Technical Glossary: Integration Patterns

Introduction

Integration patterns are reusable solutions to common integration challenges when connecting Salesforce with external systems and applications. They provide architects and developers with proven approaches for designing integrations that are scalable, maintainable, and aligned with best practices. Understanding integration patterns is crucial for Salesforce administrators to effectively manage integrations across their org.

Key Integration Patterns

The main integration patterns used with Salesforce include:

• Remote Process Invocation - Request and Reply: Salesforce calls an external system and waits for a response before continuing.
• Remote Process Invocation - Fire and Forget: Salesforce calls an external system but does not wait for a response.
• Batch Data Synchronization: Data is synchronized in batches between Salesforce and external systems.
• Remote Call-In: An external system calls into Salesforce to create, read, update or delete data.
• UI Update Based on Data Changes: The Salesforce UI is updated in real-time based on data changes.
• Data Virtualization: Salesforce accesses external data in real-time without copying it.

Intended Purpose

The primary purposes of integration patterns are to:

• Provide proven solutions to common integration scenarios
• Promote best practices and standardization across integrations
• Improve scalability and maintainability of integrations
• Reduce development time and costs
• Facilitate communication between architects, developers and administrators

Use Cases

Some common use cases for Salesforce integration patterns include:

• Syncing customer data between Salesforce and ERP systems
• Integrating Salesforce with external e-commerce platforms
• Connecting Salesforce to marketing automation tools
• Integrating legacy systems with Salesforce
• Building composite applications across multiple systems
• Enabling real-time data access across the enterprise

Org Management Considerations

When implementing integration patterns, Salesforce administrators should consider:

• Data volume and performance impacts
• Security and access controls
• Error handling and monitoring
• Testing and sandbox environments
• Governance and change management processes
• Scalability as data volumes grow

Tools like Metazoa Snapshot can assist with org management tasks related to integrations, such as analyzing metadata dependencies, comparing orgs, and deploying changes across environments.

Best Practices

Some best practices for working with Salesforce integration patterns include:

1. Choose the right pattern: Carefully evaluate requirements to select the most appropriate integration pattern.
2. Use platform features: Leverage native Salesforce capabilities like Apex, Flow, and Platform Events where possible.
3. Implement error handling: Build robust error handling and logging into integrations.
4. Monitor performance: Set up monitoring to track integration performance and data volumes.
5. Follow security best practices: Use secure authentication methods and encrypt sensitive data.
6. Test thoroughly: Conduct comprehensive testing, including edge cases and high data volumes.
7. Document the design: Maintain detailed documentation on integration architecture and configuration.
8. Plan for scale: Design integrations to handle future growth in data volumes and complexity.
9. Use middleware when appropriate: Consider using integration platforms for complex, multi-point integrations.
10. Implement governance: Establish clear processes for managing and updating integrations.

Conclusion

Integration patterns are essential tools fo