About Synchronizing and Publishing Data

Both Oracle CRM On Demand and Oracle CRM On Demand Marketing have their own separate databases. They share data using the processes of synchronization and publication.

Synchronization is the process of copying data from Oracle CRM On Demand to Oracle CRM On Demand Marketing. Synchronization happens nightly at a time that is coordinated between your company and Oracle. The data that is copied includes object definitions (such as field names and specifications) and data records (contacts, leads, and so on).

For more information on synchronization, see the following:

Publication is the process of copying data from Oracle CRM On Demand Marketing to Oracle CRM On Demand. Publishing happens in near real-time as records are added or updated in Oracle CRM On Demand Marketing. Only records are published. For more information about configuring publishing, see Configuring Publishing Rules.

Because Oracle CRM On Demand and Oracle CRM On Demand Marketing are separate applications they have a few differences in terminology. In Oracle CRM On Demand Marketing, a campaign is a top-level object that contains programs. Oracle CRM On Demand does not have the same hierarchy in that it does not have a concept of programs. In Oracle CRM On Demand, a campaign is the equivalent of an Oracle CRM On Demand Marketing program. Thus as data is synchronized and published, Oracle CRM On Demand campaign data is exchanged with Oracle CRM On Demand Marketing program data.

Similarly, contacts and leads are not the same between Oracle CRM On Demand and Oracle CRM On Demand Marketing. In Oracle CRM On Demand, contacts and leads are separate objects. In Oracle CRM On Demand Marketing, there is only a contact object. All Oracle CRM On Demand contacts and leads synchronized to Oracle CRM On Demand Marketing appear as contacts. When Oracle CRM On Demand Marketing publishes contacts to Oracle CRM On Demand, it updates the original contact or lead record. If an Oracle CRM On Demand Marketing contact does not exist as a contact or lead in Oracle CRM On Demand, then it is published as a CRM lead. In Oracle CRM On Demand a contact is defined as being associated with an account or an opportunity. A new Oracle CRM On Demand Marketing contact has no associations in Oracle CRM On Demand, so it must be published as a lead.

When data (such as object definitions or records) are deleted in Oracle CRM On Demand, they are not deleted in Oracle CRM On Demand Marketing because that data may be in use in an active campaign, program, or other object. Deleting the data may adversely affect something that is currently active, so no such deletions occur in Oracle CRM On Demand Marketing. Instead, the records are marked as inactive.