Configure Marketo as your data pipeline source

Set up Marketo as a data pipeline source to extract and sync records into your destination. This guide includes connection setup, pipeline configuration, and key behavior for working with Marketo as a source.

Workato uses the Marketo REST API to extract object data for pipeline syncs.

Features supported

The following features are supported when using Marketo as a data pipeline source:

• Extract data using the Marketo REST API
• Support for full and incremental sync
• Field-level selection for object extraction
• Schema drift detection and handling
• Field-level data masking

Prerequisites

You must have the following configuration and access:

• A custom service registered in your Marketo Admin console
• The REST API endpoint for your Marketo instance
• Client ID and client secret from the custom service
• Read access to the objects used in the pipeline

How to connect

Complete the following steps to connect to Marketo as a data pipeline source. This connection allows the pipeline to extract and sync data from your Marketo instance.

Connect to Marketo

1

Select Create > Connection.

2

Search for and select Marketo on the New connection page.

3

Enter a name in the Connection name field.

Marketo connection setup

4

Use the Location drop-down to select the project where you plan to store the connection.

5

Enter the REST Endpoint. This URL must match your Marketo instance’s Admin/Web Services REST API endpoint.

6

Enter the Custom Service client ID associated with your Marketo custom service. Refer to the Marketo Engage Developer Documentation (opens new window) to create a custom service in Marketo.

7

Enter the Custom Service client secret for the Marketo client ID.

8

Click Connect to verify and establish the connection.

Configure the pipeline

Complete the following steps to configure Marketo as your data pipeline source:

1

Select Create > Data pipeline.

2

Provide a Name for the data pipeline.

Data pipeline setup

3

Use the Location drop-down menu to select the project where you plan to store the data pipeline.

4

Select Start building.

5

Click the Extract new/updated records from source app trigger. This trigger defines how the pipeline retrieves data from the source application.

Configure the Extract new/updated records from source app trigger

6

Select Marketo from Your Connected Source Apps.

7

Choose the Marketo connection you plan to use for this pipeline. Alternatively, click + New connection to create a new connection.

Choose a Marketo connection

8

Click Add object to open the object wizard.

Add object

9

Search or browse the list of available Marketo objects. Select the objects you plan to sync and click Add.

Select objects

10

Review and customize the schema for each selected object. When you select an object, the pipeline automatically fetches its schema to ensure the destination matches the source.

Expand object

You can expand any object to view its fields. Keep all fields selected to extract all available data, or deselect specific fields to exclude them from data extraction and schema replication.

11

Click Add object again to add more objects using the same flow. You can repeat this step to include multiple Marketo objects in your pipeline.

12

Choose how to handle schema changes:

• Select Auto-sync new fields to detect and apply schema changes automatically.
• Select Block new fields to manage schema changes manually. This option may cause the destination to fall out of sync if the source schema updates.

Unsynchronized schema changes, also known as schema drift, can cause issues if not managed. Refer to the Schema drift section for more information.

13

Configure how often the pipeline syncs data from the source to the destination in the Frequency field. Choose either a standard time-based schedule or define a custom cron expression.

1

Select the Time unit, such as Minutes, Hours, or Days.

2

Specify the sync interval in the Trigger every field.

For example, if you select Hours as the Time unit and enter 12 in the Trigger every field, the pipeline syncs every 12 hours. The minimum interval you can set is 30 minutes.

Configure sync frequency

3

Select a start date for the historical data sync in the When first started, this pipeline should pick up records from field. This defines the earliest date from which the pipeline extracts records. If you leave this field blank, the pipeline picks up all available records from the source.

You can't change this value after you run the pipeline. Refer to the When first started, this recipe should pick up events from section for more information.

4

Click Save to save your progress before you configure your data pipeline destination.

1

Select Custom schedule in the Time unit field.

Configure sync frequency

2

Enter a Cron expression in the Cron expression field using the format:

[minute] [hour] [day of month] [month] [day of week]

The minimum interval for cron schedules is 15 minutes. For example, to sync every day at 8:00 AM UTC, enter:

0 8 * * *

3

Optional. Select a Timezone for the cron expression. Leave blank to use Etc/UTC.

4

Select a start date for the historical data sync in the When first started, this pipeline should pick up records from field. This defines the earliest date from which the pipeline extracts records. If you leave this field blank, the pipeline picks up all available records from the source.

You can't change this value after you run the pipeline. Refer to the When first started, this recipe should pick up events from section for more information.

5

Click Save to save your progress before you configure your data pipeline destination.

Supported Marketo objects

The connector supports common Marketo objects, including Leads, Activities, and Programs. Workato uses the Marketo REST API to query and extract records.