---
title: "Data Model Notes"
slug: "data-model-notes"
description: "Learn about the importance of data modeling and how it impacts Customer Profiles in Gladly. Understand how unique IDs and conversation IDs work in different scenarios."
updated: 2025-02-01T00:25:45Z
published: 2025-02-01T00:25:45Z
canonical: "help.gladly.com/data-model-notes"
---

> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://help.gladly.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Data Model Notes

## Conversations and Conversation Items

- Each customer profile in Gladly has a unique Customer ID.
  - Email addresses are unique.
  - Mobile numbers are unique.
- Customer ID can change if a Customer Profile gets merged into another Customer Profile.
  - The old Customer ID will 301 to the new customer ID when calling the GET Customer API.
  - The Work Sessions Report will still have the old Customer ID.
- A conversation belongs to one Customer ID.
  - A Customer can only have one open Conversation at a time.
  - Conversations can span across multiple channels.
  - Conversation ID can change upon Profile merge.
- When an **OPEN** to **OPEN** conversation gets merged in this Customer Profile, the system deletes the first ID permanently
  - It will not 301, unlike customer IDs.
  - Other than this scenario, the system retains all conversation IDs during the merge.
- Work Sessions Report will retain the old conversation ID.
- Conversation Item ID belongs to a Conversation.
  - Conversation Item ID can only belong to one Conversation.
  - Conversation Item ID may change upon a Profile merge.
- Conversation may have zero or more Topic IDs associated.
  - Topics can be added or removed from the Conversation when it is open.
- You can assign Conversations to an Agent, inbox, or Agent and inbox pair.
  - The assignment can change if and Agent or rule reassigns the Conversation.

## Agents, Topics, Answers, and Inboxes

- The Agent ID does not change.
  - The inbox ID also does not change, but the email address and/or name can.
- Inbox IDs do not change, but their status (enabled, disabled) and names can.
  - Inbox names are unique in Gladly.
- Topic IDs do not change, but their status (enabled, disabled) and their parent ID can.
  - Topic names are **not** unique in Gladly.
- Answer IDs do not change, but an Agent can delete them permanently.
  - Answers are composed of snippets that represent a language and channel combination (e.g., Reference Answer in English—United States).
  - There may only be one of each type of snippet in an answer.

## Conversations, Contact Sessions, and Work Sessions

- Conversations can have zero or more contact sessions.
- Contact sessions are composed of one or more messages.
  - A message is a particular type of Conversation item like an SMS or CHAT_MESSAGE.
    - This mapping is not exposed on Gladly's APIs.
- Contact sessions are composed of zero or more work sessions.
  - A work session occurs when Agent works on a contact session.
- In very rare cases, Conversations and Customer IDs can be deleted (therefore 404-ing when being retrieved via GET APIs) due to deletion requests for CCPA & GDPR, which currently your team can request from Gladly Support
  - These IDs will still be in the Work Session and Contact Export reports.
- Other than Work and Contact Sessions, all other reports are calculated at the time of generation.
  - You might see data moving in a report if the conversation moves inboxes or changes assignees.

Users assigned the **Team Manager** or **Administrator** roles can contact [Gladly Support](https://help.gladly.com/product-docs/pages/en/contact-gladly-support-team). Log into Gladly as one of these roles, click![hamburger-menu-icon(1)](https://cdn.us.document360.io/7047b671-c4f2-4df0-bb0a-b9b511fd2452/Images/Documentation/hamburger-menu-icon(1).svg?sv=2026-02-06&spr=https&st=2026-11-09T17%3A01%3A13Z&se=2026-11-09T18%3A01%3A13Z&sr=c&sp=r&sig=IROZFhS%2BxS%2FXf%2BR9eB7%2F9YuOx2FuSGeEtqSOgCip60E%3D)on the top-left corner, then click **Contact Gladly Support**. Gladly Support's primary operating hours are Monday through Friday, 6 AM to 6 PM Pacific Time, but you can submit a request anytime.

- Please select the correct business impact (P1 to P4).
- Most requests should be sent as a P4.