Marketo-SFDC program sync: no sync occurring automatically? SFDC field validation rule earlier preventing sync?

[Aaron_Dear]

Hey all - question about the Marketo-SFDC program sync.

I have a Marketo program with registrants to an event. It was synced to a SFDC campaign. There were about 40 members in the program, but only 7 members in the SFDC campaign.

I noticed they had a validation error earlier - I changed the offending field (without a Sync to SFDC flowstep), expecting global sync would push these guys to SFDC eventually.

It was 3 weeks later, that we noticed they weren't in SFDC. My understanding was the the sync was bidirectional for program/campaign members:

Marketo program members and their progression statuses are kept in sync with the Salesforce campaign members and campaign member statues. This is a bidirectional sync, so any changes made in either Marketo or Salesforce are reflected in both systems. (source)

I thought to myself - maybe there was another validation rule issue. So I chose my program members and synced them to SFDC. Went off without a hitch - no errors or validation rules blocking me.

So... my questions:

1. Does a previously failed sync attempt (due to validation rule) then nullify the system's desire to attempt a global sync on a particular person? or
2. Do programs NOT sync over everyone globally under some circumstances, even if synced to a SFDC campaign?

I'll be adding a support ticket as well - but wanted to see if anyone here had expertise on this.

[Amanda_Thomas6]

Hi Aaron Dear​! Yes, the sync is bidirectional. Did the leads exist in SFDC before being associated to the program/event? I have come across the scenario that if sync fails on the first attempt (the attempt to create a lead in SFDC), it won't try again, and you have to put them through a flow step of sync to salesforce, when all validation errors are solved. I believe you should set up a batch campaign to run daily/weekly to sync to SFDC all the leads that have been created that don't have a SFDC ID (don't exist in SFDC). Let us know what you find out from support. 

[Aaron_Dear]

Hey Amanda! Answers below:

1. Did the leads exist in SFDC before being associated to the program/event? Nope. They were sourced from a form fill out in Marketo.
2. I have come across the scenario that if sync fails on the first attempt (the attempt to create a lead in SFDC), it won't try again, and you have to put them through a flow step of sync to salesforce, when all validation errors are solved. I believe you should set up a batch campaign to run daily/weekly to sync to SFDC all the leads that have been created that don't have a SFDC ID (don't exist in SFDC). Ah! So my hypothesis is (maybe) right! A batch-campaign to sync everything sounds like a great plan.
3. Let us know what you find out from support. Will do.

Appreciate your thoughts.

[Aaron_Dear · Accepted solution]

Response:

Thank you for letting me know. Let me explain this in detail.

All the Sync between Marketo and SFDC happens through global sync, except for the sync that is performed manually.

When a record is skipped from syncing between Marketo to SFDC, due to validation errors, the same record will not get synced again in the future. Marketo will not try to re-attempt syncing the skipped records to SFDC. The only way to re-attempt these records to sync to SFDC is by manual sync activity.

Please contact us again if you have further queries regarding this case.

So a single validation error invalidates a record from global sync inclusion. I closed the case but it got me thinking - once it's successful (via a manual sync), will it continue to sync in global again? Or is it permanently disconnected from global sync?

I imagine the former.

[Amanda_Thomas6]

Thanks, Aaron Dear​. Good (but kinda disappointing) to know your hypothesis was right. Once it does successfully sync from a manual sync, it will continue syncing on the global sync.

[Andrew_Cutting1]

Hi - sorry to reply to a years old thread.  I actually had a similar issue here. While I was finally able to get the affected individuals synced to SF manually, their program memberships and statuses aren't syncing to their corresponding SF camapigns.

i.e. individuals are in a program with a status, the program is synced to a SF campaign, but the person is not showing up as a member of the SF campaign. This impacts us greatly as campaign membership impacts revenue attribution.

I had assumed that once the lead became synced, their program memberships would as well. Is there something I'm missing here?