# REST errors, SOAP status and asynchronous responses

*Marketing Cloud Engagement Developer Study Guide · API · Last updated November 3, 2026 · https://www.certifyforce.com/study-guide/marketing-cloud-engagement-developer/api/rest-errors-soap-status-and-asynchronous-responses*

How to read what Marketing Cloud Engagement sends back: SOAP OverallStatus, per-object results, paging and faults; asynchronous SOAP callbacks and ResultItem retrieves; REST status and custom codes; and the bodies of send, journey event and contact delete responses.

- Certification: Salesforce Marketing Cloud Engagement Developer
- Exam section: API
- Study guide: https://www.certifyforce.com/study-guide/marketing-cloud-engagement-developer

**Official exam objective:**

> Given a scenario, evaluate the significance of response handling.

## What the exam expects

- Interpret SOAP OverallStatus values and per-object results, and page through MoreDataAvailable.
- Diagnose SOAP faults by type and code, and know which faults carry a Detail node.
- Configure asynchronous SOAP callbacks and recover failed rows through ResultItem.
- Map REST HTTP status and custom codes to the right action: new token, matching endpoint, Retry-After, backoff, Support or a corrected request.
- Read send, journey event and contact delete responses that look successful but aren't final.
- Key terms: **OverallStatus** (the request-level SOAP result); **SOAP fault** (an error response that means the call didn't complete); **postback** (an HTTP POST callback with asynchronous results); **ResultItem** (the retrievable result of one top-level object in an asynchronous request); **custom code** (the Marketing Cloud number paired with an HTTP status).

## Key facts

| Fact | Detail | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Has Error | Some operations failed, some succeeded | [Create](https://developer.salesforce.com/docs/marketing/marketing-cloud/guide/create.html) |
| Retrieve Error | First verify the Properties value | [Retrieve](https://developer.salesforce.com/docs/marketing/marketing-cloud/guide/retrieve.html) |
| MoreDataAvailable | More than 2,500 records; page with ContinueRequest | [ContinueRequest](https://developer.salesforce.com/docs/marketing/marketing-cloud/guide/continuerequest_2500records.html) |
| Detail node | Server faults only | [SOAP Faults](https://developer.salesforce.com/docs/atlas.en-us.noversion.mc-apis.meta/mc-apis/soap_faults.htm) |
| RespondWhen default | Never | [Response Options](https://developer.salesforce.com/docs/marketing/marketing-cloud/guide/async_guide_response_options.html) |
| Failed callbacks | Not retried | [Response Options](https://developer.salesforce.com/docs/marketing/marketing-cloud/guide/async_guide_response_options.html) |
| Failed async rows | ResultItem with ErrorCode greater than 0; OrdinalID | [Upsert Asynchronously](https://developer.salesforce.com/docs/marketing/marketing-cloud/guide/api_best_practices_use_cases_upsert_async.html) |
| Retry-After | 429 with 50100 and 503 with 50300 | [Handle Errors in REST API](https://developer.salesforce.com/docs/atlas.en-us.mc-apis.meta/mc-apis/error-handling.htm) |
| 408 | Exponential backoff | [Handle Errors in REST API](https://developer.salesforce.com/docs/atlas.en-us.mc-apis.meta/mc-apis/error-handling.htm) |
| Triggered send Queued | Accepted only; check delivery details | [Triggered Send Definition](https://developer.salesforce.com/docs/marketing/marketing-cloud/references/mc_rest_messaging/messageDefinitionSends.html) |
| Journey event success | 201 with eventInstanceId | [Fire the Event](https://developer.salesforce.com/docs/marketing/marketing-cloud/references/mc_rest_interaction/postEvent.html) |
| Sync SOAP sizing | 20 or fewer threads; up to 50 objects per sync call, 100 per async call | [Use SOAP API in Email Studio](https://trailhead.salesforce.com/content/learn/modules/marketing-cloud-apis/use-soap-api-in-email-studio) |

## Check yourself

- When should a REST call that returned 408 Execution Timeout Expired be retried, and how?
- How many ResultItem objects does an asynchronous request that creates three Subscribers produce?
- What does an HTTP 596 response mean?
- Why can resubmitting asynchronously resolve a RemoteDBConnDetected_SyncAPICallUnsupported fault?

## Sources

- [Handle Errors in REST API](https://developer.salesforce.com/docs/atlas.en-us.mc-apis.meta/mc-apis/error-handling.htm)
- [SOAP Faults](https://developer.salesforce.com/docs/atlas.en-us.noversion.mc-apis.meta/mc-apis/soap_faults.htm)
- [Retrieve](https://developer.salesforce.com/docs/marketing/marketing-cloud/guide/retrieve.html)
- [Create](https://developer.salesforce.com/docs/marketing/marketing-cloud/guide/create.html)
- [Retrieve More than 2500 Records Using the ContinueRequest Property](https://developer.salesforce.com/docs/marketing/marketing-cloud/guide/continuerequest_2500records.html)
- [Check the Results of an API Call](https://developer.salesforce.com/docs/marketing/marketing-cloud/guide/checking_the_results_of_an_api_call.html)
- [Asynchronous Processing](https://developer.salesforce.com/docs/marketing/marketing-cloud/guide/soap_tech_articles_asynch.html)
- [Response Options](https://developer.salesforce.com/docs/marketing/marketing-cloud/guide/async_guide_response_options.html)
- [Upsert Large Volumes of Data Asynchronously](https://developer.salesforce.com/docs/marketing/marketing-cloud/guide/api_best_practices_use_cases_upsert_async.html)
- [Send a Message to a Triggered Send Definition](https://developer.salesforce.com/docs/marketing/marketing-cloud/references/mc_rest_messaging/messageDefinitionSends.html)
- [Fire the Event](https://developer.salesforce.com/docs/marketing/marketing-cloud/references/mc_rest_interaction/postEvent.html)
- [Get Contact Delete Status](https://developer.salesforce.com/docs/marketing/marketing-cloud/references/mc_rest_contacts/ContactsDeleteStatus.html)
- [OAuth 2.0 API Integration Considerations](https://developer.salesforce.com/docs/marketing/marketing-cloud/guide/integration-considerations.html)
- [Use SOAP API in Email Studio (Trailhead)](https://trailhead.salesforce.com/content/learn/modules/marketing-cloud-apis/use-soap-api-in-email-studio)
- [Make the Most of Your API Integrations (Trailhead)](https://trailhead.salesforce.com/content/learn/modules/marketing-cloud-apis/make-the-most-of-your-api-integrations)

## About the full unit

The "Core concepts", "Exam traps" and "Worked scenario" sections of this unit, its 22 linked practice questions, and unlimited timed mock exams are included with the Marketing Cloud Engagement Developer pack (USD $19): https://www.certifyforce.com/practice-exams