Webhook Response - Can You Selectively Update Fields from Response Mapping

[Anonymous]

I want to use a webhook to enrich fields on a Lead record in Marketo.

However, I want to have the webhook update our existing fields instead of fields specific to that webhook / enrichment api (even though this seems to be the recommended method from enrichment data providers).

Can I update a field with the webhook response only if that field is blank? Is there any way to build that logic in to the webhook?

It looks like one way around this would be to have a smart campaign checking for certain combinations of blank fields and then calling a certain webhook with a customized response mapping. However, this isn't very efficient as there are many combinations of possible blank fields. Is there a better way to manage this?

[Anonymous · Accepted solution]

Hi Rob,

I have not checked / tested but you can try with 'Field blocking' in Marketo.

If you set up field blocking to web hook for these fields, it might work out if the 'field value' is not blank then only overwrite it.

Other way is to pass all these lead values to the webhook and then in the web hook decide whether to 'overwrite' each of these values or not.

Hope this helps

Rajesh

[Anonymous]

Thanks Rajesh Talele,

I think you are right that Field Blocking will prevent those fields from being overwritten, but my only issue is that it looks like it is all or nothing for all webhooks, and we would want some webhooks unblocked and others blocked.

That brings me to the second option that you present. I'm new to Marketo, so do you have more detail on how you could use the field values in the webhook to trigger that logic. I'm guessing I can pass this through the webhook template, but does the receiving api need to allow POST methods? It looks like out of the box they just supply a GET. You don't have to dive into all of the details, but if there is any documentation that you can point me to on how to utilize a webhook to run this logic, then that would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks again.

[SanfordWhiteman]

That brings me to the second option that you present. I'm new to Marketo, so do you have more detail on how you could use the field values in the webhook to trigger that logic. I'm guessing I can pass this through the webhook template, but does the receiving api need to allow POST methods? It looks like out of the box they just supply a GET. You don't have to dive into all of the details, but if there is any documentation that you can point me to on how to utilize a webhook to run this logic, then that would be greatly appreciated.

You would have to have control of the webhook endpoint to make this work.  A prepackaged endpoint is not (unless documented as such) able to act differently based on current values.  So you're looking at creating a proxy endpoint of your own.

[Anonymous]

Hi Rob,

'Get' protocol should be allowed when you create a web hook in Marketo for you.

You can use like,

So you can send the 'web service' all the fields they need using 'Get' here.

Or maybe you are asking a different question.

Is your question is how do I send the data using 'Get' but 'instruct' the web service (third party I assume) to not overwrite the data if there is already a value in a field? In that case, you will have to write an 'intermediate' web service yourself as Sanford mentioned.

Rajesh