2. 1
Salesforce Integration Patterns
A variety of integration patterns currently exist for Salesforce. We’ll examine the
following in this presentation.
• Outbound Messaging
• Salesforce Connect (ODATA)
• Canvas
• REST API Integration (inbound/outbound)
• SOAP API Integration (inbound/outbound)
Let’s take a deeper dive into each.
3. 2
Outbound Messaging
Outbound messaging allows you to specify
that changes to data fields within
Salesforce can automatically propagated to
external systems. A backend queue is used
to manage the outbound calls.
Outbound messaging is part of the
workflow rule functionality in Salesforce.
Workflow rules watch for specific kinds of
field changes and trigger automatic
Salesforce actions, such as sending email
alerts, creating task records, or sending an
outbound message.
4. 3
Pros/Cons of Outbound Messaging
• Simple to setup within Salesforce.
• Can be invoked via workflow rules
and Apex.
• Up to 100 notifications can take
place within a single SOAP message.
This makes it very efficient.
• Guaranteed message delivery for up
to 24 hours (retries for that duration).
• Asynchronous so no client latency.
Advantages
• Receiving service must implement
Salesforces’ outbound messaging
WSDL.
• REST is not an option for outbound
messaging.
• Governor/developer limits exist.
Disadvantages
5. 4
Salesforce Connect
Salesforce Connect provides a gateway to accessing external data via the
OData protocol. The external data is exposed in such a way as resemble
custom object.
● Data is accessed in real-time - doesn’t use copying.
● Gives access to external data with point-and-click simplicity.
● Allows the full range of CRUD operations (create, read, update and delete).
6. 5
What Exactly is OData?.
OData is a REST-based protocol for querying and updating data and is built on
standardized technologies such as HTTP, Atom/XML, and JSON. It is different
from other REST-based web services in that it provides a uniform way to
describe both the data and the data model.
7. 6
Pros/Cons of Salesforce Connect
• If your external data already
supports the OData protocol, setup
within Salesforce couldn’t be
simpler.
• External objects are treated nearly
identically to custom objects.
• Configuration can largely be done in
a point-and-click fashion - no
custom code required.
• External objects can be included in
Advantages
• External data integration limits are
applicable. For example, there’s a
maximum of 50,000 records
retrieved or created an hour.
• Debugging tools are weak.
• Performance is a wild card - caching
and optimization strategies are
largely unknown.
• Salesforce charges an additional
monthly fee for Salesforce Connect.
Disadvantages
8. 7
Salesforce Canvas
Canvas is an iFrame-based
technology that allows you to
embed content from an external
system. However, unlike
conventional iFrames, where you
are restricted from fetching data
from domains other than its host
(i.e., the same origin policy),
Canvas provides a Javascript SDK
that allows you to tightly
integrate the canvas app with
Salesforce callouts.
9. 8
Canvas API & Security
Thanks to the Canvas SDK, developers
can surface IFrame applications that
can fully integrate with the parent
Salesforce application. There are
several available security options for
permitting such calls. They include
OAuth support and signed requests, A
signed request contains a consumer
key, access token, and other contextual
information that is useful for building
tightly-integrated applications.
You can also authenticate the user via
SAML if Salesforce is configured as an
identity provider.
10. 99
Pros/Cons of Salesforce Canvas
• Developers can create applications
using the technology stack most
familiar to them.
• Canvas SDK includes CSS classes
that allow an embedded app to have
a seamless UI experience.
• Configuration within Salesforce
couldn’t be easier - just a few simple
steps.
• No additional licenses costs.
Advantages
• The web application that must be
exposed via Canvas must exist.
• In order to fully leverage Canvas, you
will have to use the Canvas SDK,
which effectively means it can’t be
reused in a stand-alone fashion.
• As with nearly every Salesforce
solution - developer limits are in
place. For example, you are limited
to 5,000 Canvas SDK calls per 24
hour period.
Disadvantages
11. 10
Salesforce REST API
REST API provides a powerful,
convenient, and simple Web services
API for interacting with Force.com.
The REST API provides a standard set
of calls for accessing Salesforce
remotely, and new calls can be
defined using Apex REST
annotations.
In addition to calling Salesforce, REST
can also be used for placing
outbound calls. The Batch API is also
suitable for batch routines.
14. 13
Pros/Cons of Salesforce REST API
• Simple to use with nearly all
platform languages & technologies.
• A Javascript API (“Javascript REST
Toolkit”) enables client web
applications to place direct calls to
Salesforce (i.e., no same origin issue).
• Can support XML or JSON protocols.
• Very comprehensive - a wide range
of Salesforce capabilities are
exposed via the protocol.
Advantages
• As always, Salesforce developer
limits apply. For example,
depending upon your license, you
may not be able to place more than
15k calls a day.
• OAuth is required for accessing
standard REST API calls (but those
you define via Apex can be exposed
without OAuth).
• REST not available for outbound
messaging (requires SOAP).
Disadvantages
15. 14
Salesforce SOAP
Salesforce SOAP was their first true integration API, and it still remains popular today.
Salesforce provides two different types of WSDLs that can be used:
● Partner WSDL is loosely typed and generic to Salesforce org instance. You can
dynamically fetch Salesforce configuration data, such as available custom objects.
● Enterprise WSDL. A strongly typed WSDL that is specific to the organization you are
working with.
Given these chooses the big advantage to the Partner WSDL is that it remains static and
thus immune to changes within Salesforce. However, unlike the Enterprise WSDL, it can
be much tedious to work with.
16. 15
Pros/Cons of Salesforce SOAP API
• Platforms such as .NET and Java can
leverage code-generation tools that
make it fairly straightforward for
generating SOAP requests. SDK’s
exist to further streamline the
process for Java, .NET, PHP and
Ruby.
• Testing the SOAP web services can
be done using free tools such as
SoapUI with IDEs such as Eclipse.
Advantages
• As always, Salesforce developer
limits apply. For example,
depending upon your license, you
may not be able to place more than
15k calls a day.
• SOAP isn’t an option for accessing
the Bulk or Chatter APIs - they are
only exposed as REST calls.
Disadvantages
