Starting Automation Program using SOAP API

Question

I have struggling to get the SOAP API work to start the Automation Program. Below is the call I am using. It is returning OK status but the program doesn't start.

<soap:Envelope xmlns:soap="http://schemas.xmlsoap.org/soap/envelope/"        
xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance"  
xmlns:xsd="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema" 
xmlns:wsa="http://schemas.xmlsoap.org/ws/2004/08/addressing"      
xmlns:wsse="http://docs.oasis-open.org/wss/2004/01/oasis-200401-wsswssecurity-secext-1.0.xsd" xmlns:wsu="http://docs.oasis-open.org/wss/2004/01/oasis-200401-wss-wssecurity-utility-1.0.xsd">
 <soap:Header>
  <wsse:Security soap:mustUnderstand="1">
     <wsse:UsernameToken wsu:Id="SecurityToken-4c1eed3b-75ee-4d19-8712-731028aaad77">
        <wsse:Username>xxx</wsse:Username>
        <wsse:Password Type="http://docs.oasis-open.org/wss/2004/01/oasis-200401-wss-username-token-profile-1.0#PasswordText">xxx</wsse:Password>
     </wsse:UsernameToken>
  </wsse:Security>
</soap:Header>
<soap:Body>
  <PerformRequestMsg xmlns="http://exacttarget.com/wsdl/partnerAPI ">
     <Action>start</Action>
       <Definitions>
 <Definition xmlns:p0="http://exacttarget.com/wsdl/partnerAPI" xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance" xsi:type="p0:Automation">
     <ObjectID>5a77beda-bb60-xxxx-xxxx-f5c370e9f0f5</ObjectID>
  </Definition>
</Definitions>
       </PerformRequestMsg>
    </soap:Body>
</soap:Envelope>

Answer 1

This SOAP request is 100% correct.

I'm guessing that you are not using Perform as the SOAP Action verb in your header. You can include this in the header, e.g.:

curl -XPOST -H "Content-type: text/xml; charset=utf-8" -H "SOAPAction: Perform" -d @request.xml https://webservice.s?.exacttarget.com/Service.asmx

Alternatively, you can omit the Action from the header and include in your SOAP envelope. Refer to example below.

Important: In the SOAP request below, replace .s?. with your instance name. e.g. .s7.

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<s:Envelope xmlns:s="http://www.w3.org/2003/05/soap-envelope" xmlns:a="http://schemas.xmlsoap.org/ws/2004/08/addressing" xmlns:u="http://docs.oasis-open.org/wss/2004/01/oasis-200401-wss-wssecurity-utility-1.0.xsd">
   <s:Header>
      <a:Action s:mustUnderstand="1">Perform</a:Action>
      <a:MessageID>urn:uuid:7e0cca04-57bd-4481-864c-6ea8039d2ea0</a:MessageID>
      <a:ReplyTo>
         <a:Address>http://schemas.xmlsoap.org/ws/2004/08/addressing/role/anonymous</a:Address>
      </a:ReplyTo>
      <a:To s:mustUnderstand="1">https://webservice.s?.exacttarget.com/Service.asmx</a:To>
      <o:Security xmlns:o="http://docs.oasis-open.org/wss/2004/01/oasis-200401-wss-wssecurity-secext-1.0.xsd" s:mustUnderstand="1">
         <o:UsernameToken>
            <o:Username>username</o:Username>
            <o:Password>password</o:Password>
         </o:UsernameToken>
      </o:Security>
   </s:Header>
    <s:Body xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance" xmlns:xsd="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema">
        <PerformRequestMsg xmlns="http://exacttarget.com/wsdl/partnerAPI">
            <Action>start</Action>
            <Definitions>
                <Definition xsi:type="Automation">
                    <ObjectID>29fa9fff-774a-458d-a1f4-c50f99587664</ObjectID>
                </Definition>
            </Definitions>
        </PerformRequestMsg>
    </s:Body>
</s:Envelope>

Answer 2

    Step: 1
To get Object ID

POST: https://mcmt-7nv1q6hv3gxktfpbqxjzrby.soap.marketingcloudapis.com/Service.asmx
Headers :- Content-Type : text/xml; charset=utf-8, SOAPAction : Retrieve

<soapenv:Envelope xmlns:soapenv="http://schemas.xmlsoap.org/soap/envelope/" xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance" xmlns:xsd="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema" xmlns:wsa="http://schemas.xmlsoap.org/ws/2004/08/addressing" xmlns:wsse="http://docs.oasis-open.org/wss/2004/01/oasis-200401-wss-wssecurity-secext-1.0.xsd" xmlns:wsu="http://docs.oasis-open.org/wss/2004/01/oasis-200401-wss-wssecurity-utility-1.0.xsd">
   <soapenv:Header>
      <wsse:Security soapenv:mustUnderstand="1">
         <wsse:UsernameToken>
            <wsse:Username>UserName</wsse:Username>
            <wsse:Password>Password</wsse:Password>
         </wsse:UsernameToken>
      </wsse:Security>
   </soapenv:Header>
  <soapenv:Body>
      <RetrieveRequestMsg xmlns="http://exacttarget.com/wsdl/partnerAPI">
         <RetrieveRequest>
            <ObjectType>Automation</ObjectType>
            <Properties>ProgramID</Properties>
            <Properties>Name</Properties>
            <Filter xsi:type="SimpleFilterPart" xmlns:ns1="http://exacttarget.com/wsdl/partnerAPI">
                <Property>Name</Property>
                <SimpleOperator>equals</SimpleOperator>
                <Value>Automation Name Created in SFMC Org</Value>
            </Filter>
         </RetrieveRequest>
      </RetrieveRequestMsg>
   </soapenv:Body>
</soapenv:Envelope>

You get an ObjectID in response body by saying OverallStatus OK


Step: 2
To start Automation
Note: In backend automation should be active

POST: https://mcmt-7nv1q6hv3gxktfpbqxjzrby.soap.marketingcloudapis.com/Service.asmx
Headers:- Content-Type: text/xml; charset=utf-8, SOAPAction: Perform

<soapenv:Envelope xmlns:soapenv="http://schemas.xmlsoap.org/soap/envelope/" xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance" xmlns:xsd="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema" xmlns:wsa="http://schemas.xmlsoap.org/ws/2004/08/addressing" xmlns:wsse="http://docs.oasis-open.org/wss/2004/01/oasis-200401-wss-wssecurity-secext-1.0.xsd" xmlns:wsu="http://docs.oasis-open.org/wss/2004/01/oasis-200401-wss-wssecurity-utility-1.0.xsd">
   <soapenv:Header>
      <wsse:Security soapenv:mustUnderstand="1">
         <wsse:UsernameToken>
            <wsse:Username>Username</wsse:Username>
            <wsse:Password>Password</wsse:Password>
         </wsse:UsernameToken>
      </wsse:Security>
   </soapenv:Header>
   <soapenv:Body>
      <PerformRequestMsg xmlns="http://exacttarget.com/wsdl/partnerAPI">
         <Action>start</Action>
         <Definitions>
            <Definition xsi:type="Automation">
               <Client>
                  <ID> MID </ID>
               </Client>
               <ObjectID>Insert object id got from Step 1</ObjectID>
               <CustomerKey>Automation Key created in SFMC org</CustomerKey>
            </Definition>
         </Definitions>
      </PerformRequestMsg>
   </soapenv:Body>
</soapenv:Envelope>