Custom Product Groups allow you to use product definitions created by your organization when prompting a Narrative. The groups available to you depend on whether you are making a Category or Product selection.
Custom Groups in the Category Prompt
The Category prompt defines the universe of products included in the analysis.
All of your organization’s Custom Product Groups are available in this prompt under User Custom Groups. You can select from these groups even if they contain breakouts that overlap.
For example, a Custom Product Group could include separate breakouts for Starbucks, Dunkin, and Starbucks & Dunkin. Any of those breakouts could be used as a Category selection.
Custom Groups in the Product Prompt
The Product prompt defines the individual product or product breakout that the Narrative will focus on.
In addition to standard product hierarchy selections, the Product prompt includes a section called Compatible User Custom Groups. This section includes only Custom Product Groups with mutually exclusive breakouts.
A group is mutually exclusive when its breakouts do not overlap. In other words, an underlying item belongs to no more than one breakout in the group.
This requirement helps Narratives create clear, apples-to-apples product comparisons and supports analyses that depend on distinct, non-overlapping product selections.
What Does “Compatible” Mean?
A compatible Custom Product Group has mutually exclusive breakouts and can be used in the Narratives Product prompt.
The examples below illustrate the difference between a group that is not compatible and one that is compatible.
Example 1: Breakouts That Overlap
Custom Product Group: Custom Group A
Breakouts:
Starbucks: Parent Brand is Starbucks
Dunkin: Parent Brand is Dunkin
Starbucks & Dunkin: Parent Brand is Starbucks or Dunkin
Why this group is not compatible:
The breakouts are not mutually exclusive:
Items in the Starbucks breakout also belong to Starbucks & Dunkin.
Items in the Dunkin breakout also belong to Starbucks & Dunkin.
Because the same items appear in more than one breakout, Custom Group A is not Narratives Product Prompt Compatible.
Where can I use it?
Category prompt: Yes. You can select any of this group’s breakouts.
Product prompt: No. The group will not appear under Compatible User Custom Groups, so its breakouts cannot be selected as the Product.
Example 2: Distinct Breakouts
Custom Product Group: Custom Group B
Breakouts:
Starbucks: Parent Brand is Starbucks
Dunkin: Parent Brand is Dunkin
Why this group is compatible:
The breakouts are mutually exclusive:
Starbucks items belong only to the Starbucks breakout.
Dunkin items belong only to the Dunkin breakout.
No items appear in both breakouts.
Because its breakouts do not overlap, Custom Group B is compatible.
Where can I use it?
Category prompt: Yes.
Product prompt: Yes. The group will appear under Compatible User Custom Groups.
Note: A group that is not compatible is not necessarily set up incorrectly. Groups with overlapping breakouts can still be useful when defining a Category or in other prompts and Reports that do not require distinct product selections.
How to Find Compatible Groups
You can review the compatibility of your Custom Product Groups in My Workspace:
Go to My Workspace.
Open the Product Groups list page.
Look for the compatibility tag in the Tag column.
Groups that pass the compatibility check receive the following tag:
Narratives Product Prompt Compatible
You can also use the Filter by menu to display only groups with this tag.
Whenever a Custom Product Group is created or updated, the platform automatically checks whether its breakouts are mutually exclusive.
How to Review a Group That Is Not Compatible
If a group does not have the compatibility tag, select it from the Product Groups list to expand its definition.
The definition will show:
Which breakouts contain overlapping items
Which other breakouts each one overlaps with
A filter that displays only the breakouts with overlaps
This information can help you identify the definitions that need to be adjusted if you want to use the group in the Narratives Product prompt.
The group will remain available in the Narratives Category prompt and in other prompts and Reports that do not require distinct breakouts.
How to Make a Group Compatible
To make a group available in the Narratives Product prompt:
Open the group in My Workspace.
Review the breakouts identified as overlapping.
Edit their definitions so the same items are not included in more than one breakout.
Save your changes.
After the group is updated, the platform will automatically check it again. Once the breakouts are mutually exclusive, the group will receive the compatibility tag and appear under Compatible User Custom Groups in the Narratives Product prompt.
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Last Updated 7/23/2026