Find out what Automation Studio error messages mean and how to resolve them. After applying the suggested action, run the activity or automation again to make sure that the error was addressed.
SQL Query Activity Errors
| Error Text | Meaning | Suggested Action |
|---|---|---|
| Query definition doesn’t exist. | The query was deleted. | Recreate the SQL Query activity. |
| Query failed during execution. Error: Violation of PRIMARY KEY constraint. Can’t insert duplicate key in object '{{DE name}}'. The duplicate key value is (123456789). | The query source is missing a primary key, or it contains duplicate keys. The destination requires a unique primary key, and the mismatch causes duplicate records in the destination Data Extension. |
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| Query failed: Timeout | The query took too long to run. |
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| Query failed during execution. Error: Conversion failed when converting the nvarchar value '123ABC' to data type int. | The query source has an alphanumeric field, but the destination has a number field. | Update either the query source or the destination so the data types match. |
| Query failed during execution. Error: String or binary data would be truncated. | The query source has a longer field length than the destination field. | Increase the destination field length so that it allows the same number of characters. |
| Query failed during execution. Error: Invalid column name '{{column name}}'. | Either the source or the destination has a field that was renamed or deleted. | Check for columns and fields that were changed or deleted. |
| Query failed during execution. Error: Invalid object name 'QueryTest_100'. Error has occurred. | Either the source or the destination has been deleted, renamed, or is otherwise unavailable. | Confirm that the source and destination data extensions exist. |
| Query failed: Query not allowed | Queries aren’t available for your account. | Open a support case in Salesforce Help. |
| Query failed due to system error. | A system error occurred. | Retry the activity or automation. If the error persists, open a support case in Salesforce Help. |
| SQL Query activity cannot be executed at this time. | This error can occur when the database has a high volume of write activity. | Retry the activity or automation. If the error persists, open a support case in Salesforce Help. |
File Transfer Activity Errors
| Error Text | Meaning | Suggested Action |
|---|---|---|
| File not found matching the pattern: {{pattern}} | The source file that the activity expected to find is missing, or no file matching the file naming pattern was found. |
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| Invalid File Age | The timestamp on the file is invalid, or a setting in the activity configuration prevents files of a specified age from being processed. | Ensure that the file isn’t older than the defined age limit or modify the age limit setting. |
| Authentication with the server failed | Server authentication failed. |
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| Invalid username or password reported by server. | Server authentication failed due to an invalid username or password. |
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| Server returned an error: Permission denied | Server authentication failed due to a permission error. |
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| The process can’t access the file '{{filename}}' because it’s being used by another process. | A file lock error occurred. |
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| There was an error connecting to the target server. | The connected host failed to respond. | Verify that your FTP host entry is configured correctly. |
| The remote host forcibly closed an existing connection. | The remote host connection was lost. | Check the destination server settings to reenable the connection. |
| Idle connection category | The FTP that you’re trying to transfer files to is having a connectivity issue. | Check the FTP connection. |
| We can’t decrypt the file because the packet type doesn’t follow the correct standard. Encrypt the file following the RFC 4880 standard and try again. | The file contains a packet type that isn’t part of the RFC 4880 standard. For example, packet type 20 is a draft and not standardized. | Encrypt the file in compliance with RFC 4880. |
| We couldn't complete the file transfer. Validate the activity and file location parameters and try again. | The file transfer wasn't completed. | Verify the activity parameters and file locations. Wait for 30 minutes, and then retry the transfer. |
Data Copy or Import Activity Errors
| Error Text | Meaning | Suggested Action |
|---|---|---|
| Import failed: File {{filename}} not found | The source file that the activity expected to find is missing, or no file matching the file naming pattern was found. |
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| Import failed: Invalid file age | The timestamp on the file is invalid or a setting in the activity configuration prevents files of a specified age from being processed. | Ensure that the file isn’t older than the defined age limit, or modify the age limit setting. |
| Import failed: Invalid file source | The file source is invalid. | Enter a valid file source. |
| Import failed: File location invalid | The file location is invalid. | Enter a valid file location. |
| Import failed due to system error. | A system error occurred. | Retry the activity or automation. If this error persists, open a support case in Salesforce Help. |
| We couldn’t import your file. Verify that your Salesforce integration is valid and try again. | Salesforce Objects and Reports couldn’t be imported because the Salesforce integration connection wasn’t established. | Verify that your Salesforce integration is functional in the Email Studio Admin settings. |
| We couldn’t import your file because the last import occurred less than {{MaxFrequencyHours}} ago. | The latest import ran too recently for the import to run again. | Wait at least the MaxFrequencyHours before running the import again or shorten the MaxFrequencyHours. |
| We couldn’t import your file. Verify that the destination is valid and try again. | The file location for the import doesn’t exist. | Ensure that the file location for the import still exists. Then add the file location to the import definition again. |
| We couldn’t import your file. Verify that the file {{Filename}} contains data and try again. | The file for import contained no data. | Confirm that the file has data. |
| We couldn’t import your file. Verify that the field mappings are valid and try again. | The import field mapping was invalid. For example, the columns are incorrect or the import fields aren’t correctly mapped. | Verify that the file’s columns match the import field mapping. |
| We couldn’t connect to your external FTP. Check your credentials and try again. | The external file location was unavailable due to an authentication issue, such as an invalid username or password. | Check the credentials for the FTP File Location in Setup and validate your configuration. |
| We couldn’t connect to your external FTP. Try again later. | The external file location was unavailable for connection. For example, if the service was offline. | Confirm that your FTP is online. |
Filter Activity Errors
| Error Text | Meaning | Suggested Action |
|---|---|---|
| We couldn’t find an expected field in the source data extension. Make sure that the fields used by the filter definition are configured in the data extension and try again. | A field is used by the filter definition but not included in the source data extension. | Confirm that the data extension includes all data required for the filter definition. |
| We couldn’t find the source data extension. Make sure that the filter definition references the correct data extension and try again. | The source data extension that was originally used in the filter definition no longer exists. | Update the filter definition to use a valid source data extension. |
| We couldn’t find the destination data extension. Make sure that the filter definition references the correct data extension and try again. | The destination data extension that was originally used in the filter definition no longer exists. | Update the filter definition to use a valid destination data extension. |
| We couldn't start the filter activity. A Filter Activity Instance Destination not found for DestinationObjectID [id]. Please correct the issue and try again. | The destination subscriber list or data extension is invalid or has been deleted. | Ensure the destination is a subscriber list or data extension and is active. If the destination is a deleted data extension, restore it from the Contact Builder recycle bin. |
Send Email Activity Errors
| Error Text | Meaning | Suggested Action |
|---|---|---|
| Stopped because the job is in a terminal status. | A send was canceled via Email Tracking or another method before the STO send was completed. | No action needed. This message is a warning. |
Data Extract Activity Errors
| Error Text | Meaning | Suggested Action |
|---|---|---|
| We couldn’t find a source data extension for the extract. Review the data extract configuration, and try again. | The activity is attempting to extract data from a data extension that no longer exists. | Check the activity and enter a correct data extension. |
| Extracts are currently processing. Wait until processing is complete and try again. | We can't process this many data extracts at the same time. | Wait until one or more data extract activities are complete before starting another one. |
| Extracted files exceeded the storage limit. Adjust parameters and try again. | The extracted files exceeded the allowed disk space. | Try running the extract with a smaller data set—reduce the time range or the number of records extracted. |
| Extract took too long to run. Adjust parameters and try again. | The extract took longer to run than the system allows. | Try running the extract with a smaller data set—reduce the time range or the number of records extracted. |
| The system is experiencing an issue. Wait and try again. | A system issue is preventing the extract from completing. | Wait for 30 minutes, and then retry the extract. |
- Automatically Deactivated Automations
When an automation fails repeatedly over an extended time period, the automation is deactivated to improve system stability and performance. When an automation is deactivated, you receive an email notification to the email address entered in the automation’s Notification Settings > Runtime Error or Skipped Run box. An inactive automation can’t run again until it’s fixed and reactivated. This feature is turned on for all accounts and can’t be turned off.