Marketing Cloud Automation failed due to system error

The "System Error" appears due to various reasons. The most common reasons are listed below.

• Inserting a null value into a non-nullable field: Verify the source and destination data extensions to ensure that their nullable field configurations are aligned. If a destination data extension field is set to non-nullable while the corresponding source field contains null values, the automation will fail with an error. To prevent this issue, ensure that the field attributes in both the source and destination data extensions are consistently configured.
• Inserting long value: Verify that the field lengths in the source and destination data extensions match, or ensure that the destination field length is not shorter than the corresponding source field. A mismatch in field length may result in data truncation errors and cause the automation to fail.
• SQl comment: If the SQL statement contains comments using ‘--’, replace them with the block comment format /* comment */
• Data type mis-match: The data type mis-match in source and destination data extensions also causes "system error". The best way to avoid this is to ensure the same data type is being set up in both. Some of the data type mis-match examples are as below:
  • Attempting to insert or update a text value into a destination data extension field defined with an integer data type will result in an error.
  • Similarly, inserting or updating a decimal field where the precision and scale do not match between the source and destination can cause the automation to fail. For example, if the source data extension uses Decimal(6,2) and the target uses Decimal(5,2), the value exceeds the allowed precision in the destination.
• Primary Key Violation: Ensure that the query does not return duplicate rows for fields designated as primary keys. Duplicate primary key values will cause the data extension update or insert operation to fail.
• Timeout: The query may fail if it exceeds the 30-minute execution timeout. Ensure that the query is optimized for performance, and if necessary, divide it into multiple smaller queries to prevent timeouts.
• Data extension deleted: Ensure that any data extension referenced in the query, whether as a source or as the destination, exists within the same account where the query is being executed. Missing or inaccessible data extensions will cause the query to fail.

Some additional helpful resource.

Automation Studio Errors

Primary Key Violation Error

If the issue persists, you may need to contact Salesforce Support for further assistance.