Is your Marketo platform drowning in unnecessary fields and assets? Have you tried to delete, hide, or archive the ones you no longer use or need, but found you couldn’t because of underlying dependencies? Did you start down this manual, time-consuming path and then throw your hands up in frustration?
Unfortunately, this happens to be a common issue for Marketo admins. While it is possible to identify dependencies in Marketo, the feature is only available via the UI and you must look up each field and asset individually to view its particular dependencies.
Marketo will provide you with a list of these dependencies, but there is no ability to act upon them en masse. And if you don’t identify and remove the dependencies, you can’t delete, deactivate, or hide extraneous fields and assets, making it virtually impossible to clean and maintain your Marketo database.
Keeping your Marketo platform clean and free of extraneous fields and outdated assets makes it easier for your Marketo users to do their job — instead of spending their valuable time trying to figure out which fields to segment their lists on and sifting through countless assets before finding the one they need (or worse, using an outdated asset with outdated information).
Cleaning up the clutter
Recently, a client came to us with just such a request. They wanted to clean up their Marketo database, but were having difficulty removing assets they no longer used due to underlying dependencies.
Since manually identifying each dependency and removing each asset one by one would take an inordinate amount of time, they asked DemandGen if we could develop an automated program for them.
We were up to the challenge.
The result? We came up with a programmatic process to scan the UI for dependencies — and then act upon them. This particular client wanted to manually remove the dependencies themselves, so we tailored our solution to identify any and all dependencies for each asset — including emails, campaigns, and smart lists — that has a Used By tab.
First, we provided our client with a report of dependencies by asset name, along with useful information such as type, ID, and a direct link to where the asset lives in Marketo so they could look at it and determine whether it should stay or go.
At their request, we provided a tool for them to delete the dependencies themselves. All they had to do was upload the IDs of the assets they wanted to delete, which generated a list of all dependencies. They could then upload a list of the dependencies, and the tool we created let them delete those dependencies en masse.
For clients who want to automate as much of this process as possible, we took things a step further, making it possible to deactivate and delete forms, emails, and other assets programmatically so they don’t have to spend the time manually doing it themselves.
Don’t forget the fields
Many Marketo users and admins also struggle with an unmanageable number of fields to sift through every time they need to pull a list. Even having three to five similar-sounding job fields (e.g., job level, job title, job description), or just a large number of fields that begin with the same set of letters, can make pulling a targeted list a tricky endeavor.
However, if a field is used in any smart list, campaign, email, form, or email batch program, you can’t delete that field until you clear the dependencies. So, we also created a solution to identify and resolve field dependencies, which can clear up a great deal of confusion around which fields your Marketo users should be using.
Reclaim your (data’s) independence
Cleaning up your Marketo platform is a must, but many marketers run into a long list of dependencies that brings the entire process to a screeching halt.
If it’s time for a spring cleaning, let us know and we’ll reach out to learn more about what you’re dealing with. Current clients, as always, can reach out to their Client Engagement Manager, for more information.
Rick Segura, Data & Insights Technical Specialist at DemandGen, is a vastly experienced data guru. Having 20+ years of database experience, Rick is a master of ETL (data processing), data merging & aggregation, report & dashboard development, data analysis, and automation. He is very passionate about delivering intuitive, purposeful data-based solutions.
The post Is Your Data Codependent? Clean Up Your Marketo Database by Identifying and Removing Dependencies en Masse appeared first on DemandGen.
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