What You’ll Learn
- What Is Salesforce Integration
- Salesforce Integration Methods
- Various Approaches to Salesforce Integration
- Salesforce Integration Checklist
- REST API in Salesforce Advantage of REST What is SOAP API?
- Advantages of SOAP API
What Is Salesforce Integration?
Salesforce integration involves combining the data and features of Salesforce with another application, creating a cohesive experience for users. This integration enables you to offer your team a seamless blend of functionalities from both platforms, enhancing overall usability.
Users of Salesforce frequently encounter challenges when reconciling data between different platforms and navigating between them for specific tasks. Salesforce integration addresses this issue by offering a centralized platform for their work. For instance, integrating Salesforce with PayPal enables the use of your Salesforce org as a payment gateway. Likewise, incorporating Twilio into Salesforce streamlines communication processes with clients.
Salesforce Integration Methods
The process of integrating Salesforce can be approached through two primary methods – application-based and code-based.
1. Integration with Salesforce through Applications
App-based Salesforce integration involves the use of specialized applications. These applications enable users to seamlessly integrate data between two platforms and create a unified system with minimal effort.
To integrate Salesforce CRM with compatible applications, you’ll require a reliable and efficient integration platform that ensures smooth data transfer between the two applications.
Well-known third-party applications that support effective Salesforce integration include Zapier and Jitterbit, among other options.
2. Code-based Integration with Salesforce
In addition to utilizing dedicated applications, Salesforce integration can be accomplished through programming languages, with Apex being a prominent example. Apex is a proprietary programming language with a syntax resembling Java.
Key advantages of employing code-based Salesforce integration with Apex include:
- Inherent support for the Salesforce Lightning Platform
- Simplicity and ease of understanding in language usage
- Adaptability to various API versions
- The programming language can be hosted on and fully managed by the Lightning Platform.
Various Approaches to Salesforce Integration
Salesforce integration can be implemented across different layers in your CRM platforms, including data, user interface, and business logic.
Integration of Business Logic
Implementing business logic integration involves utilizing Apex Web Services for Inbound and Apex Callouts for Outbound to manage business logic across different applications and execute end-to-end business processes.
User Interface Integration
User interface integration allows users to access different applications from a unified platform, akin to the approach used by Facebook, where multiple application vendors can post content on a single platform.
Data Integration
Data integration utilizes REST or SOAP APIs to enable a centralized application to act as the primary source for a specific business object in your organization. This integration method doesn’t require coding and cannot implement custom logic.
Salesforce Integration Checklist
Before proceeding with Salesforce integration, it’s crucial to follow this checklist to ensure a seamless and effective integration process:
Thorough Planning
Develop a comprehensive implementation plan, including a project timeline and clearly defined objectives. List technical requirements and key goals, and identify the owner and data involved in the integrated application. Understand integration standards and practices during the planning phase.
Understanding Both Applications
Gain a deep understanding of both applications involved in the integration, spending ample time preparing the required data. Ensure both applications share the same data architecture, have enabled APIs, and consider API limits before starting the integration process.
Understanding Processes Involved
Familiarize yourself with the processes that need to be executed using the integrated platform. Identify endpoints in both applications, check for effective connection options, and determine data delivery performance. Use IP White listing for security to limit access to trusted users.
Important Considerations Before Salesforce Integration
- Review API limits for both applications.
- Identify the integration type (real-time or batch).
- Monitor system authentication.
- Create custom APIs for calling third-party APIs for additional data.
- Understand available configuration options.
- Be aware of information not to be transferred between the two platforms.
What Is API In Salesforce?
In Salesforce, API, which stands for “application programming interface,” refers to a collection of commands, functions, protocols, and objects. Programmers leverage APIs to develop software or engage with external systems. APIs furnish developers with standardized commands for executing common operations, eliminating the need to create code entirely from scratch.
Example Of API: Amazon.com released its API so that Web site developers could more easily access Amazon’s product information. Using the Amazon API, a third-party Web site can post direct links to Amazon products with updated prices and an option to “buy now.” Salesforce provides programmatic access to your organization’s information using simple, powerful, and secure application programming interfaces.
Rest API in Salesforce
REST, which stands for “Representational State Transfer,” is leveraged through the Force.com REST API to integrate with Force.com applications using straightforward HTTP methods. This API supports data exchange in XML or JSON formats, making it particularly well-suited for the development of mobile applications or external clients.
REST APIs shine when you need to expose a public API on the internet to handle Create, Read, Update, and Delete (CRUD) operations on data. The core focus of REST lies in accessing named resources through a consistently unified interface. In essence, the REST API for Force.com provides a robust, user-friendly, and uncomplicated web services API for seamless interaction with the Force.com platform.
Advantages of REST API
- REST web services operate in a stateless manner, allowing you to verify this condition by restarting the server and ensuring interactions persist.
- Integration with existing websites is straightforward with REST services, which are exposed with XML, facilitating easy consumption by HTML pages.
- REST is particularly beneficial for devices with restricted profiles, such as mobile devices, as it incurs less overhead with additional parameters like headers.
- REST boasts superior performance and scalability, with the ability to cache REST reads.
- Implementation of REST is simpler compared to SOAP, making it a more straightforward choice.
- Efficiency is a key advantage, as REST can use smaller message formats, contrasting with SOAP, which employs XML for all messages.
SOAP API in Salesforce
SOAP, which stands for Simple Object Access Protocol, is the foundation of the Force.com SOAP API (formerly referred to as the Force.com Web Services API). This API enables the integration of Force.com applications, allowing for the creation, retrieval, updating, or deletion of records managed by Salesforce, Force.com, and Database.com. These records can include entities such as accounts, leads, and custom objects.
SOAP introduces its own protocol and is designed to unveil segments of application logic, not just data, as services.
SOAP is structured around the exposure of operations. It is specifically geared towards accessing named operations, each of which implements distinct business logic through various interfaces.
Advantages of SOAP API
- SOAP API offers support for multiple protocols and technologies, encompassing WSDL, XSDs, and WS-Addressing.
- The Web Services Description Language (WSDL) plays a pivotal role in SOAP, providing a standardized framework for defining messages, bindings, and operations.
Conclusion
Integrating Salesforce empowers developers to augment the capabilities of the platform, enabling users to save time and streamline their efforts when utilizing tools across various platforms. When considering Salesforce integration, seeking the guidance of integration experts is always recommended to ensure optimal results.
