. Each campaign record defines the channel, time period, and budget for a specific marketing effort, then acts as a reference anchor across CRM and sales transactions.

Campaigns are used to track outcomes from specific marketing activities such as LinkedIn posts, email blasts, or seasonal promotions. When a sales representative creates an opportunity generated by a campaign, they link it directly to the campaign record, allowing marketing and sales teams to measure results in one place.

Business Rules

• Only Active campaign records are available for selection in Sales Opportunities and other CRM transactions.
• A campaign must have a defined Start Date and End Date to establish the active tracking period.
• Each campaign must be linked to a Marketing Channel (e.g., LinkedIn, Email) before it can be saved.
• The Opportunity tab automatically aggregates all sales opportunities linked to a campaign — no manual action is required.
• Campaign reference flows forward automatically from Opportunity to Sales Order (Proposal); users do not re-select it.
• Weighted Amount on each opportunity is calculated automatically based on Opportunity Amount multiplied by Probability.
• Campaigns are not closed or completed via document actions; they remain Active for historical tracking after the campaign ends.
• A single campaign can be linked to multiple opportunities across different business partners and sales representatives.
• If Summary Level is checked, the campaign is treated as a reporting group and may not be selectable for individual transactions.

Prerequisites

The following configurations must exist before creating a Marketing Campaign in iDempiere:

• Tenant and Organization configured (e.g., GardenWorld / HQ).

Navigation

Menu path – Menu → Quote to Invoice (Sales) → Sales and Marketing → Marketing Campaign

After opening the Marketing Campaign window, users see the Campaign header form with fields for Name, Search Key, Channel, Dates, and Costs. The Opportunity tab below the header displays all linked sales opportunities in a grid view. Each campaign record is paginated, and users can navigate between records using the toolbar arrows.

Configuration Steps

Step 1: Create the Marketing Campaign Record

This step defines the campaign identity, channel, and duration. A clear Search Key and Name allow sales users to identify the correct campaign quickly during opportunity creation.

Instructions

• Navigate to Menu → Quote to Invoice (Sales) → Sales and Marketing → Marketing Campaign
• Click the New Record (+) button in the toolbar.
• Enter a unique Search Key (e.g., LinkedIn-Q1-2026).
• Enter a descriptive Name (e.g., Q1 LinkedIn Posts).
• Add a Description that explains the campaign purpose.
• Ensure the Active checkbox is ticked to make the campaign available for transactions.
• Save the record before proceeding to field configuration.

Field Reference Table

Field	Sample Value	Description
Tenant	GardenWorld	The iDempiere tenant this campaign belongs to.
Organization	HQ	The organizational unit managing the campaign.
Search Key	LinkedIn-Q1-2026	Unique short code used to identify the campaign quickly.
Name	Q1 LinkedIn Posts	Full display name of the campaign shown across all windows.
Description	Share company updates and tips on LinkedIn every week	Brief summary of the campaign objective.
Active	Checked	Makes the campaign selectable in Opportunities and CRM forms.
Summary Level	Unchecked	When checked, treats this as a parent grouping record.

Step 2: Configure Channel, Dates, and Costs

The Channel, Start Date, End Date, and Costs fields complete the campaign definition. These values determine how the campaign is categorised and what period it covers for reporting and attribution.

Instructions

• Select the appropriate Channel from the dropdown (e.g., LinkedIn).
• Set the Start Date to the first day of the campaign period (e.g., 01/01/2026).
• Set the End Date to the last day of the campaign period (e.g., 03/31/2026).
• Enter the planned Costs if a budget has been allocated for this campaign.
• Save the record. The campaign is now active and ready for use in Opportunities.

Field Reference Table

Field	Sample Value	Description
Channel	LinkedIn	The marketing medium used for this campaign.
Start Date	01/01/2026	The date from which the campaign is considered active.
End Date	03/31/2026	The date on which the campaign period closes.
Costs	0.00	Planned marketing spend associated with this campaign.

Figure 2 — Opportunity Sub-Tab: Campaign Linked to Sales Opportunity 1000001 for Sarah Johnson

Step 3: Link the Campaign to a Sales Opportunity

Every time a lead is generated by a campaign, the sales representative creates a Sales Opportunity and links it to the campaign. This is the critical step that connects marketing effort to pipeline results.

Instructions

• Navigate to the Sales Opportunity window
• Click New (+) to create a new opportunity record.
• Select the Business Partner (e.g., Sarah Johnson).
• Select the User/Contact associated with the opportunity.
• In the Campaign field, select the relevant campaign (e.g., Q1 LinkedIn Posts).
• Assign a Sales Representative (e.g., GardenUser).
• Set the Sales Stage (e.g., Prospecting), Probability (e.g., 20.00), and Opportunity Amount (e.g., 70.00 USD).
• Set the Expected Close Date and enter a Description of how the lead was generated.
• Add any follow-up notes in the Comments field.
• Save the opportunity. It will now appear in the Campaign’s Opportunity tab automatically.

Field Reference Table

Field	Sample Value	Description
Document No	1000001	Auto-generated unique identifier for the opportunity.
Business Partner	Sarah Johnson	The prospect or customer linked to this opportunity.
User/Contact	Sarah Johnson	The individual contact within the business partner.
Campaign	Q1 LinkedIn Posts	The marketing campaign that generated this opportunity.
Sales Representative	GardenUser	The sales rep responsible for following up.
Sales Stage	Prospecting	Current stage of the sales process.
Probability	20.00	Likelihood of winning, used to calculate Weighted Amount.
Opportunity Amount	70.00	Expected deal value in the selected currency.
Weighted Amount	14.00	Auto-calculated: Opportunity Amount × Probability.
Expected Close Date	03/31/2026	Target date for closing this opportunity.
Description	Sarah contacted via LinkedIn about Complan. 20 tins @ $3.50 each.	How the lead was generated and initial interest.
Comments	Follow-up call scheduled for Feb 10.	Notes on next actions or customer requests.
Order	(linked after conversion)	Reference to the Sales Order if the opportunity converts.

Step 4: Track Activities on the Opportunity

As the opportunity progresses, sales representatives log email exchanges, calls, and follow-up activities in the Activity sub-tab. These entries provide a full interaction history linked to both the opportunity and the campaign.

Instructions

• Open the Sales Opportunity record (e.g., Document No 1000001).
• Click the Activity tab at the bottom of the window.
• Click New (+) in the activity grid to add a new activity entry.
• Select the Activity Type (e.g., Email, Call).
• Enter the Description of the activity (e.g., ‘Reply from Sarah Johnson — interested in 20 tins Royale Chocolate’).
• The User/Contact and Sales Representative are populated from the opportunity header.
• Add any relevant Comments about the interaction outcome.
• Save the activity. Repeat for each interaction in the sales process.

Figure 3 — Sales Opportunity Activity Tab: Email Activities Logged for Opportunity 1000001_70

Step 5: Convert Opportunity to Sales Order and Verify Campaign Reference

When an opportunity is ready to convert to a quotation or sales order, the campaign reference is automatically carried forward. This ensures traceability from the original marketing initiative through to the completed order.

Instructions

• From the Sales Opportunity record, use the Order field or the standard conversion action to create a linked Sales Order.
• Navigate to the resulting Sales Order (e.g., Order No 20000).
• Scroll to the Reference section in the Sales Order window.
• Confirm that the Campaign field shows the correct campaign (e.g., Q1 LinkedIn Posts).
• Verify the Order Source field (e.g., LinkedIn Lead) to confirm origin tracking.
• The sales order does not require manual campaign entry — it is inherited automatically.

Field Reference Table

Field	Sample Value	Description
Campaign (Sales Order)	Q1 LinkedIn Posts	Campaign reference inherited from the linked Opportunity.
Order Source	LinkedIn Lead	Indicates the marketing origin of this sales order.
Price List	Sales – Nutrition Retail 2026	Price list applied during order creation.
Payment Rule	On Credit	Payment method agreed with the customer.
Payment Term	Immediate	Terms under which payment is due.
Document Status	Completed	Current processing status of the Sales Order.
Document Type	Proposal	Type of sales document generated from the opportunity.
Grand Total	72.00 USD	Final order value including all line items.

Figure 4 — Sales Order Window: Campaign Reference Flowing Forward from Opportunity to Completed Order

Step 6: Monitor Campaign Performance via the Opportunity Tab

The Opportunity tab in the Marketing Campaign window is the primary reporting view for campaign effectiveness. It aggregates all linked opportunities automatically, showing pipeline value and sales progress without manual effort.

Instructions

• Navigate back to the Marketing Campaign window.
• Open the campaign record (e.g., Q1 LinkedIn Posts).
• Click the Opportunity tab below the campaign header.
• Review all linked opportunities — Document No, Business Partner, Sales Stage, and Sales Representative are visible.
• Note that 4 opportunities are shown for Q1 LinkedIn Posts, across stages: Prospecting, Qualification, Proposal, and Closed Won.
• No manual update is required — this tab refreshes as opportunities progress.
• Use this view to share pipeline status with management or marketing stakeholders.

Common Issues and Resolutions

Issue	Cause	Resolution
Weighted Amount shows 0 on opportunity	Probability field is set to 0 or left blank on the opportunity record.	Enter the correct probability percentage (e.g., 20.00). Weighted Amount recalculates automatically.
Campaign field is blank on the Sales Order	The Sales Order was created manually without linking to a campaign	Trace back to the originating opportunity and ensure the campaign was set before the order was generated.
Cannot save campaign field validation error on Costs	The Costs field is required and must contain a numeric value (0.00 is acceptable).	Enter 0.00 in the Costs field if no budget is allocated. Do not leave it blank.
Campaign is selectable but opportunities are being attributed to wrong campaign	Multiple campaigns have similar names, causing sales reps to select the wrong one.	Use distinct Search Keys (e.g., LinkedIn-Q1-2026 vs LinkedIn-Q2-2026). Rename campaigns if needed and correct existing opportunities.
Summary Level campaign cannot be selected in Opportunity	The Summary Level checkbox is checked, marking it as a parent grouping record, not a transactional record.	Uncheck Summary Level if the campaign should be directly selectable. Create child campaigns under it if grouping is needed.
Activity entries on Opportunity not visible in Campaign view	Activities are stored at the Opportunity level, not the Campaign level.	Navigate directly to the individual Opportunity record and click the Activity tab to review logged interactions.

Next Steps

After completing the Marketing Campaign setup and linking opportunities, consider the following related configurations:

• Marketing Channel — Configure additional channels (Email, Social Media, Events) before creating further campaigns.
• Sales Opportunity — Review all linked opportunities periodically to update stages and probability.
• Sales Order — Process proposals into confirmed orders once opportunities reach the Closed Won stage.
• Business Partner — Ensure all prospect records are clean and complete before linking to campaigns.