# Send methods, exclusions, throttling and send logging

*Marketing Cloud Engagement Specialist Study Guide · Content Creation and Delivery · Last updated October 29, 2026 · https://www.certifyforce.com/study-guide/marketing-cloud-engagement-specialist/content-creation-and-delivery/send-methods-exclusions-throttling-and-send-logging*

Pick the send method from the sending process (Send Flow, user-initiated email interaction, triggered send, Send Email activity), keep triggered sends current with Pause, Publish Changes and Start/Resume, and prepare the send with exclusions, exclusion scripts, send throttling and send logging.

- Certification: Salesforce Marketing Cloud Engagement Specialist
- Exam section: Content Creation and Delivery
- Study guide: https://www.certifyforce.com/study-guide/marketing-cloud-engagement-specialist

**Official exam objective:**

> Given a desired sending process, recommend Marketing Cloud tools to use when preparing an email for send.

## What the exam expects

- Recommend a send method from the sending process: Send Flow, a user-initiated email interaction, an Email Studio triggered send, or a Send Email activity.
- Keep a triggered send current after its email changes, and know where test audiences survive.
- Exclude people from a send with exclusion audiences, domain exclusion lists and exclusion scripts, including journey exclusion scripts.
- Pace a send with send throttling, and capture per-send values with send logging.
- Key terms: **Send Flow** (sends Content Builder emails; replaced Guided Send); **user-initiated email interaction** (a saved send definition started manually); **triggered send** (sent in response to an action or API call); **exclusion script** (AMPscript that excludes a subscriber when true); **send throttling** (delivery window, hourly threshold, or both); **send logging** (records email variable values per send).

## Key facts

| Fact | Detail | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Triggered send edits | Pause, Publish Changes, Start/Resume; messages queue while paused | [Republish email changes to a Triggered Send](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=000383128&language=en_US&type=1), [Triggered Emails](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=mc_es_triggered_emails.htm&language=en_US&type=5) |
| Test audience in Automation Studio | Not supported; removed on edit; test from Email Studio | [Send Email Activity](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=mc_as_send_email_activity.htm&language=en_US&type=5) |
| Domain exclusion list | Data extension of domains; excludes every address on them | [User-Initiated Email Messages](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=sf.mc_es_email_messages.htm&language=en_US) |
| Exclusion script result | True (1) excludes the contact | [Create Exclusion Script](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=000384149&language=en_US&type=1) |
| Journey data in a script | AttributeValue; personalization strings can't read it | [Create Exclusion Script](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=000384149&language=en_US&type=1) |
| RaiseError | Not an exclusion or suppression process | [Troubleshooting Email Sends](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=000389518&language=en_US&type=1) |
| Throttling options | Hourly limit, window, or both | [Configure Delivery](https://help.salesforce.com/apex/HTViewHelpDoc?id=mc_es_configure_delivery.htm) |
| Throttling and STO | One or the other in a Send Email activity | [Send Email Activity](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=mc_as_send_email_activity.htm&language=en_US&type=5) |
| Send logging setup | Select Send Logging and create a log data extension updated by AMPscript | [User-Initiated Email Messages](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=sf.mc_es_email_messages.htm&language=en_US) |

## Check yourself

- Why are triggered messages not lost while a triggered send is paused for an email change?
- When can a Medium-priority triggered message wait before it is queued?
- When should a triggered send definition suppress its activity from reports?
- Why shouldn't RaiseError be used to skip subscribers?

## Sources

- [Send Flow](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=mktg.mc_es_send_flow.htm&language=en_US&type=5)
- [User-Initiated Email Messages](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=sf.mc_es_email_messages.htm&language=en_US)
- [Triggered Emails in Email Studio](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=mc_es_triggered_emails.htm&language=en_US&type=5)
- [Republish and Activate email changes to a Triggered Send Interaction](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=000383128&language=en_US&type=1)
- [Configure Delivery](https://help.salesforce.com/apex/HTViewHelpDoc?id=mc_es_configure_delivery.htm)
- [Send Email Activity](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=mc_as_send_email_activity.htm&language=en_US&type=5)
- [Create Exclusion Script for use in Journey Builder Email Activity](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=000384149&language=en_US&type=1)
- [Troubleshooting Marketing Cloud Engagement Email Sends](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=000389518&language=en_US&type=1)
- [Optimizing Email Send Methods (Trailhead)](https://trailhead.salesforce.com/content/learn/modules/marketing-cloud-send-methods-quick-look/choose-your-send-method)
- [Improve Email Campaigns with Effective Testing and Sending (Trailhead)](https://trailhead.salesforce.com/content/learn/modules/email-creation-and-sending/test-and-send-emails)

## About the full unit

The "Core concepts", "Exam traps" and "Worked scenario" sections of this unit, its 10 linked practice questions, and unlimited timed mock exams are included with the Marketing Cloud Engagement Specialist pack (USD $19): https://www.certifyforce.com/practice-exams