GROWTH PATTERN

Adding Retention to TiDB Apps

The TiDB setup works for onboarding, but there's no automated way to identify inactive users or celebrate engagement milestones.

TiDB

Last updated:

What's Missing in Standard TiDB Architecture

While TiDB handles data storage correctly, there's no built-in system to track user behavior patterns and identify when users become inactive. You need to implement custom activity monitoring.

Standard TiDB Flow vs Optimized Skene Flow

Standard Flow
1

User completes onboarding

2

User activity tracked manually (if at all)

3

No automated re-engagement when activity drops

Skene Flow
1

Monitor your database 'events' table for user activity patterns via standard features

2

Detect when user becomes dormant (session count dropped 80%)

3

Trigger re-engagement email sequence with personalized content

4

Track re-engagement success and adjust campaigns

Visual comparison of the flows:

Loading diagram...

How Skene Fixes This

The Skene infrastructure for TiDB monitors your database event patterns and identifies when users hit milestones or become inactive. It then automatically sends targeted re-engagement sequences based on their last activity.

Implementation Comparison

Using Skene Infrastructure

Install via Prompt

cursor.mdc
@task: Initialize Skene.
@action: Analyze my local code, validating subscription via `npx skene login`, and generate `skene.config.ts` to implement the Retention Loop pattern for TiDB.

Copy Skene Prompt for Cursor

Generated skene.config.ts

skene.config.ts
// skene.config.ts - The Automated Way
import { defineLoop } from '@skene/sdk';

export default defineLoop({
  type: 'retention',
  opinion: 'Detect dormant users and trigger personalized re-engagement campaigns',
  steps: [
    {
      trigger: {
        type: 'schedule',
        cron: '0 9 * * *' // Daily at 9 AM
      },
      condition: {
        type: 'query',
        query: `SELECT * FROM users WHERE last_activity_at < NOW() - INTERVAL '7 days' AND re_engagement_sent = false`,
        timeout: '10m'
      },
      action: {
        type: 'email',
        provider: 'resend',
        template: 're_engagement',
        personalization: {
          name: '{{user.name}}',
          lastActivity: '{{user.last_activity_at}}'
        }
      }
    }
  ],
  recovery: {
    retries: 3,
    backoff: 'exponential'
  }
});

Frequently asked questions