Is anyone finding Marketo is at times painstakingly slow?

[Terry_Cruikshan]

There are times when I run a report or do anything in Marketo and it takes minutes.  Is anyone finding the same?  Is there anything that can be done to speed it up? 

[Mike_Reynolds2]

Hello Terry Cruikshank​,

I've moved this discussion over to our Support page for you.

There are a number of things that can affect the performance of your Marketo instance. The most common issues relate to the complexity of the smart lists you're running. Nested smart lists for example -- smart lists that reference other smart lists which in turn reference other smart lists -- are particularly problematic because all associated smart lists have to be calculated before the original one can be completed.

There are a few ways to speed up performance. Try using Segments instead of complex filters. Segments become lead attributes, which are easier and quicker to search than activities in a lead record. The article here can show you how to create a Segmentation, and the article here can show you how to use it in a smart list.

Also, try optimizing your smart lists to run faster. The documentation here shows some best practices on how to do this.

Another common issue we find is general network slowness. You can test your network connection speed with some free online utilities like this one: Speedtest.net by Ookla - The Global Broadband Speed Test

If none of this helps, I'd say open up a case with Marketo Support​ to investigate it further. Be sure to include specific examples and URL links to specific assets that have problems, and also include full page screen shots of any error messages you get.

[Josh_Hill13]

I'd also see if you can move triggers to batches instead. Does that data flow REALLY need to happen immediately?

Which things are really taking a long time? Is the smart list spinning its wheels? Then follow Mike's suggestions. If you have LOTS of data and LOTS of data flows and are attempting a complicated behavioral filter, it will take forever no matter what you do.

For example, email perf reports last 12 months + smart list can take a long time because it has to sort through potentially millions of log entries.

Is it just hanging on the UI? Probably a bug. Happens a lot if you don't let the smart list or flow save and then click too fast.

[Alok_Ramsisaria]

It happens at times. If you face this consistently, you can log a ticket, asking support to migrate your instance to a different data centre.

[Mike_Reynolds2]

Moving a Marketo instance into a new data center is not a common thing that is done. It usually only happens in extreme scenarios and isn't an on-demand service at all. Of course, if it's necessary, it can be done, but it's usually considered a last resort because of the downtime needed to make the move and also because it requires updates to every single embedded form as well as many other changes. If it's a significant problem, just open a case with Support and it can be evaluated. There are many different things that can be done depending on the specifics.

[Grégoire_Miche2]

Another technique that is really efficient if you have very complex and slow smart lists is to prepare smart lists for batch campaigns ahead and store the result in a static list, then when the smart campaign triggers, just use the "member fo list" filter.

To do this, you will need a second smart campaign that does the work in advance and a static list.

-Greg