EDA: "We can't find the email specified in Preferred Email" error when saving a Contact

You can resolve this error by ensuring that the values in the Preferred Email picklist on Contact exactly match the field labels of the email fields that exist on the Contact object, or by disabling EDA’s email synchronization logic if it is no longer required.

Cause 1: Preferred Email picklist value does not match a Contact email field label

EDA requires the Preferred Email picklist value to exactly match the label of an email field on Contact. If the values do not match, the Contact save fails with the error.

Follow these steps to correct the mismatch:

1. Go to Setup > Object Manager > Contact > Fields & Relationships and review all email fields on Contact. Note the exact Field Label for each field, for example:

   • Email (Email)

   • Alternate Email (hed__AlternateEmail__c)

   • University Email (University_Email__c)

2. Open Setup > Object Manager > Contact > Fields & Relationships > Preferred Email (hed__Preferred_Email__c) and review the available picklist values.

3. Compare each picklist value with the email field labels identified in step 1.
   If a value does not exactly match an existing field label, click Edit next to the picklist value and update it so it is character-for-character identical to the corresponding email field label.
   Case, spacing, and punctuation must match exactly.

4. If Contact record types were recently added, go to:
   Setup > Object Manager > Contact > Record Types > [Record Type] > Picklists

   Click Edit next to Preferred Email and verify that the Selected Values list contains only values that match existing Contact email field labels.

5. Save the changes and retry creating or updating the Contact record.

Cause 2: Custom Apex trigger no longer bypasses EDA after record types were added

Some orgs use custom Apex logic to bypass the EDA handler CON_Preferred_TDTM. After introducing record types, that bypass logic may stop working, causing EDA email synchronization to execute again.

To disable or limit the EDA handler:

1. From the App Launcher, open Trigger Handlers.

2. Locate the handler:

   • Name: CON_Preferred_TDTM

   • Object: Contact

3. To disable EDA email synchronization entirely:

   • Click Edit

   • Deselect the Active checkbox

   • Select the User Managed checkbox so future EDA upgrades do not overwrite the change

   • Click Save

4. To disable the logic only for specific records (recommended when EDA logic should still run for some Contacts):

   • Set Filter Field to a Contact field that identifies the records to bypass, such as RecordTypeId

   • Set Filter Value to the value that should bypass the handler

   • Select User Managed

   • Click Save

5. Retry the original Contact save operation and confirm that CON_Preferred_TDTM no longer fires for the affected records.

Cause 3: Preferred Email is required but blank

If the org requires Preferred Email but the field is blank or populated with an invalid value, the save operation can also fail.

To review this setting:

1. Open:
   Education Cloud Settings > Education Data Architecture > Settings > Contact Information

2. Review the Require Preferred Email setting:

   • If Preferred Email should remain mandatory, ensure all integrations, imports, or data load templates populate the field with a value that exactly matches an existing Contact email field label.

   • If the requirement is not needed, deselect Require Preferred Email and click Save.

Confirm the issue is resolved

After completing the appropriate resolution steps, reproduce the original action by creating or updating the affected Contact record using the previously failing Preferred Email value.

The issue is resolved when the Contact record saves successfully without the following error:

“We can't find the email specified in Preferred Email. Make sure that you're entering the field label of an existing custom email field.”