Quick Reference Guide to Marketo-Salesforce Sync Changes

Due to some technical changes in Salesforce, the way some Marketo fields sync is changing. There are 16 standard Marketo fields impacted, as Marketo’s MLM AppExchange package is being retired. This change started in August 2016 and is well underway as Marketo users go through the migration process.

A range of documentation and processes around the Marketo-SFDC integration changes is centralized in this Marketo Community Article.  TL;DR? We’ve got you covered– read on!

Marketo to SFDC Changes

To continue syncing these fields on a defined schedule, SFDC and Marketo users will need to recreate them as custom Salesforce fields, using a specific naming convention. Marketo will automatically recognize and map them to the existing fields in Marketo and update your data.

This change is affecting all Marketo users with SFDC integration using any of the fields mentioned in the documentation as part of the MLM package. Translation: it impacts likely all clients with SFDC Integration.

Can I just ignore the Salesforce changes?

Once the sync of data stops – there is a hard deadline for this: January 31st, 2017 – deprecated fields will continue to change in Marketo but the changes will not be pushed to Salesforce. If you are using the SFDC sync function, then no, you should not ignore this message and plan the change ASAP since migration has already started.

Marketo Updates are Essential: Timing is Everything

The dates you’ll want to watch:

• The roll-out started on August 16th, 2016 and will span over 6 months.
• Marketo will shut down the MLM plugin sync on January 31st, 2017.
• We recommend migrating during a time period with low activity in your Marketo instance. It is expected that the data migration will start immediately when new fields are detected, and you won’t want to jam system performance. Contact Marketo support if you need to plan your migration on a specific timeframe.
• Most importantly: In order to allow Marketo to backfill the newly created fields and restart the sync properly, make sure to create the new fields within your migration date range. To figure your migration date range, look for the “Account String” in the Admin / Landing Page section in Marketo. Refer to the official Marketo Schedule to find your migration group and date range. If you need to plan this change on a different schedule, then you better hurry up! As Marketo pointed out, at this point, there isn’t much room left before the cut off date.

Your SFDC to Marketo Migration Checklist

Here is a handy checklist to keep track of your migration steps.

1. Plan Identify Client Instance ID, Migration Date, gather your SFDC and Marketo Admin, and build your plan!
2. Keep it safe: build in your sandbox and test before deploying to production.

It is best practice to conduct all the changes in a sandbox environment before deploying to production. All affected elements should be thoroughly tested before deploying to production.

1. Determine field mapping needs: What fields are currently used, and therefore need to be created in SFDC? (Not sure? Check Field “Used By” tab in Admin section)
2. Verify dependencies. This change to your data structure cannot be done without a proper analysis of field dependencies.  Dependencies refer to additional elements relying on the old fields for calculations, workflows, etc. Thoroughly review dependencies to old fields in custom elements such as SFDC Workflows, Apex Triggers, Reports, AppExchange as well as any other custom integration. Anything referencing the old fields will point to stale data after the migration, so it is critical that your old fields point to new fields. The backfill process will also be considered as data value change to the new fields so keep that in mind and make sure the changes are done in a timely manner to avoid false positive on triggers, workflows, etc. See this doc for a deep dive into potential issues with dependencies.
3. Create new SFDC Fields. Remember: fields MUST only be created after the start date of your migration period for the process to start normally. Create new fields in SFDC on Lead and Contact Record, and map from lead to contact upon conversion. Refer to the ‘New Fields Specifications grid below or see Marketo documentation here for additional help.
4. Monitor the backfill process. It will kick off automatically as soon as the fields are recreated. Duration will vary from one instance to another. Check the notifications in your instance for a confirmation message. Once you receive that message, run a test, or monitor data updates to make sure everything is running as expected.
5. Verify the Marketo Sales Insight (MSI) version. If you’re on version 1.38 or below, you must upgrade to the newest MSI version of the package. This plugin adds Best Bets, Lead Feed, Interesting Moments, and Add to Marketo Campaign functions to SFDC. To verify the MSI version you’re currently using, navigate to Marketo Admin > Sales Insight. Here is some documentation to help you with this step.
6. Cleanup! Once migration is completed and data is syncing again, you can uninstall the MLM Package. This will also delete legacy fields. Details available here.

New Fields Specs Grid

Still confused with this change? Contact us and we’ll be happy to answer your questions.