Context

The integration with Google Ads in SAP Marketing Cloud and SAP Marketing, originally uses the Google AdWords API. Google has a planned sunset date for the AdWords API of April 27 2022, as announced in the following Google Ads Developer blog:https://ads-developers.googleblog.com/2021/04/upgrade-to-google-ads-api-from-adwords.html. You must migrate from the Google AdWords API to the Google Ads API to keep using the integration after the sunset date. 

Use Case Changes

We also simplified the existing use cases of the Google Ads integration when we adapted to the Google Ads API. The following procedures are affected:

1. Creating Google Ads Campaigns

In previous releases, the Campaigns application provided you with an option to create a Google Ads “Search Network Only” campaign using a predefined template.

Change: You can no longer create Google Ads campaigns from the Campaigns application. If you try to release an existing campaign that would trigger the creation of a Google Ads campaign, an error is raised. 

2. Audience Transfer to Google Ads

In previous releases, you could only transfer an audience to Google Ads by creating a Search Network Only campaign from the Campaigns app.

Change: You can choose a Google Ads Account to transfer your audience to. You no longer need to create a Google Ads campaign for the purpose of an audience transfer. For more information, see Transferring Audiences to Google Ads.

These announcements are available in the What’s New in SAP Marketing Cloud 2202 and in the Updates After Shipment (SAP Marketing) documents.  

Migration Instructions

See SAP Note 3128556 for  detailed instructions about updating the integration package “Google Ads Integration with SAP Marketing Cloud/SAP Marketing”. It’s applicable for both SAP Marketing Cloud and SAP Marketing customers. It’s always recommended to update the integration package to the latest version. 

For SAP Marketing Cloud customers, the backend changes are included in the SAP Marketing Cloud 2202 release. Complete the integration package update as soon as possible, otherwise the compatibility issue between SAP Marketing Cloud and the integration package will block the Google Ads integration from working. 

For SAP Marketing customers, the migration includes both backend changes and the integration package update. Please install SAP Notes 3124439, 3126015, 3147614, and 3157381 for the backend changes. Then follow the instructions in SAP Note  3128556 to complete the integration package update. 

After you have completed the migration, your integration with Google Ads will continue working! 

Frequently  Asked Questions

Q. Will the existing iFlow configuration be overwritten by the integration package update?
A. No. The previous iFlow configuration remains.

Q. What else must be completed after clicking on the “Update Package” button in the integration package?
A. The update of the integration package doesn’t guarantee that the artifacts will be re-deployed at the same time. Check the version of the artifacts that are currently deployed. For the Google Ads migration, it’s important that the latest version of the following artifacts is deployed, as they contain the migration logic:
– Google Ads API Common
– Create Customer List in Google Ads
– Read Accounts from Google Ads
– Read Campaign Performance Report from Google Ads
– Read Campaigns from Google Ads
The following artifacts are longer used after the migration and can be un-deployed.
– DEPRECATED – Create Campaign in Google AdWords
– DEPRECATED – Assign Customer List to Google Ads Campaign
Note: Please refer to SAP Note 3128556 for the latest information concerning the integration package update, which is relevant to the Google Ads migration. 

Q. Do I need to repeat the step “Set Up the Integration Flows”, outlined in the integration guide?
A. Usually, it’s not required. However, it might be that re-deploying the artifacts interfered with the scheduled execution on Google OAuth token exchange. If you start seeing errors in message monitoring for the iFlow “Refresh OAuth token from Google” after the package update, then the following actions are required:
Un-deploy the following iFlows:
– Refresh OAuth token from Google
– Set scheduler for Google token exchange
Follow the instructions  in “Set Up the Integration Flows”  to reset the Google OAuth tokens. 

In case of issues

Please understand that this blog is for sharing information about the Google Ads migration in SAP Marketing and SAP Marketing Cloud. In case you face any issues, please create an SAP support ticket by using the component CEC-MKT-SEM-PSI.