Salesforce Integration Methods: When and Why?
One common question when choosing a CRM system is, how well does this system integrate with my organization's existing information systems? Equally important are questions about how easy integration is to accomplish, manage, and maintain after implementation. These considerations are crucial when choosing a CRM platform—and in selecting an implementation partner.
In this series of blog posts, we will explore the key components of CRM integrations, focusing on the software itself (Salesforce), any middleware involved, and the target systems.
In this post, we will dive into Salesforce and its built-in capabilities and tools that simplify integration development. Salesforce offers a suite of powerful, out-of-the-box features for administrators and developers alike, designed to support seamless and robust integrations.
Declarative (Clicks not Code) Options
Flow Builder
Since its release in Spring ‘19, replacing Flow Designer, Flow Builder has become an intuitive, declarative tool for building process automations, completing specific actions, and creating simple integrations. Salesforce frequently enhances Flow Builder, making it an excellent choice for admins and developers implementing straightforward integrations or performing large parts of the processing and logic for more complex tasks. For example, the HTTP Callout action lets you make callouts to an external system’s API directly through Flows, without needing code. Combined with elements like Get, Create, and Update Records, and the new Transform element introduced in Winter ‘24, Flow Builder can support fully functional “clicks-not-code” integrations.
Named Credentials and External Credentials
Named Credentials in Salesforce allows users to define reusable authentication configurations (such as username/password, OAuth, or JWT) for external services. External Credentials extends this functionality by handling modern, multi-level authentication and authorization needs and allows for different users to access the same external system with distinct permissions based on their Salesforce roles. Using Named and External Credentials allows admins and developers to set up secure, declarative authentication configurations, eliminating the need to hard-code sensitive credentials in Apex or other integration workflows.
Imperative Options
When requirements grow complex, Salesforce provides developer-oriented tools for achieving integration goals.
Apex
Apex is Salesforce’s proprietary out-of-the-box programming language, offering the ability for developers to create customizable integrations with external systems. Apex provides granular control over how data is processed and when actions are triggered, making it ideal for requirements that exceed the capabilities of declarative options. Apex’s flexibility and deep access to Salesforce’s data and metadata enable developers to create custom logic, handle multi-step processes, and integrate with systems that have unique requirements. Additionally, Apex is designed to run securely within Salesforce’s infrastructure, ensuring data handling aligns with Salesforce’s security model.
MuleSoft
MuleSoft Anypoint Platform, Salesforce's enterprise-grade integration platform, provides extensive capabilities for connecting Salesforce to various on-premises and cloud-based systems. As a robust, standalone integration and API management platform, MuleSoft is especially valuable for complex, high-volume integrations that might otherwise exceed Apex's limits or hit Salesforce governor limits. Furthermore, as a standalone integration platform, Mulesoft is able to integrate Salesforce with external systems that are not exposed via an API by running within an on-premises environment. MuleSoft includes DataWeave, a powerful transformation language that developers can use to filter, map, and manipulate data and convert it between formats such as JSON, XML, and CSV. Additionally, Mulesoft provides a wide library of pre-built connectors for many of the most common systems, including those for Salesforce itself which reduces time and effort for integration development.
Choosing the Right Integration Solution
With the variety of integration tools available in the Salesforce ecosystem, it is essential to select the right one based on your requirements. Although many of the tools mentioned can do the same job, it is important to consider the scope of the integration, what middleware and or target systems you are working with, and the capabilities of the tool you are selecting on the Salesforce side. Making the right choice helps ensure your organization does not overspend on licenses for solutions that exceed your needs, while allowing for easy maintenance and timely implementation of integrations.