Marketing Cloud Engagement | FAQ: Contact Counts and Management

【Contact Creation Triggers】

Q. What actions trigger the creation of a new Contact?

A. Contacts are primarily added (registered) through the following operations:

• Entry into Journey Builder.

• Imports into Contact Builder.

• Sending Emails or SMS (if the recipient exists in the target Data Extension but is not yet registered as a Contact).

• Synchronization of "Lead," "Contact," or "User" objects from Salesforce CRM to Synchronized Data Extensions (Sync DE) via Marketing Cloud Connect.

• App installation or operations involving setProfileId (e.g., login) in apps using the Mobile SDK.

• Adding (Following) a LINE Official Account linked via GroupConnect.

• Creating a Contact via API.

Q. Can I check which specific trigger added a Contact?

A. There is no direct system feature to view the exact creation source. However, you can infer the source based on the Contact Key format:

• GUID format (36-digit hexadecimal): Likely from MobilePush, GroupConnect (LINE), or CRM User/Contact/Lead records that were re-synchronized during a logical deletion period.

• Salesforce 18-digit ID (e.g., 003...): Contacts or Leads synchronized via Marketing Cloud Connect.

• Other formats (e.g., Member ID): Likely entered via Journey Builder or MobilePush/GroupConnect contacts that were unlinked from another contact.

Q. Are records counted as Contacts even if they are excluded by Journey Builder Entry Filters?

A. Yes, they are counted. A record is registered as a Contact the moment it reaches the Journey's Entry Source, before the Entry Filter is evaluated. Therefore, even if the record does not enter the journey because it does not match the filter criteria, it is still added to the total Contact Count. To prevent unwanted growth in Contact counts (and to reduce processing load), we strongly recommend filtering data before it reaches the Entry Source.

Q. Which Synchronized Data Extensions (Sync DE) automatically add records to Contacts?

A. Records from the Lead, Contact, and User objects. Note: For Person Accounts, they are registered as Contacts based on the underlying Contact object record. If you synchronize these objects from Salesforce CRM via Sync DE, they are automatically registered as Marketing Cloud Contacts.

If your Contact count is increasing unexpectedly due to this, consider configuring Synchronization Filters to sync only necessary records. Alternatively, you can use Email Studio Imports to bring in Salesforce Object reports as standard Data Extensions (which do not auto-register Contacts) or use Data Loader to export from CRM and import into MCE. Unless you review this configuration, deleted contacts will be immediately re-introduced by the sync process, requiring deletion again.

Q. I deleted contacts, but many of them reappeared immediately. Why?

A. This is likely because a mechanism that automatically adds contacts is still active, such as re-synchronization from Sync DEs or recurring Journey entries. You should infer the cause from the Contact Key format (e.g., if it's a Salesforce ID, review Marketing Cloud Connect sync filters; if it's a Member ID, check if active Journeys are re-admitting them) and take appropriate action.

【Billing and Contracts】

Q. Where can I check the official "Billable Contact Count"?

A. Please check the "Contacts Counts" report in Analytics Builder. The official billable number is based on the Total Distinct Contacts Count in this report, not the number displayed on the Contact Builder dashboard.

Q. Can I check my contracted contact limit on the UI?

A. No, the contract limit is not displayed on the UI. Please contact your Account Executive to confirm your contract details.

Q. What happens if I exceed my contracted contact count?

A. The system will not immediately shut down or restrict access. However, since you are in an overage state, you should consult with your Account Executive regarding your contract. Alternatively, it is recommended to delete unnecessary contacts to optimize your usage within the contracted limit.

Q. How should I delete unnecessary contacts?

A. First, consider deleting "Contacts without Channel Addresses." Then, if further reduction is needed, define deletion criteria based on your business requirements. Warning: Contact deletion is irreversible. All data associated with the contact (tracking history, preferences) will be permanently lost. Please decide carefully.

Q. What are "Contacts without Channel Addresses"?

A. These are contacts that do not hold any address information required for sending, such as Email Address, Device ID (MobilePush), or Address ID (GroupConnect: LINE). These are often generated when a contact remains in the system without ever being sent a message after creation.

Q. You mentioned "deletion based on business requirements," but what criteria should I use?

A. There is no specific recommendation from MCE. A common example is defining a rule such as "Contacts with no engagement for X years" based on your company's policy.

Important Note: If a deleted contact is re-added later, even with the same Contact Key, it is treated internally as a new contact. Past send history and engagement data will not be restored. Additionally, for MobilePush channels, recovery is difficult as it often requires the user to re-install the mobile app or re-login to generate a new valid registration. Therefore, please be especially cautious when deleting contacts that have valid channel addresses.

Q. When extracting "Contacts without Channel Addresses," the UI asks for a file name/format. What should I enter?

A. You can enter any arbitrary value. Contrary to what the UI might suggest, the result is not exported as a CSV file. Instead, a Data Extension named "Contacts without Channel Addresses" is created in the root folder of your Data Extensions, and the data is saved there.

【Data Consistency and Integrity】

Q. The count for "All Contacts" does not match "All Subscribers" in Email Studio. Why?

A. They do not match because the scope of aggregation is different.

• All Subscribers: Refers only to contacts registered for the Email channel.

• All Contacts: Includes all contacts on the platform, including Email, Mobile (SMS/Push), and contacts synchronized from Sales/Service Cloud. Therefore, in most cases, "All Contacts" will be larger than "All Subscribers." Please be aware that these are distinct concepts.

Q. Even if I sum up the counts of each channel, it doesn't match the "All Contacts" total. (Frequently Asked)

A. There are several factors:

1. Overlap: If a single Contact (same Contact Key) is registered in both Email and Mobile channels, it counts as 1 in each channel's specific count but is counted as a unique "1" in "All Contacts."

2. No Channel: The existence of "Contacts without Channel Addresses" (which belong to no specific channel) is a major reason for the discrepancy.

Q. The "Total Distinct Contacts Count" in the report does not match the "All Contacts" number in Contact Builder.

A. Discrepancies can occur due to the use of Populations or manual deletions from the "All Subscribers" list. For official billing purposes, always refer to the Total Distinct Contacts Count in the Contacts Counts report.

Q. Can I see a breakdown of contact counts by Business Unit (BU)?

A. Contact counts are managed centrally at the Parent BU (Enterprise ID / EID) level, so it is difficult to see a breakdown of the total count by BU. However, for mobile channels like MobilePush or GroupConnect, contacts are scoped to the BU. You can check the number of mobile contacts subscribed in a specific BU by viewing the "Channels" section within the "All Contacts" tab in Contact Builder while logged into that BU.