Pass the Salesforce Marketing Cloud Consultant CRT-550 Questions and answers with ValidTests

The best practice is:

Use Automation Studio to process the incoming file (import, validate, segment new customers).

Then inject the properly prepared audience into Journey Builder for decisioning, sending, and managing wait steps with Send Time Optimization.

Journey Builder is ideal for managing personalized campaigns over time, while Automation Studio is suited for heavy data processing and segmentation.

—

Exact Extracts from Salesforce Documentation:

Source: Salesforce Help – Automation Studio and Journey Builder Best Practices

→ "Use Automation Studio to prepare and transform data before injecting into Journey Builder for personalized messaging, campaign orchestration, and Send Time Optimization."

Source: Salesforce Help – Journey Builder Overview

→ "Journey Builder manages multi-step, personalized customer journeys that adapt based on contact behavior and timing."

—

Comprehensive and Detailed Explanation:

Correct answers are C and D.

C — Shipment object must have a Lookup relationship to either Lead or Contact to map and trigger the send to the correct subscriber.

D — An Apex Trigger must be created on the Shipment object to fire the Triggered Send via the Marketing Cloud Connect package.

❌ Why others are wrong:

A: It does not matter if the Shipment is visible on the Account Related List.

B: A Lookup relationship (not necessarily Master-Detail) is needed. Master-Detail is not required.

Exact Extract from Salesforce Official Documentation:

Salesforce Help — Triggered Sends in Marketing Cloud Connect:

"To use Triggered Sends on custom objects, the object must include a Lookup field to Lead or Contact and must have an Apex Trigger to initiate the send based on changes to the object."

(Source: https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=sf.mc_co_triggered_sends_custom_objects.htm )

—

Comprehensive and Detailed Explanation:

The correct answer is D — Contact Data using Synchronized Data Sources.

Synchronized Data Sources (via Marketing Cloud Connect) bring Salesforce CRM data into Marketing Cloud in near real-time (every 15 minutes minimum sync).

Contact Data allows access to the latest information related to the contact during the Journey for Decision Splits and personalization.

This setup ensures journeys react dynamically to CRM updates without waiting for a separate file import.

❌ Why others are wrong:

A: Journey Data is static — it does not update after the contact enters the journey unless using Contact Data.

B: Profile Attributes are old data model elements, not suitable for connected real-time CRM data.

C: CRM Report Import is batch-based and not truly near real-time.

Exact Extract from Salesforce Official Documentation:

Salesforce Help — Synchronized Data Sources Overview:

"Synchronized Data Sources allow Marketing Cloud to access near real-time CRM data, synchronized automatically at intervals (minimum every 15 minutes). You can use Synchronized Data with Contact Data in journeys and decision splits."

(Source: https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=sf.mc_cb_data_sources_synchronized.htm )

—

_Send Data Views are built-in system tables in Marketing Cloud that capture detailed tracking data across multiple channels including Email, SMS, and Push. They can be queried via SQL Query Activities to extract insights about sends, clicks, opens, bounces, and more.

—

Exact Extracts from Salesforce Documentation:

Source: Salesforce Help – Data Views in Marketing Cloud

→ "_Send Data Views provide detailed tracking data for sends across all messaging channels, including Email, Mobile, and Push. Query these views for advanced reporting."

—

Comprehensive and Detailed Explanation:

The correct answer is D — Use a Data Extension Entry Source with an applied filter based on recent member activity.

Using a Data Extension Entry Source allows direct filtering based on attributes like “recent activity” at the time of journey configuration.

This method efficiently filters at entry without requiring separate automation processes or manual queries.

❌ Why others are wrong:

A: Import Activity would require manual or scheduled imports; unnecessary here.

B: Query Activity creates additional complexity; Journey Builder filtering is more efficient.

C: Contact Data Entry Source is used when leveraging Attribute Groups, but it’s more complex than necessary for simple recent activity checks.

Exact Extract from Salesforce Official Documentation:

Salesforce Help — Journey Builder Entry Sources:

"A Data Extension Entry Source can include filter criteria to ensure only qualifying contacts enter the journey without requiring pre-segmentation."

(Source: https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=sf.mc_jb_data_extension_entry_source.htm )

When disconnecting and reconnecting instances in a Multi-Org setup, it’s mandatory to first remove all user mappings, attribute mappings, and tracking subscriptions associated with the sandbox. This is necessary to cleanly connect the new (production) instance without conflicts.

Exact Extract from Salesforce Documentation:

Source: Salesforce Help – Disconnect and Reconnect Marketing Cloud Connect Accounts→ "Before connecting a new Salesforce org to Marketing Cloud, remove existing user mappings, attribute mappings, and tracking subscriptions associated with the current org."

Source: Marketing Cloud Multi-Org Setup Guide→ "In a Multi-Org configuration, disconnecting an org requires removing all dependent mappings and synchronized objects before connecting a new Salesforce org."

Comprehensive and Detailed Explanation:

Correct answers are B and D.

B — The subscriber key should be channel-agnostic (not tied to an email address or phone number).

D — If the external POS system is the source of truth, use its stable unique identifier as the Contact Key.

❌ Why others are wrong:

A: Contact Builder does not automatically generate subscriber keys; you must define them.

C: While merging duplicates is important, the question asks for initial best practices during setup, not ongoing maintenance.

Exact Extract from Salesforce Official Documentation:

Salesforce Help — Contact Key and Subscriber Key Best Practices:

"Use a stable, unique, non-channel-specific identifier as the Contact Key/Subscriber Key, preferably sourced from your system of record."

(Source: https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=sf.mc_es_contact_key_best_practices.htm )

—

✅ Comprehensive and Detailed Explanation:

A (Keyword opt-in and SMS Messaging) is ideal because attendees can text a keyword to opt-in, and SMS provides instant, mobile-friendly, time-sensitive alerts like safety notifications or room changes.

❌ Why Others Are Incorrect:

B: Email and Smart Capture are too slow for live event updates.

C: CloudPages require internet access and form submission — not practical for quick opt-ins at live events.

D: Existing email subscriptions are static, not event-specific or real-time.

Exact Extract:

Salesforce Help: MobileConnect Keyword Setup

"Keywords enable mobile users to opt in to receive SMS messages. MobileConnect supports using keywords for event-specific opt-ins."

════════════════════════════════════════════

Comprehensive and Detailed Explanation:

The correct answer is B — Use an automation with Tracking Extract.

Tracking Extract Activity in Automation Studio can pull detailed send status data, including ‘Not Sent’ reasons (bounces, held status, validation errors).

From the extracted tracking file, you can create reports or data extensions specifically identifying Not Sent contacts.

❌ Why others are wrong:

A: No built-in standard report in Salesforce Marketing Cloud specifically called “Subscribers Not Sent to.”

C: Discover reports focus on aggregate metrics, not granular send statuses.

D: _Sent Data View records only successful send attempts; 'Not Sent' contacts are not logged in _Sent.

Exact Extract from Salesforce Official Documentation:

Salesforce Help — Tracking Extract Activity Overview:

"Use the Tracking Extract Activity to extract detailed subscriber-level data including message not sent events, undelivered messages, and reasons for failure."

(Source: https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=sf.mc_as_tracking_extract_activity.htm )

Comprehensive and Detailed Explanation:

The correct answer is C — Scheduled Automation > Import Activity > Series of Query Activities > Series of Sends.

Scheduled Automation (set to run every day after file drop) automatically imports the file, segments the data via Query Activities, and sends emails.

No need for manual triggering because the file generation time is predictable.

This is the cleanest, most scalable setup.

❌ Why others are wrong:

A: File Transfer isn't needed if the file is directly available in the correct folder.

B and D: Triggered Automations are better for real-time, unexpected events — not predictable scheduled events.

Exact Extract from Salesforce Official Documentation:

Salesforce Help — Automation Studio Best Practices:

"Use scheduled automations when working with expected, time-based file imports and campaign sends to automate data processing and message delivery."

(Source: https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=sf.mc_as_automation_best_practices.htm )