---
schema_version: "1"
id: c89cf7477daa3bd926d8a11962f8155bdbdb89c0d95816b69d3337e2b7f0b130
title: Dynamic Lists for Enterprise Customers
collection: admin
version: current
locale: en-us
portal_url: https://docs.salesforce.com/admin/current/en-us/mktg/264-0-0/pardot_enterprise_dynamic_list.md
canonical_url: https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=mktg.pardot_enterprise_dynamic_list.htm&release=264.0.0&type=5
source_site: help.salesforce.com
content_type: documentation
content_hash: 4f470b020f65269e02599951e9b44511b1ed3f94fd9fd57bec12eaeba68a6edc
description: Dynamic lists in Account Engagement automatically add or remove prospects based on the criteria that you set up. If you have millions of prospects in your database, use these tips to ensure the best performance.
products:
  - Marketing
  - Marketing Cloud Account Engagement
release: "264"
---
# Dynamic Lists for Enterprise Customers

Dynamic lists in Account Engagement automatically add or remove prospects based on the criteria that you set up. If you have millions of prospects in your database, use these tips to ensure the best performance.

### Required Editions

<table class="slds-table slds-table_bordered slds-max-medium-table_stacked slds-m-bottom_small edition"><colgroup><col></colgroup><tbody><tr class=""><td class="slds-cell-wrap" style="vertical-align:top;">Available in: <span>All Account Engagement Editions</span></td></tr></tbody></table>

When you create a dynamic list, Account Engagement checks each of your prospects to see if they belong on the list. This initial process takes several hours if you have millions of prospects in your database.

Dynamic lists continually check for updated prospects. When a prospect's information changes, the dynamic lists checks if they must be added to or removed from the list. When prospect information changes frequently, it can take several hours for a changed prospect to be added to an existing dynamic list.

![Example](https://sf-zdocs-cdn-prod.zoominsoftware.com/tdta-mktg-pardot-264-0-0-production-enus/5fef4d4f-9a34-45c6-8cd3-e3200b9eeba8/images/icon_example.png)

Example Suppose that you have a dynamic list that contains prospects who have downloaded a white paper. If the prospect Kim downloads a whitepaper, Kim is added to the dynamic list within a few hours.

## System Resources

A dynamic list refreshes constantly, adding prospects who match the criteria and removing prospects who don't. The amount of resources used to keep dynamic lists up to date depends on how often your prospect information changes. It also depends on how many dynamic lists you have. For example, these three activities can cause dynamic lists to be updated.

- Syncing information from Salesforce
- A prospect submitting a form
- Using the Account Engagement API to update prospect information

## Best Practices for Dynamic Lists

A dynamic list continuously updates. To maximize efficiency in your business unit, keep these points in mind.

- Reduce Data Skew—Where possible, reduce the complexity of relationships between objects. To prevent objects with data skew syncing from Salesforce, consider using multiple business units instead of a single generic one.
- Limit the Frequency of API Updates to Prospect Information—If you use the API to update prospect data, consider running the updates one time per day rather than continuously.
- Verify Dynamic List Logic—To avoid needlessly consuming system resources, always check your list rules before you run a preview.
- Consider Building a Dynamic List Overnight—It takes time and resources to look at each prospect and decide whether to add them to your dynamic list. Consider waiting until the end of the day before clicking **Run Rules** and populating your list.
- Only Use Completed Lists—After you click **Run Rules**, we start building your list. If you have millions of prospects in your database, building a list can take several hours. You receive an email when the dynamic list is ready to use. Wait until you receive this email before using the list for the first time.
- Remove or Convert Unnecessary Dynamic Lists—Maintaining a dynamic list uses system resources, so delete dynamic lists that you no longer need or convert them to static. For best performance, we recommend maintaining no more than 1,000 dynamic lists. If you move a deleted dynamic list out of the recycle bin, wait until you receive a confirmation email that the list is restored before sending.

#### See Also

- [Data Skew and Account Engagement](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=mktg.pardot_sf_connector_data_skew.htm&release=264.0.0&type=5 "When a record is associated with too many other records, it’s possible to experience issues from data skew. Data skew can cause many systemic problems, such as slow processing times, syncing issues, and interruptions to activity tracking.")