Overcome Integration Mistakes With Salesforce Partners : Alok
by: Alok
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In the age of API (application programming interface) and iPaaS (integration platform as a Service), enterprise data can easily be unified. Organizations are using the power of APIs to integrate data from disparate platforms — overcoming silos of decentralized data infrastructure.
Unifying Salesforce instances with day-to-day work apps allow teams to view customers and business operations more closely — opening routes for improvement in the business functioning. But integrating Salesforce with third-party software isn’t necessarily simple.
There are complex integrations for which you need custom API development assistance from the Salesforce Integration Services provider. Salesforce Integration Consultants use the right APIs, integration methods, and iPaaS (integration platform as a service eg: Mulesoft) to carry out diverse integrations.
Despite careful consideration and specialized support for integration, teams make mistakes that can be costly in the long run. To prevent these mistakes, we bring you common mistakes in integration with suggestions on how to avoid them to ensure optimum success.
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Failing to Define Project Scope Well
Not defining the project scope well will create misunderstanding which may result in an outcome that is far off from your expectations. To ensure desired integration output, it is vital to establish your integration goals, data mappings, product owners, stakeholders, and maintenance schedule before proceeding with any work.
In case your integration project is hindered due to project scope confusion, don't be afraid to take a step back and hire Salesforce Application Integration experts. Integration professionals make sure your project scope, security compliance requirements, and stakeholder needs are clearly understood and applied during integration.
Don't forget to check out: APIs and Integration for the Salesforce Platform
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Not Cleaning Legacy Systems
Bad data can cause type mismatch and format inconsistencies which reduce data usability while escalating the cost of its management. Before proceeding on to Salesforce database integration, prefer investing in cleaning up your legacy databases. Onboarding Salesforce Integration Partners can help you clean legacy solutions at minimum cost. Integration experts use standardized processes and tools to segregate and customize and turn it fit to be used — eliminating possible duplicates.
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Preferring Custom Over Connector
Many enterprise programs simplify API creation through point-and-click connectors doing your work with minimum configuration. You can save your time and investment by availing of pre-built connectors available on AppExchange. While these connectors are not advisable for every integration, Salesforce Integration Consultants are more so using these to address their integration needs.
We suggest businesses looking for integration support look at AppExchange solutions before going ahead with custom API development. You should only consider custom API if existing mappings and data calls don’t address specific business needs like privacy concerns or other compliance requirements.
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Improper Data Mapping During Integration
Planning data mapping is a crucial element of your integration process, however, no matter how well you strategize data maps, the few quirks in the Salesforce infrastructure can create unexpected errors during integration. Mapping carefully and changing data types can help you overcome these errors with the Salesforce API.
However, formatting specific data types such as date/time can cause problems, so be sure to remove inconsistencies between external and Salesforce data types. Lastly, if the system you are trying to integrate does not accept Salesforce data types, you may need to use custom code or middleware to change them.
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Underestimating the Importance of Middleware
Remember that not all integrations will need SOAP (Simple object access protocol) API and selective data maps for integration. You will likely need middleware to connect your systems if you have:
- Complex system requirements
- Data that needs major changes before it can be sent to Salesforce
- Data lakes and repositories
- Systems that run asynchronously but need to be integrated
Middleware supports multidirectional solutions by allowing developers to create a one-to-many integration with less difficulty. It can also act as a bridge between integrations thus allowing the master system to run jobs even if the connected system fails due to some reason.
Having Salesforce Integration Consultants onboard help in selecting the right Middleware and accomplishing integrations between disparate systems on middleware. Mulesoft, Jitterbit, Informatica, and Dell Boomi are some of the popular middlewares or iPaaS, each of which has its advantages.
Check out another amazing blog by Alok here: Managed Services: A Better Way to Administer Salesforce Deployments
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Integrating into Production Environment and Skipping QA
If you are preparing for custom integration, it is a good idea to carry it out in a non-production environment. This allows you to call in your account executive to check for full or partial sandbox testing if the scope of your integration requires complete data quality assurance testing. As a Salesforce Integration Services provider, we suggest teams not integrate into the production environment, as any system crash or negative user experience can translate into financial losses/poor system performance for your company.
Bottomline
Salesforce integration is a great way to make enterprise data more accessible and accurate. By emphasizing pre-built connectors, middleware selection, data mapping, legacy cleanup, project scope understanding, and QA best practices, you can prevent major mistakes and ensure hassle-free integration. However, since the integration process is full of unexpected challenges, it would be better to onboard qualified experienced Salesforce Integration Partners, you can not only prevent these mistakes but make changes on the go for fast and effective integration.
The post Overcome Integration Mistakes With Salesforce Partners appeared first on Forcetalks.
May 26, 2022 at 11:47PM
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