User Management in Salesforce Marketing Cloud (SFMC): A Comprehensive Guide

Effective user management in Salesforce Marketing Cloud (SFMC) is essential for ensuring data security, streamlined collaboration, and role-based access control. This blog provides a detailed overview of all possible methods to set up and manage users in SFMC, along with best practices, considerations, and implementation steps—tailored for developers and architects.

For an overview of users, roles, and permissions, click here. Feel free to comment below if you require a detailed explanation on any topic.

User Management Methods in SFMC

SFMC offers multiple methods to create and manage users, including:

• Manual User Creation: Directly adding users via the Admin UI.

• User Import: Bulk user creation using CSV imports.

• API-Based User Management: Automating user management with REST and SOAP APIs.

• SSO and Identity Provider Integration: Enabling Single Sign-On (SSO) with external authentication systems.

• Permission Sets and Roles: Assigning custom or predefined roles to control access.

• Business Units and Role-Based Access Control (RBAC): Managing access through Business Units and sharing rules.

• Automation Studio for User Sync: Using Automation Studio with File Drop Automations to regularly sync user data.

• Marketing Cloud Connect: Syncing Salesforce CRM users with SFMC.

  
  

  

  Managing users effectively within Salesforce Marketing Cloud is essential for streamlined operations and enhanced collaboration.

1. Manual User Creation

The most straightforward method for adding users in SFMC is through the Admin UI.

Steps:

1. Go to Administration > Users.

2. Click on Create.

3. Fill in the following details:

   • Username: Email ID (unique identifier).

   • Email Address: For login and notifications.

   • Role: Select a pre-configured or custom role.

   • Locale & Time Zone: Choose appropriate settings.

   • Status: Set as Active or Inactive.

4. Assign Business Units (BUs) for access.

5. Click Save.

Key Considerations:

✔️Manually creating users is suitable for small-scale operations.

✔️Not ideal for managing a large number of users.

2. Bulk User Import Using CSV

For large-scale user management, SFMC allows you to import multiple users via CSV.

Steps:

1. Go to Administration > Users > Import Users.

2. Download the CSV template.

3. Fill in the user details:

   • Username: Email ID.

   • First Name / Last Name.

   • Role Assignment.

   • Business Unit Access.

   • Locale and Time Zone.

4. Upload the CSV file.

5. Validate and confirm the import.

Key Considerations:

✔️Ideal for bulk user onboarding.

✔️Always validate the CSV file format to prevent errors.

✔️Use Automation Studio for recurring imports.

3. API-Based User Management

For automated and programmatic user management, you can use SFMC REST and SOAP APIs.

REST API – Create User Example:

POST https://{{subdomain}}.rest.marketingcloudapis.com/platform/v1/users Content-Type: application/json 
Authorization: Bearer {{access_token}}   

{ 
"userName": "john.doe@example.com", 
"email": "john.doe@example.com", 
"firstName": "John", 
"lastName": "Doe", 
"isActive": true, 
"roles": [ { "id": "Administrator" } ], 
"businessUnits": [ { "id": "123456" } ] 
}

Key Considerations:

✔️Suitable for automating user management across environments.

✔️Helps in syncing external user directories with SFMC.

✔️Requires OAuth authentication.

4. SSO and Identity Provider Integration

To streamline access, SFMC supports Single Sign-On (SSO) with SAML 2.0-based Identity Providers (IdP).

Steps:

1. Go to Administration > Security > SSO Settings.

2. Select Enable SSO.

3. Configure the following:

   • Issuer (IdP URL).

   • SAML Assertion Consumer Service (ACS) URL.

   • Public Certificate.

   • RelayState.

4. Test the connection.

5. Activate the SSO configuration.

Key Considerations:

• SSO enhances security and ease of access.

• Requires IdP setup and certificate management.

  
  

5. Permission Sets and Roles(Details will be published next week)

SFMC offers predefined roles and allows you to create custom roles with specific permissions.

Predefined Roles:

• Administrator: Full access.

• Marketing Cloud Viewer: Read-only access.

• Marketing Cloud Channel Manager: Manages content, sends emails, and handles channels.

• Marketing Cloud Security Administrator: Manages security settings.

Creating Custom Roles:

1. Go to Administration > Roles > Create.

2. Define the role name and description.

3. Select the desired permissions (Email Studio, Contact Builder, etc.).

4. Save the role and assign it to users.

Key Considerations:

✔️Granular access control via custom roles.

✔️Always follow the principle of least privilege.

6. Business Units and RBAC

SFMC uses Business Units (BUs) to organize users by department, region, or brand.

Steps:

1. Go to Administration > Business Units.

2. Create new BUs and define access permissions.

3. Assign user roles to BUs.

4. Configure shared data and assets across BUs.

Key Considerations:

✔️Helps in multi-brand or multi-region setups.

✔️Use data sharing settings carefully to control access.

7. Automation Studio – User Sync

You can automate user data sync using Automation Studio with File Drop Automations.

Steps:

1. Prepare a CSV file with user data.

2. Create an FTP location for file uploads.

3. Set up a File Drop Automation in Automation Studio:

   • Source: FTP location.

   • Activities: User import step.

4. Schedule the automation.

Key Considerations:

✔️Best for frequent user updates.

✔️Requires FTP setup.

8. Marketing Cloud Connect – CRM User Sync

If you have Salesforce CRM integrated with SFMC, you can sync CRM users to SFMC.

Steps:

1. In Salesforce CRM, go to Connected Apps > Salesforce Marketing Cloud (SFMC).

2. Enable Marketing Cloud Connect.

3. Sync user records from CRM to SFMC.

4. Map CRM users to SFMC roles.(We will discuss about roles in upcoming post)

Key Considerations:

✔️Ensures consistent user access across both platforms.

✔️Requires Marketing Cloud Connect configuration.

Best Practices for User Management

• Use Role-Based Access Control (RBAC): Assign only the necessary permissions to users.

• Enable Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA): Add an extra layer of security.

• Regularly Audit User Permissions: Review and remove inactive users.

• Use SSO for Seamless Access: Simplify authentication with SSO.

• Leverage APIs for Automation: Automate large-scale user management.

  
  

Key Takeaways

• SFMC offers multiple methods for user management, including manual, bulk, API, SSO, and automation-based setups.

• Role-based access control, permission sets, and BUs are crucial for managing large organizations.

• Regularly review user access and audit permissions to maintain security.

By implementing these methods, developers and architects can efficiently manage SFMC users while ensuring security and scalability.