---
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id: bf67c3761f2288ce7710fb7cf762b328345cc7c44fc729eb7e15c9f498076dbc
title: Marketing Objects in Marketing Cloud Next
collection: admin
version: current
locale: en-us
portal_url: https://docs.salesforce.com/admin/current/en-us/mktg/264-0-0/mktg_data_objects.md
canonical_url: https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=mktg.mktg_data_objects.htm&release=264.0.0&type=5
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content_type: documentation
content_hash: 08a3cda27b08b48afb7e0394b72a8273e00e35e068febd939ed0f05c3714a593
description: A marketing object stores data for your marketing use cases. If you used Marketing Cloud Engagement in the past, think of marketing objects as similar to data extensions. Create a marketing object by importing data from a file.
products:
  - Marketing
release: "264"
---
# Marketing Objects in Marketing Cloud Next

A marketing object stores data for your marketing use cases. If you used Marketing Cloud Engagement in the past, think of marketing objects as similar to data extensions. Create a marketing object by importing data from a file.

[View supported editions](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=mktg.mktg_editions.htm&release=264.0.0&type=5 "Marketing Cloud Next is available in Growth and Advanced editions, and requires Salesforce Enterprise or Unlimited editions. Some features are limited by edition or purchased add-on. All functionality is available in Lightning Experience only.").

Use the data that you store in marketing objects to personalize the messages that you send to your customers. Use Handlebars or AMPscript to read and manipulate data from marketing objects and then add that data to your messages.

## Why Use Marketing Objects?

Marketing objects give you a flexible, high-performance way to store and manage the data you need for personalized marketing campaigns. Instead of maintaining separate data sources or complex integrations, you can use marketing objects to store reference data, product information, and content variations.

With marketing objects, marketers maintain autonomy over their data. A Salesforce or Data 360 admin isn’t required to create and manage marketing objects. Any Marketing Admin or Manager with the appropriate permissions can work with marketing objects.

## Get Started

To get started with marketing objects:

1. Understand [supported data types and resource allocations](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=mktg.mktg_data_objects_allocations.htm&release=264.0.0&type=5 "When you create a marketing object, you can select from three supported data types to match your data requirements. Understanding the available data types and system storage capacity helps you design marketing objects that support your business needs while maintaining system performance.")
2. [Configure marketing objects](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=mktg.mktg_data_objects_configure.htm&release=264.0.0&type=5 "Complete some basic setup steps so that your users can work with marketing objects. Individual users can also configure their accounts so that the Data Management tab appears earlier in the list of Marketing tabs.")
3. [Create and manage marketing objects](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=mktg.mktg_data_objects_manage.htm&release=264.0.0&type=5 "You can create a marketing object by importing data from a CSV file. You can also delete a marketing object that you don’t need.")
4. [Use marketing object data in your messages](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=mktg.mktg_data_objects_use.htm&release=264.0.0&type=5 "To include data from marketing objects in your messages, use AMPscript or Handlebars code. You can include AMPscript and Handlebars in messages that you create by using the visual editor, or messages you create by using the API.")

- **[Marketing Object Data Types and Resource Allocations](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=mktg.mktg_data_objects_allocations.htm&release=264.0.0&type=5)**  
    When you create a marketing object, you can select from three supported data types to match your data requirements. Understanding the available data types and system storage capacity helps you design marketing objects that support your business needs while maintaining system performance.
- **[Configure Marketing Objects](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=mktg.mktg_data_objects_configure.htm&release=264.0.0&type=5)**  
    Complete some basic setup steps so that your users can work with marketing objects. Individual users can also configure their accounts so that the Data Management tab appears earlier in the list of Marketing tabs.
- **[Manage Marketing Objects](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=mktg.mktg_data_objects_manage.htm&release=264.0.0&type=5)**  
    You can create a marketing object by importing data from a CSV file. You can also delete a marketing object that you don’t need.
- **[Use Marketing Object Data in Messages](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=mktg.mktg_data_objects_use.htm&release=264.0.0&type=5)**  
    To include data from marketing objects in your messages, use AMPscript or Handlebars code. You can include AMPscript and Handlebars in messages that you create by using the visual editor, or messages you create by using the API.