Cover -- Title Page -- Copyright and Credits -- Foreword -- Contributors -- Table of Contents -- Preface -- Section 1: Automation Theory and Automations in SFMC -- Chapter 1: What Is Automation? -- Automation theory -- Automation definition -- Automation opportunities and pitfalls -- Opportunities -- Expanded opportunities -- Pitfalls -- Concepts of automation -- Infrastructure -- Triggers -- Data collection -- Information routing -- Activity tracking -- Implementation best practices -- Starting small -- Understanding the process -- Sticking to the objective -- ABD - Always Be Documenting -- Documentation best practices -- Summary -- Chapter 2: SFMC Automation Tools -- Salesforce Marketing Cloud -- The ExactTarget years -- Salesforce acquisition -- Multi-channel and cross-channel marketing -- Multi-channel marketing -- Cross-channel marketing -- Marketing Cloud evolves beyond email -- Automation tools in Marketing Cloud -- Marketing Cloud tools -- Journey Builder overview -- Single Send journeys -- Transactional Send journeys -- Multi-Step journeys -- Journey Builder configuration overview -- Journey entry events and activities -- Journey Builder considerations and best practices -- Automation Studio overview -- Scheduled automations -- File drop automations -- Automation Studio activities -- Comparing Automation Studio and Journey Builder -- The key differences -- Which one should I use? -- With our powers combined -- Automation Studio and Journey Builder interactions -- Summary -- Chapter 3: SFMC Automation Best Practices -- Best practices -- Establishing a best practice -- Maintaining best practices -- Keep it simple, stupid (KISS) -- Creating high-quality testing -- Testing woes in Salesforce Marketing Cloud -- Creating test versions in your production business unit -- Creating a sandbox business unit.

Developing and testing outside Marketing Cloud -- Performance and efficiency in your architecture -- Will the solution solve the problem? -- Is the solution your best path forward to meet your needs? -- Does this solution consider all future scenarios? -- Can your solution handle triple the volume and frequency that's currently expected? -- Is the solution fully planned out and developmentally sound? -- Is efficiency greater than performance? -- Why am I not certain? -- Is efficiency better than performance? -- Best practice is not always best -- Context matters -- Subject matter experts don't know everything -- Do research and testing -- You (your preferences) matter -- Imposter syndrome -- Trust yourself -- Your situation matters -- Summary -- Section 2: Optimizing Automation inside of SFMC -- Chapter 4: Automating Email Sends -- Email marketing automation overview -- Real-time versus scheduled -- Real time -- Scheduled -- Real time or scheduled - which is the right choice? -- 1:1 messaging versus batch sends -- 1:1 messaging -- Batch messaging -- Batch or 1:1? Why not both? -- Analytics-powered insights -- Analytics in Marketing Cloud -- Considerations regarding email automation -- Summary -- Chapter 5: Automating Your ETL and Data -- What is ETL? -- Extract -- Transform -- Load -- How is ETL used? -- Activities for data in Automation Studio -- SQL Query activities -- What is a SQL Query activity? -- Uses of the SQL Query activity in automation -- Filter activities and data segmentation -- Filters -- Groups -- Filtered mobile lists -- Import data options -- Export data options -- Data extract -- File Transfer activity -- Tracking extract -- Summary -- Chapter 6: The Magic of Script Activities -- Technical requirements -- Script activities (SSJS and AMPscript) -- AMPscript inside of a Script activity -- Overview of SSJS in Marketing Cloud.

What is SFMC SSJS in a nutshell? -- Oh, the possibilities! (What you can do in SSJS) -- Arrays and objects -- Functions in SSJS -- try…catch in SSJS -- More capabilities than we can mention -- WSProxy -- A real-life example implementation -- Setup -- Functions -- Global variables -- allTriggers logic -- for loop -- The upsert -- Summary -- Chapter 7: The Power of In-Step APIs -- What are APIs? -- The REST and SOAP APIs -- Authentication -- The SOAP API in Marketing Cloud -- The REST API in Marketing Cloud -- SFMC native functions and WSProxy -- AMPscript -- Server-side JavaScript -- WSProxy -- Script.Util for the REST API -- HttpResponse -- HttpGet -- HttpRequest -- Why is this important? -- External services -- Example 1 -- Example 2 -- Example 3 -- Example 4 -- Summary -- Chapter 8: Creating Mini Web Apps -- Technical requirements -- What is a web app? -- Creating a Marketing Cloud web app -- Setup and administration -- Installed packages inside Marketing Cloud -- API component and scope -- CloudPages -- Example implementation -- Automation Dashboard -- The full code -- The SSJS -- The HTML and CSS -- Client-side JavaScript -- The power is yours! -- Summary -- Section 3: Optimizing the Automation of SFMC from External Sources -- Chapter 9: Getting Started with Custom Integrations -- The who, what, and why of custom integrations -- Out-of-the-box solutions -- Custom integrations -- Have your cake and eat it too - combining approaches -- Building your integration toolbox -- ETL, ELT, and Reverse ETL -- Point-to-point integrations versus hub-and-spoke integrations -- Point-to-point integrations -- Hub-and-spoke integrations -- The paradox of choice - finding the right tools -- Know your limits -- Setup and next steps -- Summary -- Chapter 10: Exploring SFMC as a Piece of the Puzzle -- Technical requirements -- Knowing about your process flow.

Identifying owners and key players -- Putting pen to paper -- Defining a use case -- Understanding the lightning component framework -- Building our lightning component -- Understanding the importance of structure -- Model -- View -- Controller -- Testing, testing, and more testing -- Creating specific tests -- Summary -- Chapter 11: Exploring SDKs, APIs, and Specs -- Understanding APIs -- Open APIs... what does that mean? -- Partner APIs... a little closer to the vest -- Internal APIs... all in the family -- Composite APIs… with our powers combined -- Requests and protocols - a deep dive -- SOAP - not the kind you use in the shower -- REST - but not a nap -- GraphQL - making data easier -- To SDK or not to SDK -- APIs versus SDKs -- Marketing Cloud platform SDKs -- Summary -- Chapter 12: Webhooks and Microservices -- Technical requirements -- Webhooks versus APIs -- An event-based example -- Configuring the GitHub webhook -- Setting up the endpoint -- Microservices, assemble! -- Advantages of monolithic architecture -- Disadvantages of monolithic architecture -- Advantages of microservices architecture -- Disadvantages of microservices architecture -- Summary -- Chapter 13: Exploring Custom Journey Builder Activities -- Technical requirements -- An overview of the required files and structures for Journey Builder -- Setting up your package and environment -- Setting up your application in Heroku -- The Marketing Cloud custom activity configuration -- Exploring configuration and activity UI -- The config.json file -- The index.html file -- Using the Postmonger events and payloads -- Implementing handlers and authentication -- Utilizing logging -- Summary -- Section 4: Conclusion -- Chapter 14: Carpe Omnia -- Lessons we've learned so far -- Final lessons and examples -- Calling an automation from another automation.

Creating automated scripts with Heroku Scheduler -- How and why to use Heroku Scheduler -- Last-minute tips and tricks -- Summary (adieu and auf wiedersehen) -- Index -- Other Books You May Enjoy.