Push data from SQL database to Marketo

[Anonymous]

Hi all,

We need your advice.

We are trying to fully automate our trigger emails in Marketo, and want to avoid manual uploading lists. We have SQL Server database which hosts our customer data and the data is refreshed daily. Is there a way to push data from a SQL database to Marketo lead database?

I saw something in launch point that it can be done via a SSIS Component for Marketo. Is this the best option since we already have SQL Server in place or there are other alternatives can be considered? What about the implementation efforts given that we have limited IT resources?

Thanks heaps!

Toby

[SanfordWhiteman]

An SSIS job will work fine (assuming you mean the CData driver) but I'm not convinced you need it if your only task is bulk upserting lists. That's just one API endpoint and could be run from a shell/batch script.

If you've centralized on SSIS jobs for all your integrations then that's a sensible choice.

[Anonymous]

Hi Sanford,

Thank you for the reply.

There are a few other tasks involved to create the list for Marketo, but they can be done outside Marketo. In the end, there could be just one CSV file created in a shared folder, and I assume the API job just needs to search for that csv file?

Can the API job be scheduled and run every day to update Marketo lead database?

Cheers,

Toby

[SanfordWhiteman]

Can the API job be scheduled and run every day to update Marketo lead database?

Absolutely!  Marketo isn't initiating the job, though.* You'd use a local scheduler (cron, schtasks, or a lightweight job management app) to run the jobs.

There's always a point where plugging jobs into a full-fledged integration engine becomes necessary (many such jobs running across the company, need for a long audit trail and external alerting, etc.).  But it's not strictly necessary to use an engine, and you can easily be hamstrung when you're using a compiled SSIS component and it doesn't expose exactly what you want it to do (IME, all packaged integrations are missing something you can get the raw REST API, either because they're a release or two behind or because their authors don't really get Marketo).

* You actually could use the Marketo campaign scheduler and a webhook to kick off the import, but that's probably more complexity, not less.

[Anonymous]

Great advice! Thanks Sanford.