--- schema_version: "1" id: ae40c83e423ec8c2aa2d4ab4d541b8d978789d1ca0ba6ce261e55dd637b57240 title: Automation Studio Activities Reference collection: admin version: current locale: en-us portal_url: https://docs.salesforce.com/admin/current/en-us/mktg/264-0-0/mc_as_automation_studio_activities_reference.md canonical_url: https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=mktg.mc_as_automation_studio_activities_reference.htm&release=264.0.0&type=5 source_site: help.salesforce.com content_type: documentation content_hash: 1cf8a5059f45cd096ab6349c66d11001e3b08bda74f541503026819e3b5ae604 description: Learn more about the activities that are available in Automation Studio. products: - Marketing - Marketing Cloud Engagement release: "264" --- # Automation Studio Activities Reference Learn more about the activities that are available in Automation Studio. These activities are available for use in an automation. | Activity Name | Description | | --- | --- | | Refresh Group | Reapplies rules in a group definition to create a subset of subscribers in a list. Before you can use a group refresh activity, you must create a group definition in Email Studio. | | Send Email | Choose and configure an email message to send on its own or in sequence according to a schedule. Configuring the Send Email Activity creates a Send Definition that you can use in other automations. | | SQL Query | Retrieves data extension or data view information according to criteria you set, then includes that data in a data extension. Use SQL to create the query used in this activity. You can run up to 40 filter activities and query activities simultaneously. Activities over this limit are queued. | | Data Copy or Import (formerly Import File) | Updates a subscriber list or data extension using an external file. Create a copy of a data file or import definition to copy large datasets by using the data extension as the source. To access Salesforce Objects and Reports, navigate to Interactions in Email Studio. | | File Transfer | Unzips or decrypts a file from a configured file location. | | Script | Executes your Server-Side JavaScript to accomplish tasks in an email or landing page. | | Filter | Applies a data filter to create a group or data extension containing records that meet a set of criteria. You can run up to 40 filter activities and query activities simultaneously. Activities over this limit are queued. | | Data Extract | Creates a file to use outside of the application. This activity can also be used to transform an XML file to a comma-delimited, tab-delimited, or pipe-delimited file for import into your account. | | Wait | Sets an automation to wait for a specific duration, or until a specific time, before continuing. | | Report Definition | Defines the parameters for running a report one time to be used every time the report is run using the activity. To run a standard or custom report, create a report activity. | | Refresh Mobile Filtered List | Ensures that your Contact lists are up to date according to the filters used to create the list. | | SMS Activity | Initiates an SMS message. | | Send GroupConnect | Initiates a GroupConnect message. | | Verification | Avoid unintended outcomes by setting conditions for a data extension used in the automation. | | Contacts to Business Unit mapping | Maps existing Contacts to selected Business Units to maintain Brand and GEO boundaries while activating segments in Data 360. | ## More Activities More provisioning is required to access these activities. Contact your account executive for more information. | Activity Name | Description | | --- | --- | | Fire Event | Signals that new contacts were added to a data extension used as the event source in a journey. The newly added data is then sent into journeys whose entry events are configured to detect changes in this data source. | | Journey Entry: Audience | Added to automations that populate audiences in Journey Builder. When a journey uses an audience as its entry source, this activity is added to the automation that updates the audience. Access a direct link to the journey populated by this activity by clicking the activity name. | | Send Salesforce Email | Initiates a send from a Sales or Service Cloud account. | ![Note](https://sf-zdocs-cdn-prod.zoominsoftware.com/tdta-mktg-mc_journeys_and_automations-264-0-0-production-enus/e08cdd71-c1c1-4ae5-a5e9-8a6dad583ad4/images/icon_note.png) Note Automation Studio audiences are evaluated and processed for entry according to the schedule of the source automation, which is set in Automation Studio. When the Journey Entry: Audience activity is included in an automation, contacts enter the journey according to the schedule set in that automation. ![Note](https://sf-zdocs-cdn-prod.zoominsoftware.com/tdta-mktg-mc_journeys_and_automations-264-0-0-production-enus/e08cdd71-c1c1-4ae5-a5e9-8a6dad583ad4/images/icon_note.png) Note Organizations that use Marketing Cloud Connect can access the Send Salesforce Email Activity. #### See Also - [Use MobileConnect with Automation Studio](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=mktg.mc_moc_use_mobileconnect_with_automation_studio.htm&type=5&language=en_US) - [MobilePush and Automation Studio](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=mktg.mc_mp_mobilepush_and_automation_studio.htm&type=5&language=en_US) - [Data Extension Extract in Automation Studio](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=mktg.mc_as_data_extension_extract.htm&release=264.0.0&type=5 "This Automation Studio data extract type extracts information from a data extension and places it in a delimited file.")