Marketing Automation26% of the exam
Journey entry sources, waits, random splits and joins
How to pick the journey entry source from where the triggering action happens, which of the three core wait activities fits a timing requirement, and when a Random Split or a Join is the right flow-control activity, with Pause and Sales Cloud activities placed in context.
Given a customer scenario, recommend the appropriate marketing automation solution.
~7 min read · 8 practice questions ·
What the exam expects
- Recommend the entry source from where the triggering action happens: a Sales or Service Cloud record change, a CloudPages Smart Capture form, an action in a mobile app, an API call or a batch of data extension rows.
- Choose among Wait by Duration, Wait Until Date and Wait by Attribute given a timing requirement, and predict what happens when a contact arrives late or has no date.
- Use a Random Split to divide contacts by percentage regardless of data or behavior, and a Join to reunite branches so a shared activity is built once.
- Recognize when the answer is not an entry, wait or split at all: Pause for a temporary halt, or Lead and Task activities to create Sales Cloud records.
- Key terms: entry source (where contacts entering a journey come from); entry event (the action that prompts contacts to enter); wait activity (holds contacts before the next activity); Random Split (assigns paths at random by a chosen distribution); Join (merges contacts from two or more paths into one).
Key facts
Salesforce Data Event
- Detail
- Sales or Service Cloud record created or updated; Flow Builder initiates the event
CloudPages Form Submit Event
- Detail
- Uses a CloudPages Smart Capture form
Mobile App Event
- Detail
- App actions such as install or purchase; filter on App Event data
Contact Data Events
- Detail
- Not supported in an upcoming release; use Data Extension entry source
Active entry source
- Detail
- Can't be edited; pause or stop, then create a new version
Wait by Duration default
- Detail
- 1 day
Wait by Attribute, date passed or missing
- Detail
- Contact proceeds immediately
Random Split paths
- Detail
- Up to 10, assigned at random by the chosen distribution
Join
- Detail
- Merges contacts from two or more paths into one
Pause
- Detail
- Halts processing so a higher-priority campaign can run; resume later
Lead and Task activities
- Detail
- Create or update Sales and Service Cloud records per contact
Sources for this section (5)
- When can you edit an active journey's entry source?
- When does a contact skip straight past a Wait Until Date?
- How many paths can a Random Split have?
- Where are contacts stored when an API Event fires?
The questions are free to read. Answers with their sources and self-grading are included with the pack.
Keep reading with the Marketing Cloud Engagement Specialist pack
- Core concepts
- Exam traps
- Worked scenario
The pack includes:
- All 31 lessons of the Marketing Cloud Engagement Specialist guide, with reading progress
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