Correcting data values in forms and CRM

[Zoe_Forman]

 It has been brought to my attention that 'Vietnam' needs to be spelt correctly on all our global forms and within our CRM-Salesforce.

Instead of Vietnam, we have Viet Nam as our stored, select value in all forms.

What is the best way to correct this spelling error in bulk in all forms? - Could Python code work?

I can then create a smart campaign to change old values to new values in Marketo when corrected.

In Salesforce, is this again a store value change that can be done on mass by the CRM Admins?
Will the corrected value in Marketo sync to  Salesforce lead and update in Saleforce too?

Thanks

[jsiebert]

Hey @Zoe_Forman 

RE: Salesforce Sync - The Marketo/Salesforce lead sync is bidirectional, so you can make the edits in Marketo and they'll be updated in Salesforce if the CRM has access to the fields (which your country field should be!) 

As an extra safeguard, I would consider adding a 'Sync Person to SFDC' step in your campaign you use to make these changes. This will force the Marketo/Salesforce sync! 

I'm unaware of any way to make mass changes to Marketo forms. 

[Zoe_Forman]

Hi  @jsiebert 

Yes, we do have bidirectional sync for COUNTRY field MKTO<>SFDC.

The extra flow step to 'Sync Person to SFDC' step in your campaign to stop being caught in a queue is a good call.

This is the easy part!

The bulk change is the more complex part - or will just take a lot of time.
I'll reach out to a couple of Python experts to see if its something that can be solved with some code.
Thanks, Zoe

[Michael_Florin]

You can access a form field's select list via API: https://developers.marketo.com/rest-api/assets/forms/

But the question always is: Is it worth the effort to explore that or just grit your teeth and do it manually. How many forms do you have? If it's below 100, I'd go manual.

[SanfordWhiteman · Accepted solution]

The Marketo REST Asset API allows you to edit form fields, including select options. It’s not a Python thing — any language can be used, but the key is your developer needs to be familiar with the API. It’s a pretty steep learning curve for the forms part.

Given the learning curve, I’d recommend you make this change instead on the client side, with a piece of additional JS. Naturally you’ll need to deploy that JS everywhere (after the form embed).

I find it best to keep select options in a separate file and build them dynamically using JS all the time, that way you can instantly make changes to every form, everywhere.

[Zoe_Forman]

I was going to sub this out to our agency, as beyond my skill set or time availability, it is not my region but affects us all.

Globally is approx 250 forms @Michael_Florin I will pull the full list though to make sure no hidden or old forgotten forms.

The spelling mistake has been there years, probably since the US team set up Marketo/Salesforce. Just came to light when uploading some webinars from APAC region that had a global audience. 

Now I know the mistake is there It'll bug me until corrected! 

Thanks @SanfordWhiteman @jsiebert  for your advice and suggestions.

[Michael_Florin]

Depending on how much traffic you actually get from Vietnam, it might be enough to run a nightly batch that corrects the country value.

By the way: It's sad that Marketo doesn't have its own picklist object that allows the central control over picklist values on all forms. Or probably a picklist field type.

Oh, and mind that Vietnam is "Viet Nam" in French and "Vietname" in both Spanish and Portuguese. So if you start looking at countries, look at the customer facing part too. Localized country lists are a pain!

[Zoe_Forman]

I know the joys of local spelling adds to the challenges! 😜

We must first get the default picklists in English cleaned up for global forms and our English-only CRM sync.

Local language forms can be custom when we have specific promotions in a region.
Vietnam is a growing marketplace for us, so we need to get it right.
Thanks @Michael_Florin for your additional comments.