POST /contacts/v1/contacts/actions/delete?type=listReference

Deletes contacts based on specified list reference value. This operations runs asynchronously. Use the OperationID value returned to check the status of the delete.

NameTypeDescription
DeleteOperationTypestringRequiredType of delete operation to perform. Specify ContactAndAttributes to delete a contact from the entire account as long as no other channel references that contact. AttributesOnly is reserved for future use.
targetListobjectObject used to identify list. Can include ListType and ListKey objects.
targetList.ListTypeobjectObject including list type information, including listTypeID or ListTypeKey. The only valid value for ListTypeID is 3, indicating a data extension.
targetList.listKeystringAn external key for the list.
deleteListWhenCompletedbooleanIndicates whether to delete list after performing this operation. This option does not apply to lists identified by ID, key, or reference. For objects marked as not deletable, this setting skips the list and issues a warning. The process continues despite the error.
deleteListContentsWhenCompletedbooleanIndicates whether to delete contents of list after performing this operation. This option does not apply to lists identified by ID, key, or reference. For objects marked as not deletable, this setting skips the list and issues a warning. The process continues despite the error.

This request deletes contacts contained within the contact data model or the specified list or data extension. You must identify both the external key and the type of list or data extension. At the Enterprise account level, this call deletes either the contact record and all attributes using the ContactAndAttributes property. When the call occurs in a channel-specific context, the AttributesOnly property specifies deletion of only channel-related information, such as mobile numbers for MobileConnect.

This asynchronous process places the deletion call in a queue for processing. The queue processes only one deletion call at a time, and each process can take several hours to complete.

When deleting from a sendable data extension, the call limits each process to one million rows.

This route deletes contact information from the account, including the Email, MobileConnect, and MobilePush apps. This deletion occurs at the enterprise level.

A successful call suppresses any sends or other activities to the specified contacts for a specified number of days. The contact record still appears in Marketing Cloud Engagement, but you can’t include these suppressed contacts in any activities. After the specified number of days days, the system deletes the contact from all lists and sendable data extensions. You can’t restore any contact information associated with this delete process. Any subscriberID number assigned to the contact can be recycled in the future. For Enterprise accounts, this process deletes all information at the Enterprise level.

To configure suppression number values, use the Configure Settings for Deleting Contacts resource.