Push audience segments from Avid to Salesforce Marketing Cloud (SFMC) Data Extensions so you can use your donor data for email campaigns, journeys, and automations.
Use this article when
- You want to send an Avid audience to SFMC for email marketing.
- You need to keep a Data Extension in sync with your latest donor data.
- You are setting up your first pathway to Salesforce Marketing Cloud.
Before you begin
| Requirement | Details |
|---|---|
| Avid access | Settings > Connections, and Pathways access (including Edit and Export) |
| SFMC role | Admin or Marketing Cloud Administrator with access to Installed Packages |
| SFMC edition | Any edition that supports API integrations |
| Avid data source | At least one Data Set or Data Blend with mapped columns |
| Time estimate | 15–20 minutes (first-time setup); sync duration then depends on audience size |
You only need to connect SFMC and configure the pathway mapping once. After that, pushing new audiences takes just a few clicks.
Step 1: Connect Salesforce Marketing Cloud
If your organization has already connected SFMC to Avid, skip to Step 2.
Create an Installed Package in SFMC
- Log in to your Salesforce Marketing Cloud account.
- Click your profile name in the top-right corner and select Setup.
- Under Platform Tools, go to Apps > Installed Packages.
- Click New to create a new package.
- Enter a name (for example, "Avid Integration") and a description.
- Make sure Create with enhanced functionality (recommended) is selected.
- Click Save.
Add the API integration component
- In the package details, click Add Component.
- Select API Integration and click Next.
- Choose Server-to-Server as the integration type and click Next.
-
Assign the following API scopes:
Scope Permissions Automations Read, Write, Execute Audiences Read, Write Campaigns Read, Write Data Extensions Read, Write Email Read File Locations Read, Write Journeys Read, Write Lists and Subscribers Read, Write Tracking Events Read Asset Document and Images Read - Click Save.
Missing scopes can cause sync failures. Double-check that Data Extensions: Read, Write is enabled — this is required for Avid to create and update Data Extensions in SFMC.
Retrieve your credentials
After saving the component, the Components section displays three values you need:
- Client ID
- Client Secret
-
Authentication Base URI (looks like
https://mcxxxxxx.auth.marketingcloudapis.com)
Copy these values. You will enter them in Avid next.
The Client Secret is shown only once. Store it securely. If you lose it, you must regenerate a new secret in SFMC.
Enter credentials in Avid
- In Avid, go to Settings > Connections.
- Click Add System.
- In Add a System, search for and select Salesforce Marketing Cloud.
- Enter the three credential fields:
- Client ID — from the Installed Package
- Client Secret — from the Installed Package
-
Auth Base URI — the authentication endpoint (e.g.,
https://mcxxxxxx.auth.marketingcloudapis.com)
-
Click Save.
Avid validates your credentials by requesting an access token from SFMC. If the connection is successful, you see the connection appear in your list.
Avid automatically derives the REST and SOAP API endpoints from your Auth Base URI. You do not need to enter these separately.
Step 2: Configure pathway mapping
The pathway mapping tells Avid which columns from your data source to send to SFMC and how to keep them in sync.
- Go to Pathways > Push Audiences.
- In Step 1: Select Audience, pick the audience you want to push.
- In Step 2: Choose a Destination, select your Salesforce Marketing Cloud pathway.
- Click Review Pathway.
- In Pathway Summary, expand Information and Column Mapping under Advanced Settings
Information: Set destination and sync method
- Under Destination Object, confirm the selection. For SFMC, this is Data Extension.
-
Under Method of Sync, choose how Avid keeps records in sync:
Option What it does Update or Create (recommended) Updates existing records when IDs match. Creates new records if missing. Mirror Fully replaces all records in the Data Extension each sync. Append Adds new records only. Does not update or remove existing records. Update Only Updates matching records. Does not add new records.
Column Mapping: Map your columns
- Map the Primary Key Column(s). For SFMC, map Email as the primary key so each record can be uniquely identified in the Data Extension.
-
Select the Category (folder) where Avid should create the Data Extension in SFMC. This dropdown is populated from your SFMC folder structure.
The Category field is required. Every SFMC pathway must specify a folder for the Data Extension.
- Map additional columns by clicking Add Column Mapping. For each mapping, select:
- Source Column — the Avid data field
- Destination Column — the SFMC Data Extension field name
-
When your mappings look correct, continue to Step 3.
On first push, Avid saves the mapping and starts the sync.
Supported field types
Avid maps your data to the following SFMC Data Extension field types:
| Avid type | SFMC field type |
|---|---|
| Text | Text (255 characters) |
| Number | Number |
| Date | Date |
| Boolean | Boolean |
| EmailAddress |
Step 3: Push an audience
With the pathway configured, you can push any audience segment to SFMC.
- Review the summary card. It shows the estimated record count and sync details.
-
Click Confirm.
Avid queues the sync and begins sending data to SFMC.
Avid creates a Data Extension in SFMC named AVID - [your audience name] in the folder you selected during mapping. If the Data Extension already exists, Avid updates its fields and records.
Step 4: Monitor your sync
- Go to Pathways > Manage Pathways.
- Find your Salesforce Marketing Cloud pathway and expand it.
- You see each audience that has been pushed, along with:
- Sync Status — Syncing, Active, Error, or Inactive
- Last Sync Successes — records accepted by SFMC on the most recent run
- Last Sync Failures — records rejected by SFMC on the most recent run
- Last synced — timestamp of the most recent sync
What you'll see
After a successful sync, your SFMC account shows a new Data Extension in the folder you selected. The Data Extension contains:
- All mapped fields from your Avid audience.
- Records matching your audience segment definition.
- An Email primary key that SFMC uses to identify unique contacts.
You can now use this Data Extension as an audience for SFMC email sends, journeys, and automations.
Sync operations explained
Update or Create (Upsert)
This is the recommended default. Avid checks the primary key (Email) for each record:
- If a matching record exists in the Data Extension, it updates the record with the latest values.
- If no match exists, it creates a new row.
This keeps your Data Extension current without losing records that were already there.
Mirror (Overwrite)
Avid completely replaces the contents of the Data Extension. All existing rows are removed and replaced with the current audience data.
Use this when you want the Data Extension to always be an exact copy of your audience — no stale records remain.
Append (Add Only)
Avid adds new records that do not already exist in the Data Extension. Existing records are not modified or removed.
Use this when you want to accumulate records over time without changing existing data.
Update Only
Avid updates records that already exist in the Data Extension. It does not add new records or remove old ones.
Use this when you only need to refresh field values for contacts that are already in the Data Extension.
Notes and limits
The Mirror sync operation deletes all existing rows before importing. If other SFMC processes depend on the Data Extension's current data, use Update or Create instead.
- Sync times depend on audience size. Large audiences (100,000+ records) may take several minutes.
- If you add new columns to your Avid data source after configuring the pathway, update the column mapping to include them.
- The Category (folder) is set during initial mapping. To change the folder, create a new pathway.
- Each audience creates a separate Data Extension in SFMC. The Data Extension key follows the format
avid_{clientId}_segment_{segmentId}. - SFMC access tokens expire after 20 minutes. Avid handles token refresh automatically during sync.
Troubleshooting
Connection fails with "credentials not able to successfully connect"
Check the following:
- Verify the Auth Base URI is correct and includes
https://. - Confirm the Client ID and Client Secret match exactly (no extra spaces).
- Make sure the Installed Package in SFMC uses enhanced functionality.
- Ensure the Server-to-Server integration type is selected (not Web App or Public App).
Sync shows "Error" status
Common causes:
- Missing API scopes — return to SFMC and verify all required scopes are assigned.
- Category not found — the selected folder may have been deleted or renamed in SFMC. Update the pathway mapping with a valid category.
- Data type mismatch — ensure your mapped column types match what SFMC expects (for example, do not map a text field to a Number column).
Check Manage Pathways for the sync error details.
Category dropdown is empty
This can happen if your SFMC API integration lacks the Asset Document and Images: Read scope. Avid attempts to fall back to extracting categories from existing Data Extensions, but if no Data Extensions exist yet, the dropdown may be empty.
To fix this: add the Asset Document and Images: Read scope to your Installed Package in SFMC, then reconnect in Avid.
Records show as failed after sync
Avid downloads SFMC validation results after each sync.
- In Manage Pathways, use Last Sync Failures to download rejected records.
- In the file, review
validationErrorTypeandvalidationErrorDetailsto see why rows were rejected. - Fix the source data or mapping, then run the sync again.
LockStep insight
Consider using the Update or Create sync method for most use cases. It keeps your Data Extension current without losing any records that SFMC journeys or automations may reference. Use Mirror only when you need a clean slate each sync.