# Manage profile

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## What You Want to Do

You want to consolidate customer interactions from multiple channels (web, mobile, call center, etc.) into a single, consistent profile that can be used across Twilio products like Flex and Studio. This requires identity resolution—linking disparate identifiers (email, phone, user_id)—and syncing enriched traits.

**Typical User Questions**:
- How to create unified customer profiles with Twilio?
- Can I resolve user identities across devices?
- How do Twilio and Segment Unify work together?
- Does Twilio support identity resolution?

## Decision Tree

Pick the best path for your situation:

- **If** you need to programmatically resolve identities or delete identifiers via code (e.g., for GDPR compliance) → Use Manage unified identities using Identity Resolution API (go to *twilio/twilio-identity*)
- **If** your team has Identity Admin role and wants to visually configure matching rules using Profile Explorer → Use Configure identity resolution using Unify console (go to *twilio/twilio-identity*)
- **If** you are starting fresh and need to create a new Segment Unify workspace with Twilio integration → Use Set up Segment workspace for Twilio integration (go to *twilio/twilio-cdp*)
- **Otherwise (default)** → If you already have a Segment Unify workspace and want to connect it to Twilio Unified Profiles for use in Flex/Studio, use Connect Segment to Unified Profiles (go to *twilio/twilio-customer_data*)

## Path Comparison

| Path | Best For | Complexity | Code Required | Automation | Key Fact | Detail Skill |
|------|----------|------------|---------------|------------|----------|-------------|
| Manage unified identities using Identity Resolution API | Scenarios requiring automated, programmatic management of identity resolution and customer profiles | high | Yes | Yes | Uses Basic Auth with base64-encoded token; endpoints at profiles.segment.com or profiles.euw1.segment.com | `twilio/api/twilio-identity` |
| Configure identity resolution using Unify console | Business teams wanting to visually configure identity resolution rules and monitor them | medium | No | No | Requires Identity Admin role and space created after October 5, 2020 | `twilio/guide/twilio-identity` |
| Set up Segment workspace for Twilio integration | New users needing to set up a CDP workspace from scratch and integrate with Twilio services | medium | No | No | Requires Segment CDP plan and data warehouse access for Reverse ETL | `twilio/guide/twilio-cdp` |
| Connect Segment to Unified Profiles | Existing Segment workspace users who want to connect to Twilio Unified Profiles | low | No | No | Requires existing Segment Unify space and Profile API access token | `twilio/guide/twilio-customer_data` |

## Path Details

### Path 1: Manage unified identities using Identity Resolution API

**Brief Description**: The Identity Resolution API is a synchronous HTTP service that resolves user identities using external identifiers like email, phone, or user_id. It supports operations such as fetching `user_identifiers`, retrieving `user_traits`, managing `externalIds`, and calling `delete_external_ids`. Enhanced profile data is accessible via `Profiles Sync` exports to your data warehouse, not directly through the API.

**Key technical facts**:
- Auth method: Basic Auth using API access token (base64-encoded `<token>:`)
- Regions available: North America, Europe (EU-West)

**When to Use**:
- Need to integrate identity resolution into event tracking or data pipelines
- Must programmatically delete specific customer identifiers for GDPR/CCPA compliance
- Already have a data warehouse and prefer querying unified profiles via SQL through `Profiles Sync`

**When NOT to Use**:
- Business teams want a visual interface to configure rules
- No development resources to maintain API integrations
- Need real-time profile exploration without setting up data warehouse sync

**Known Limitations**:
- Only programmatic management—no visual interface
- `delete_external_ids` allows only 1 identifier per request
- Profile enhancement data requires `Profiles Sync` export and SQL access; not available via direct API
- Must manually specify region endpoint (`profiles.segment.com` or `profiles.euw1.segment.com`)

### Path 2: Configure identity resolution using Unify console

**Brief Description**: The Unify console provides a no-code interface to configure `Identity Resolution Settings`, including defining which `Trait / Property key to match on`, using `Out-of-the-Box` rules, or choosing to `Add new identifier`. The `Profile Explorer` lets you monitor real-time `profile_merges`, set `Limit` thresholds, define `Blocked Values`, and even `Import from existing space`.

**Key technical facts**:
- Auth method: Console SSO
- Prerequisites: Workspace owner, admin, or user with `Identity Admin` role; space created after October 5, 2020

**When to Use**:
- Business analysts need intuitive UI to adjust identity rules without engineering help
- Want to validate merges in real time using `Profile Explorer`
- Migrating from another space and can `Import from existing space`

**When NOT to Use**:
- Need to automate rule configuration via scripts or CI/CD
- Lack `Identity Admin` permissions
- Your Segment space was created before October 5, 2020

**Known Limitations**:
- Only available to users with `Identity Admin` role
- Spaces created before October 5, 2020 cannot use this feature
- No API support for automating rule configuration
- Cannot batch import complex custom resolution logic

### Path 3: Set up Segment workspace for Twilio integration

**Brief Description**: This path guides you through the Segment UI to `Create Space` (including `Dev space`), `Set identity rules`, enable `API access`, and obtain your `Unify Space ID` and `Profile API token`. You’ll also configure `Reverse ETL` destinations and may use the `SQL Editor` to query `Segment Profiles`.

**Key technical facts**:
- Auth method: Console SSO
- Prerequisites: Segment `CDP plan`, Twilio account with Flex integration capability, data warehouse access

**When to Use**:
- Starting from scratch with no existing Segment Unify workspace
- Your team subscribes to the Segment `CDP plan`
- You have data warehouse infrastructure for `Reverse ETL` or `Profiles Sync`

**When NOT to Use**:
- You already have a working Segment Unify workspace
- Do not have a Segment `CDP plan`
- Lack access to a data warehouse

**Known Limitations**:
- Requires active Segment `CDP plan` subscription
- Needs Twilio account with Flex integration enabled
- Data warehouse access mandatory for full functionality
- Entire setup must be done via UI—no automation possible

### Path 4: Connect Segment to Unified Profiles

**Best For**: Scenarios where you already have a Segment workspace and want to connect it to Twilio Unified Profiles

**Brief Description**: Through the Twilio Console, you `Connect your Segment space to Twilio` by entering your `Segment Unify space ID` and `Profile API access token`. You assign a `Connection friendly name`, map `Identifiers` and `Traits`, and optionally enable `Allow Unified Profiles to write events to Segment` for bidirectional sync. This powers personalization in `Flex` and `Studio`.

**Key technical facts**:
- Auth method: Console SSO
- Prerequisites: Existing Segment Unify workspace, generated `Profile API access token`, Twilio Console permissions to update Flex source write key

**When to Use**:
- Already operate a Segment Unify workspace and want to enable Twilio personalization
- Need to customize `Display name` for `Identifiers` and `Traits` in agent interfaces
- Want Unified Profiles to enrich interactions in `Flex` and `Studio`

**When NOT to Use**:
- No existing Segment Unify workspace
- Haven’t generated a `Profile API access token` in Segment
- Lack permissions to update the Flex source write key in Twilio Console

**Known Limitations**:
- Requires pre-existing Segment Unify workspace
- `Profile API access token` must be generated in advance in Segment
- Twilio Console permissions needed to modify Flex source
- `Traits` must be defined in Segment before they appear in Unified Profiles

## FAQ

Q: Which path should I start with?  
A: If you already use Segment and have a Unify workspace, start with Connect Segment to Unified Profiles. If you’re new to Twilio CDP, begin with Set up Segment workspace for Twilio integration—but only if you have a Segment CDP plan and data warehouse.

Q: What if I need to delete customer identifiers for GDPR but chose the Unify console path?  
A: You’ll hit a hard limitation: the Unify console doesn’t support programmatic deletion. Only the Identity Resolution API supports `delete_external_ids`, and even then, only one identifier per request.

Q: What if my Segment space was created in 2019 but I try to use Configure identity resolution using Unify console?  
A: You’ll be blocked—the Unify console’s `Identity Resolution Settings` and `Profile Explorer` only work for spaces created after October 5, 2020, as stated in the prerequisites.

Q: Can I use the Identity Resolution API without a data warehouse?  
A: Partially—you can resolve identities and delete identifiers, but you cannot access enriched `user_traits` or `profile_merges` because those are only available via `Profiles Sync` exports to a data warehouse.

Q: What happens if I skip generating a Profile API access token but try to connect Segment to Twilio?  
A: The connection will fail—you must first go to your Segment workspace, enable `API access`, and `Generate Token` to obtain a valid `Profile API access token` before linking in Twilio Console.

Q: Is there a way to automate identity rule changes if I use the Unify console?  
A: No—the Unify console does not expose APIs for `Identity Resolution Settings`, so any rule updates (e.g., changing `Blocked Values` or `Limit`) must be done manually in the UI.

Q: Do I need Flex to use Unified Profiles?  
A: Not strictly—but the primary use case for connecting Segment to Twilio is enabling personalized agent experiences in `Flex` and journey orchestration in `Studio`. Without them, value is limited.

## Related queries

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