Creating a New Field ONLY in Marketo

[Danielle_Wong]

   Is it possible to create field, only in Marketo? I don't want it to sync over to SalesForce.

[Anonymous · Accepted solution]

Yes, you can create a field only in marketo, see the instructions here:  Create a Custom Field in Marketo - Marketo Docs - Product Docs

[Danielle_Wong]

Thanks!

Also, do you know if there's a type of field that exists where it will log information rather than overriding with new values?

In the end, I want to capture a list of all ebooks that a lead downloads.

[Danielle_Wong]

I thought i had read somewhere that fields we create cannot be deleted. do you happen to know if that is true?

[SanfordWhiteman]

There's no built-in field type for this.  What's typically done is a secondary textarea is used to hold the historical (and current) values of another field. The pattern is called "history field" -- search for it!

[Danielle_Wong]

Okay, thanks, however, I'm not seeing much about how to set the history field to log the custom field values.

[Steven_Vanderb3]

Hi Danielle,

You can do this so long as you're using trigger campaigns, which you probably will if you're going to build a list based off form fill outs or link clicks.  You can use the Change Data Value flow step along with a token to just append values.  For instance:

Change Data Value: Your Field

New Value: {{lead.Your Field}}; Downloaded White Paper XX

The field will be written with the previous value plus the new value appended to the end.  This will only work in a trigger campaign as batch campaigns wont render the token correctly.  I would recommend a text area type field as it has the highest character limit.  Make sure you test the workflow before going live with it!

[Danielle_Wong]

What is the difference between a batch and trigger campaign?

[Elliott_Lowe1]

Danielle Chan, a trigger campaign automatically runs when an event occurs with a single lead and its flow steps only act on that lead.  Triggered smart campaigns have one or more triggers such as Clicks Link in Email, Data Value Changed, etc. in their smart list.  A batch campaign has only filters in its smart list, runs when you tell it to run including on a repeating schedule.  It can act on multiple leads.  You can read more about them at Understanding Batch and Trigger Smart Campaigns - Marketo Docs - Product Docs.

[Danielle_Wong]

Elliot, that was very helpful!! I am reading the product doc now!