--- schema_version: "1" id: 97ae09a403e5b7dea51bcc9616555d71d75e65fa759c85e76be32460b597c0d1 title: "Guide: Set Up Account Engagement+" collection: admin version: current locale: en-us portal_url: https://docs.salesforce.com/admin/current/en-us/mktg/264-0-0/mcae_mc_setup_index.md canonical_url: https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=mktg.mcae_mc_setup_index.htm&release=264.0.0&type=5 source_site: help.salesforce.com content_type: documentation content_hash: 729bc2bc54c930963d497c2ed59d6d87d232a6915b1250b7ce91d6baf9a3bce8 description: Whether you are setting up Marketing Cloud Account Engagement+ for the first time or enhancing your current implementation, it’s important to tackle configuration tasks in a specific order. This guide outlines common, required tasks, but doesn’t include every configuration option. Always review the provided Salesforce Help topics and resources for more information and in-depth steps. products: - Marketing - Marketing Cloud Account Engagement release: "264" --- # Guide: Set Up Account Engagement+ Whether you are setting up Marketing Cloud Account Engagement+ for the first time or enhancing your current implementation, it’s important to tackle configuration tasks in a specific order. This guide outlines common, required tasks, but doesn’t include every configuration option. Always review the provided Salesforce Help topics and resources for more information and in-depth steps. **Two Apps?** When you renew or purchase Account Engagement, you get the Account Engagement app and the next-gen Marketing app in Lightning Experience. In addition to the B2B marketing capabilities you know, the next-gen app offers unified data foundations, expanded messaging channels, and Agentforce productivity tools. Watch on YouTube: [What’s Next for Account Engagement](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tpwbPgJ-bis) ## 1\. Planning and Strategy Gather your team to talk through your implementation needs, strategies, and tactics. This section provides some guidance about the types of considerations to discuss before you begin. Before you start, we recommend identifying stakeholders in these roles. Data Manager Someone who understands and configures identity resolution, data streams, data model, and data graphs. Marketing Admin A marketing lead who knows what marketers need and manages your marketing assets and automations. Salesforce Admin This power user is familiar with the Salesforce Platform, and manages licenses and your CRM objects. Compliance Lead A compliance-minded thinker on your team, who guides decisions regarding how you manage consent across Account Engagement and next-gen email. Discuss how you plan to use these apps together and which to use as your single source of truth for certain functions. As of Winter ’26, we recommend following this scenario: - Salesforce CRM is your source for people details, including prospects, leads, and contacts. - Account Engagement is your source for scoring and grading information. - Data 360 is the aggregation layer that can read both data sources. Through data mapping and building data graphs, you can read available data and act on it. - To help comply with consent regulations, you can match email consent records between the two apps. Next, verify that you have these prerequisites in place. Current customers don't need to reinstall the package and can start at Step 2.
Task Location Learn More

1. Install the package

Install the Account Engagement managed package and grant access to admins only.

For new customers, this task is a prerequisite to all other configuration work. Skip this step if you already use Account Engagement.

Package Heroku site

Don’t use the main AppExchange site.

Help: Install the AppExchange Package for Account Engagement

2. Verify your licenses

Confirm that you have the no-cost Salesforce Foundations add-on, and a Marketing Cloud Next Growth or Advanced edition license.

Your account executive can help you confirm or change your licenses. n/a

3. Protect your data

Turn on the Data Protection and Privacy setting in Salesforce Setup. This setting is a prerequisite for configuring consent tools.

 Salesforce Setup Help: Getting Started with Marketing Cloud Next

4. Prepare for user access

If you haven't already, activate Salesforce User Sync, so that you can apply Salesforce permission sets to Account Engagement users.

In a new org, User Sync isn't fully active. For new customers, transfer user management to Salesforce first, and then create users and add permissions.

Transfer management at Account Engagement Settings | User Management

Assign user permissions at Salesforce Setup | Users | Permission Sets

Help: Transfer User Management to Salesforce

Help: User Permissions in Marketing Cloud Next

Help: Manage User Access

5. Add integration permissions

To move data among Salesforce apps, add the Account Engagement Integration User permission set to the B2BMA Integration User.

 Salesforce Setup | Users | Permission Sets Help: Account Engagement Integration User
![Warning](https://sf-zdocs-cdn-prod.zoominsoftware.com/tdta-mktg-pardot-264-0-0-production-enus/5fef4d4f-9a34-45c6-8cd3-e3200b9eeba8/images/icon_warning.png) Warning **Note**: Marketing Cloud Next relies on Data 360 for data storage, transformation, and activation. Certain settings and decisions that you make during configuration are irreversible or very difficult to change. We recommend that you don’t yet implement multiple business units. However, you can start planning your business units and data partitioning strategy now. ## 2\. Begin Setup for Next-Gen Tools You're ready to set up domain authentication and configure Marketing Cloud Next, so that the foundation for next-gen functionality is available for the connections that you make from Account Engagement later.
Task Location Learn More

1. Enable Marketing Cloud Next

Complete the prerequisites to enable Marketing Cloud Next, including turning on Data 360. Most of these tasks initiate automatically, but you must select the data space to use for marketing.

 Salesforce Setup | Basic Settings Help: Getting Started with Marketing Cloud Next

2. Deploy Marketing data streams

Create and connect necessary objects and fields by deploying a collection of preconfigured data kits.

 Salesforce Setup | Basic Settings Help: Install and Deploy Data Streams

3. Verify fields and mapping

Open the Sales and Service data streams in Data 360, and make sure that source fields are mapped to Lead and Contact DMOs.

 Data 360 | Data Streams Help: Create a Data Stream and Add Fields for Contacts and Leads

4. Authenticate an email sending domain

Next-gen email sending is powered by Unified Messaging, which is different from the current Account Engagement system.

Get details from the Messaging setup section, and work with your IT team to update records with your domain registrar.

 Salesforce Setup | Authenticated Domains Help: Authenticate a Domain for Unified Messaging

5. Verify a tracker domain

To report on the activity that’s related to the links and forms you build, verify a tracker domain in Account Engagement.

 Account Engagement Settings | Domain Management Help: Add a Tracker Domain in Account Engagement

6. Set up Salesforce CMS

Next-gen tools store assets in CMS workspaces, which have separate settings and user roles.

 Marketing app | Content

Help: Add Workspace Contributors to Marketing Cloud Next

Help: Add Site Contributors

7. Review the Email Preference Page

Your org contains a default email preference page, which includes a B2B marketing subscription. You can add or remove subscriptions now or later.

 Marketing app | Consent Help: Manage Preference Pages

8. Create a domain reputation warming plan

After you authenticate a domain in Unified Messaging, establish your email sending reputation by creating a warming plan.

 Your implementation partner or account executive Help: Sending Reputation and IP Warming

9. Enable predictive AI features

To use predictive AI features, such as Send Time Optimization and Metrics Guard, review the policies and turn them on.

 Salesforce Setup Help: Enable AI Features
## 3\. Connect Data 360 Now you’re ready to set up the connections between Account Engagement and Data 360. If your org already uses the v2 Salesforce connector, skip to Step 2.
Task Location Learn More

1. Set up the Salesforce v2 connector in Account Engagement

At first login, this connector is paused. To allow Account Engagement data to sync to Salesforce, verify that your connector user has the Account Engagement Connector User permission set, and unpause the connector.

 Account Engagement Settings | Connectors Help: Configure and Unpause the Salesforce v2 Connector

2. Add the Data Cloud connector

To ingest and organize Account Engagement data in Data 360, add the connector in Salesforce Setup.

 Salesforce Setup | Account Engagement | Data Cloud Connectors | Get Started Help: Configure the Data 360 Connector in Account Engagement

3. Deploy Account Engagement data kits

Create these marketing data streams: email activity, forms, landing pages, and prospects. As you go, match the refresh schedules with your settings on the Marketing Cloud Next data streams.

Data 360 | Data Streams

Help: Ingest Prospect Data

Help: Ingest Asset and Activity Data

4. Map Data 360 objects

Connect Account Engagement data to the Individual object that identifies people in Marketing Cloud Next. From the Contact and Lead data lake objects (DLOs), click Review, and map necessary fields to the Individual data model object (DMO).

Data Streams | Lead

and

Data Streams | Contact

Video: What are DLOs and DMOs?

Video: Custom Fields for Segmentation (jump to 2:25)
## 4\. Resolve and Harmonize Data Salesforce next-gen capabilities are built on Data 360, which supports the ingestion and structuring of data from multiple sources. During this phase, you can decide how to relate objects and prioritize data from different sources.
Task Location Learn More

1. Add Identity Resolution rulesets

Decide how to identify related person data, such as by using exact or fuzzy matching on name, email address, or phone number. Then, generate the recommended ruleset from the Basic Settings page. The identity resolution process automatically resolves most merges.

 Data 360 | Identity Resolutions

Help: Configure Identity Resolution Rulesets for Marketing Cloud Next

2. Create at least one data graph

Data graphs organize and provide data to the next-gen tools that you use to create dynamic and personalized content. Decide how different object data relates to the Individual object, and add those relationships to a data graph.

Data 360 | Data Graphs Help: Set Up Personalization Features in Marketing Cloud Next
## 5\. Consent Alignment When you first start sending messages with Account Engagement+, you can choose between original Account Engagement tools and the next-gen toolset in the Marketing app. The two systems manage consent differently, and must be aligned, which you can turn on as part of your implementation. The B2B Email Consent subscription is a unified container for consent data, which saves the Prospect Email Opted Out status for all subscriptions. Over time, when consent status changes via either app, Data 360 evaluates and stores the newest data. You can monitor progress in Data Explorer, which displays up to 100 records at a time. For greater visibility, an admin can use [Data Cloud Query API](https://developer.salesforce.com/docs/data/data-cloud-query-guide/references/data-cloud-query-api-reference/c360a-api-queryservices-overview.html).
Task Location Learn More

1. Set up consent matching

To connect Account Engagement subscriptions to your default B2B email subscription, select a match option.

If you don't plan to use Account Engagement builders or lists, you can skip this step.

 Account Engagement Settings | Optimizer | Enable Marketing Cloud | Manage Email Consent and Subscriptions

Knowledge: Understanding Consent Differences Between Apps

Help: Automatically Match Overall Consent

2. Make a note of your settings

After you understand how data is shared and stored in each app, document the configuration for future imports and updates.

 n/a

Knowledge: Understanding Consent Differences Between Apps

Help: Understanding Consent Concepts in Marketing Cloud Next

3. Import consent data

To import consent data to Marketing Cloud Next, download the sample CSV file and make sure that timestamps are formatted correctly.

 Marketing app | Consent | Import

Help: Automatically Match Overall Consent

Help: Formatting Marketing Consent Import Files
## 6\. Marketing Settings and Assets At this point, you’re ready to move on to the settings and tasks that support your ongoing marketing efforts, such as web tracking and asset management.
Task Location Learn More

1. Configure web tracking

Create site connectors, and copy the provided next-gen tracking script into the <head> tag of your web pages. To avoid data redundancy, disable or skip enabling web tracking in Account Engagement .

Salesforce Setup | Webpage Embed Codes Help: Configure Web Tracking

2. Copy files to Salesforce CMS

If you have any list emails or images in Account Engagement that you want to use with next-gen tools, use Copy to CMS.

Review the new versions and update any formatting issues that can appear during translation.

 Account Engagement app | Content Help: Prepare Content for Marketing Cloud Next

3. Create forms with next-gen tools

Unfortunately, forms aren’t copied with the other assets and must be rebuilt.

For existing customers, we recommend practicing the new tools by creating one of your priority lead capture forms.

 Marketing app | Content

Help: Create and Manage a Form

Help: Create and Manage a Form

4. Share CMS workspaces

To share Account Engagement assets or content repositories with other parts of your business, configure workspace sharing in Salesforce CMS.

 Marketing app | Content

Help: Prepare Content for Marketing Cloud Next

Help: Organize and Share Content and Workspaces

5. Install analytics dashboards

Review the prerequisites and install Marketing Performance. The default dashboards use the Calculated Insights you configured earlier–allow up to 24 hours for that data to appear.

 Salesforce Setup | Marketing Performance Help: Set Up Marketing Performance
## Appendix: Data Sync Alignment Occasionally, data from Account Engagement, Marketing Cloud Next, and Data 360 can come into conflict and you must make manual updates. **GDPR: Right to be Forgotten** When you delete a prospect in Account Engagement, it isn’t automatically deleted in Marketing Cloud Next or Data 360. After you delete a prospect in Account Engagement, a Data Cloud Architect must delete the individual record and consent data from the Profile Explorer. See [Account Engagement Opted Out Sync Behavior Overview](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=000395298&type=1&language=en_US) in Salesforce Knowledge. **Reacquired or “Ghost” Leads** Remember to manually remove prospect data from Data 360 when needed. When someone whose data is already in your system submits a new lead capture form, Data 360 recognizes their email address and overwrites their consent status to Opted Out. To capture updated consent, include an explicit Opt In checkbox in every lead capture form. See [Understanding Consent Differences](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=005225288&type=1&language=en_US) in Knowledge. **Merge Conflicts** Account Engagement supports merging of multiple prospect records, and those updates are typically caught by the identity resolution tool in Data 360. However, this identity resolution is based on the most recent update–lower priority data can be stored over preferred field values if the lower priority fields were updated more recently. For high-value account merges, we recommend highlighting critical records and manually verifying that the correct data is stored and that any existing consent records aren’t orphaned. See [Configure Identity Resolution Rulesets](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=mktg.mktg_admin_data_identity_resolution.htm&type=5&language=en_US) in Salesforce Help. ## Messaging Setup and Authentication Managing email and tracking in Marketing Cloud Next is different from Account Engagement. Here’s an overview of important email setup and authentication terms and setup recommendations. **Email Sending** Behind the scenes, the two apps use a different email sending pipeline and present a different user experience for configuration. Here’s what to know about setting up an authenticated domain.
In Account Engagement In Marketing Cloud Next

Who: An admin and a web administrator

Where: Account Engagement Settings | Domain Management

What: Add TXT records to DNS configuration.

See Implement DKIM Authentication for Account Engagement Email

Who: An admin and a web administrator

Where: Salesforce Setup | Unified Marketing | Authenticated Domains

What: Delegate a subdomain with your web registrar.

See Set Up and Authenticate a Sending Domain
**Tracker Domains** Account Engagement supports configuring a separate domain for web and email link tracking, which is called a tracker domain. It’s typically a subdomain of your authenticated domain, and relies on a CNAME record. In Marketing Cloud Next, an admin must enable web tracking so that a marketer can create tracked links in the Content tab. See [Create and Manage Tracked Links](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=mktg.mktg_tracking_custom_link_create.htm&type=5&language=en_US).