Automation Rule Troubleshooting

When an Automation Rule fails, there are a number of variables that could be the cause of the failure, like the action already being completed or incorrect data.

In this article, we will cover some common reasons for automation failures you may encounter, along with some tips and resources to help you troubleshoot, including: 

• Cadence Stage Name “Stage Name” Is Not a Valid Stage
• Person Must Be Created with a Valid Email Address or Partial Name and Phone Number
• Email Address Has Been Taken
• The "Has Changed" Value
• Person Is Already Starred
• Error with Adding Tags from Automation Rules
• UKNOWN_EXCEPTION
• REQUIRED_FIELD_MISSING
• INVALID_FIELD_FOR_INSERT_UPDATE
• INVALID_CROSS_REFERENCE_KEY

Cadence Stage Name “Stage Name” Is Not a Valid Stage

Common Rule: Create Person

The Cadence stage that has been selected does not exist in the Salesforce picklist field. There are two options to correct this error: You can delete the Cadence stage in SalesLoft and select a stage that exists in Salesforce OR create the Cadence stage in the picklist in Salesforce.

Person Must Be Created with a Valid Email Address or Partial Name and Phone Number

Common Rule: Create Person

When a Person is created in SalesLoft, the Person’s email address and partial name or phone number are required fields because they are considered unique identifiers. Make sure this information is filled in prior to the Automation Rule being triggered.  

Email Address Has Been Taken 

Common Rule: Create Person

Email address is already being used for an existing record. This prevents duplicates from being created. 

The "Has Changed" Value 

Rules will not fire when using the "has changed" value, if the field was null. This means if the field was blank (contained no information) and then you added information for the first time, this rule will not fire. 

Person Is Already Starred

Common Rule: Mark as Star

SalesLoft person has already been starred, so the action cannot occur. Reorder your list so this rule fires last.

Error with Adding Tags from Automation Rules

Only one (1) Automation Rule can use a particular tag as a result. If two or more automation rules try to result in the same tag, the second rule will fail. 

Example: A Person goes through Rule 1 and tag X is applied. Later, the same Person goes through Rule 2, that also tries to apply tag X. The repeat of the tag will cause the rule to fail since it has already been accomplished. 

UKNOWN_EXCEPTION

Error Message: {“errors”:[“UKNOWN_EXCEPTION: You’re creating a duplicate record. We recommend you use an existing record instead.”]}

Common Rule: Create Contact

The data has already been used on an existing Contact in Salesforce. This prevents duplicates from being created. 

REQUIRED_FIELD_MISSING

Error Message: {“errors”:[“REQUIRED_FIELD_MISSING: Required fields are missing: [FieldName].”]}

Common Rule: Create Contact

Your Salesforce instance requires data in a certain field to be filled in before creating the Contact. You have two options to correct this error: Advise users to complete the field in SalesLoft so the error does not occur OR lift the requirement in the Admin Settings of your Salesforce instance.

INVALID_FIELD_FOR_INSERT_UPDATE

Error Message: {“errors”:[“INVALID_FIELD_FOR_INSERT_UPDATE: Unable to create/update fields: field type Please check the security settings of this field and verify that it is read/write for your profile or permission set.”]}

Common Rule: Create Contact

The Contact cannot be created because of a specific field's Salesforce permissions. Have a Salesforce admin edit the permissions on the field so that users can edit the field. 

INVALID_CROSS_REFERENCE_KEY

Error Message: {“errors”:[“INVALID_CROSS_REFERENCE_KEY: Owner ID. Owner cannot be blank.”]}

Common Rule: Create Contact

Salesforce cannot create the Contact because an Owner ID number is not available. Make sure each SalesLoft user is linked to their Salesforce user account by setting the User Management in Salesforce Connector.