Salesforce Integration Interview Questions : [email protected] (Kapil)
by: [email protected] (Kapil)
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### Summary of Salesforce Integration Interview Questions This blog post is designed for individuals preparing for Salesforce Developer, Sr. Developer, or Architect interviews. It offers a comprehensive list of 50 interview questions related to Salesforce integration, along with brief answers. The content emphasizes the importance of understanding the Salesforce ecosystem beyond just memorizing questions. Key topics covered include: 1. **Integration Options**: Salesforce provides various integration methods like SOAP API, REST API, Bulk API, and Streaming API. 2. **Authentication**: OAuth 2.0 is highlighted as a secure way to access Salesforce resources. 3. **Custom APIs**: Developers can create custom APIs using Apex to meet specific business needs. 4. **Event-Driven Architecture**: Concepts like Platform Events and Change Data Capture (CDC) are explained for real-time data handling. 5. **Error Handling and API Limits**: Best practices for managing API limits and handling errors in integrations are discussed. 6. **External Services**: Salesforce can connect with external APIs using the External Services feature, simplifying integration without coding. 7. **Real-Time Integration**: Techniques for achieving real-time integration using various APIs are outlined. The post concludes with a reminder that while these questions are useful for interview preparation, candidates should also conduct thorough study and practice. ### Additional Context Understanding Salesforce integration is crucial for developers and architects as it enables seamless data flow between Salesforce and external systems, enhancing business processes. Familiarity with different APIs and integration patterns can significantly improve an organization's operational efficiency. ### SEO Hashtags #Salesforce #SalesforceIntegration #SalesforceDeveloper #SalesforceInterview #APIs #OAuth #RealTimeIntegration #EventDrivenArchitecture #SalesforceBestPractices #TechInterviews #SoftwareDevelopment #SalesforceAdmin Feel free to share your thoughts or questions in the comments below! Happy coding!
The questions below are based on my knowledge and understanding of the salesforce ecosystem, and feedback collected from a small group of salesforce devs/ admin.
Still before attempting any interview my suggestion would be to have proper knowledge and don't rely only on the interview questions. This is just to give you an idea about the questions/scenarios that you may face in your interview.
Here's a comprehensive list of 50 Salesforce Integration interview questions and answers, covering various aspects of Salesforce platform.
1. What are the key integration options available in Salesforce?
Answer:
Salesforce offers multiple integration options, including:
SOAP API: For robust, transactional data operations.
REST API: Lightweight and suitable for quick integrations.
Bulk API: Optimized for handling large data volumes.
Streaming API: Real-time event-based integrations.
Platform Events and Change Data Capture (CDC): To push updates or capture data changes.
Salesforce Connect: For real-time integration with external systems without storing data in Salesforce.
2. Describe the difference between REST API and SOAP API.
Answer:
REST API: Uses JSON, is lightweight, and designed for simpler and faster integrations.
SOAP API: A protocol-based API using XML, offering more robust error handling, security, and transactional capabilities. SOAP is more suitable for enterprise-grade applications.
3. What are Salesforce Connected Apps?
Answer:
Connected Apps enable external applications to integrate with Salesforce by defining OAuth settings and permissions, allowing secure authentication and authorization to Salesforce data via APIs.
4. How does OAuth 2.0 work in Salesforce?
Answer:
OAuth 2.0 is an authentication protocol that allows users to securely access Salesforce resources without sharing credentials. It includes authorization flows like:
Authorization Code Grant: For web applications.
JWT Bearer Flow: For server-to-server integrations.
User-Agent Flow: For client-side applications.
5. What is the Bulk API, and when would you use it?
Answer:
The Bulk API is optimized for handling large volumes of data, typically used for asynchronous data loading and migration, such as initial data loads or periodic batch data updates.
6. Explain the concept of Composite API.
Answer:
The Composite API allows multiple REST requests in a single API call, which reduces round-trips and enhances performance by chaining operations (such as create, update, and delete) and allowing dependency between them.
7. What is Salesforce Connect, and what are its use cases?
Answer:
Salesforce Connect allows Salesforce to access external data in real time through External Objects, beneficial for scenarios where storing external data within Salesforce isn’t practical. Common use cases include real-time inventory checks or external data views without duplicating data.
8. Describe the Change Data Capture feature.
Answer:
Change Data Capture (CDC) streams data changes (create, update, delete, and undelete events) in near real-time, ideal for syncing data changes from Salesforce with external systems in scenarios like data warehousing or operational dashboards.
9. What is Platform Events, and how is it different from CDC?
Answer:
Platform Events allow for custom event notifications that Salesforce and external systems can subscribe to, enabling real-time communication. Unlike CDC, Platform Events aren’t limited to data changes but can represent any business event.
10. How would you handle authentication when integrating with Salesforce?
Answer:
Handling authentication in Salesforce typically involves:
OAuth 2.0: For secure user or system-level access.
Username-Password Flow: For simpler integrations (though less secure).
JWT Bearer Flow: For server-to-server communications without user interaction.
11. What are Named Credentials?
Answer:
Named Credentials in Salesforce simplify external integrations by managing authentication credentials (like OAuth tokens) and endpoint URLs centrally, reducing the need to manage sensitive information directly in Apex code.
12. Explain the External Services feature in Salesforce.
Answer:
External Services allow Salesforce to invoke API-based services from external systems declaratively by importing an API schema (Swagger or OpenAPI) and creating invocable actions for process automation.
13. Describe the difference between Inbound and Outbound integrations.
Answer:
Inbound Integrations: External systems connect to Salesforce to retrieve or update data.
Outbound Integrations: Salesforce initiates connections to external systems to send or receive data, using methods like callouts, Apex HTTP, or Named Credentials.
14. What are Custom Apex Callouts, and when would you use them?
Answer:
Apex callouts are HTTP requests made from Salesforce to external systems. They are used in scenarios requiring specific business logic or transformations not supported by declarative tools, like calling REST or SOAP APIs from within Salesforce code.
15. How does Platform Cache benefit integration?
Answer:
Platform Cache improves integration performance by storing frequently accessed data temporarily, reducing the need for repeated external API calls, and lowering API usage and latency.
16. What is the purpose of Event-Driven Architectures in Salesforce?
Answer:
Event-Driven Architectures use real-time notifications to enable loosely coupled integrations, such as using Platform Events or CDC, allowing systems to respond to events (like order updates) without tight dependencies.
17. Explain Streaming API and its use cases.
Answer:
The Streaming API enables real-time streaming of Salesforce data changes to external clients using PushTopics or generic streaming, suitable for building live monitoring applications, like a customer service dashboard.
18. What are the best practices for handling API limits in Salesforce integrations?
Answer:
Best practices include:
Bulkify API calls: Consolidate operations to reduce calls.
Monitor usage: Use dashboards or API reports.
Optimize polling intervals: Avoid unnecessary polling.
Leverage Platform Events and CDC: Replace frequent polling with event-driven updates.
19. How does API Versioning impact integrations?
Answer:
Salesforce API versions can introduce new features or deprecate old ones. Updating to the latest stable API version ensures compatibility, access to improvements, and maintaining forward compatibility for future-proof integrations.
20. How would you implement Error Handling in Salesforce integrations?
Answer:
Error handling strategies in integrations include:
Logging errors: Use platform events or logs.
Retry mechanisms: To handle transient errors.
Notifications and Alerts: To notify responsible parties.
Graceful degradation: So the system remains functional in case of errors.
21. Explain the use of HTTP Methods in Salesforce integrations.
Answer:
Common HTTP methods include:
GET: Retrieve data.
POST: Create new resources.
PUT/PATCH: Update resources.
DELETE: Remove resources. These methods allow CRUD operations on external resources via APIs.
22. How do Data Integration Patterns help in designing integrations?
Answer:
Integration patterns (such as data synchronization, data virtualization, process integration) offer reusable templates that solve common integration challenges, improving consistency, performance, and reliability in integration projects.
23. What is the Multi-Org Integration Pattern?
Answer:
The Multi-Org pattern allows data sharing across multiple Salesforce orgs or between Salesforce and other systems, commonly used by large enterprises with regional or department-specific Salesforce instances.
24. Describe the Salesforce Metadata API.
Answer:
The Metadata API allows programmatic access to configuration and customization metadata, supporting deployment automation, version control, and org management, crucial for managing configurations in CI/CD processes.
25. How can Salesforce Connect with OData be used for integrations?
Answer:
Salesforce Connect with OData allows real-time external data access, where OData-compliant external systems expose data that Salesforce Connect can interact with via External Objects, providing data on-demand without storage.
26. How does the Standard REST API work in Salesforce?
Answer:
The Standard REST API in Salesforce allows external systems to interact with Salesforce objects and perform CRUD operations. It uses RESTful principles, is lightweight, and supports JSON and XML formats. It’s ideal for integrations where simplicity and performance are priorities.
27. What is the purpose of the SOAP API in Salesforce, and when would you use it?
Answer:
The SOAP API is a protocol-based API that supports robust integration scenarios, such as complex transactions and workflows. It’s preferred in enterprise environments where strong security, formal structure, and detailed error handling are required.
28. Describe the Apex REST API.
Answer:
The Apex REST API allows developers to create custom RESTful services within Salesforce by exposing Apex classes as REST endpoints. It provides flexibility to implement custom business logic and control over request and response handling.
29. What is the Apex SOAP API, and how is it used?
Answer:
The Apex SOAP API allows developers to expose custom SOAP web services by annotating Apex classes with @WebService. It’s used to create specific SOAP services in scenarios requiring custom logic, especially for integrations with legacy systems that rely on SOAP.
30. What is Salesforce Shield Event Monitoring, and how does it support integrations?
Answer:
Shield Event Monitoring provides visibility into user and system events. It supports integrations by exporting event data through APIs to external SIEM systems for advanced security and operational monitoring, allowing organizations to track activities and monitor for anomalies.
31. How can External Objects be customized in Salesforce?
Answer:
External Objects in Salesforce, created using Salesforce Connect, can be customized by defining fields, adding relationships with internal objects, and setting field-level security. They allow data to be accessed on-demand without storing it within Salesforce.
32. Explain the use of Named Credentials in Salesforce integrations.
Answer:
Named Credentials provide a secure way to store authentication details for external integrations, allowing Salesforce to securely access external systems without embedding sensitive information in Apex code, simplifying API callout management and ensuring security.
33. What is the purpose of High-Volume Platform Events?
Answer:
High-Volume Platform Events allow for the publishing and subscribing of millions of events daily, supporting real-time integration needs for large-scale applications, such as IoT or big data integrations, without impacting core Salesforce processing limits.
34. Describe the Streaming API and its key components.
Answer:
The Streaming API allows real-time streaming of Salesforce data changes. Key components include:
PushTopics: For monitoring object changes based on specific queries.
Generic Streaming: For custom event notifications. It’s ideal for building applications that require real-time data updates, such as stock price monitors.
35. How do you manage API Rate Limits in Salesforce integrations?
Answer:
Managing API rate limits involves:
Batching Requests: Using composite or batch APIs to reduce individual calls.
Efficient Data Retrieval: Using appropriate APIs (Bulk API for large data volumes).
Event-Driven Patterns: Leveraging Platform Events or CDC to reduce polling.
Monitoring and Alerts: Setting up monitoring to track and prevent limit breaches.
36. What is Salesforce External Services, and how is it configured?
Answer:
External Services in Salesforce allows the integration of external REST APIs declaratively by importing a Swagger schema file. Once configured, it generates invocable actions that can be used in Flow or Process Builder to enable API interactions without Apex code.
37. Describe Event Bus in Salesforce.
Answer:
Salesforce Event Bus is a messaging backbone that powers event-driven architecture in Salesforce. It supports the publication, subscription, and handling of events like Platform Events, Change Data Capture, and Streaming Events, facilitating real-time data sharing.
38. What are Inbound Webhooks, and how can they be implemented in Salesforce?
Answer:
Inbound webhooks allow external systems to send data to Salesforce, commonly implemented via custom REST endpoints using the Apex REST API. Webhooks are useful for real-time integrations where Salesforce needs to respond to external triggers, such as payment status updates.
39. What is the Composite Batch API, and why is it useful?
Answer:
The Composite Batch API enables developers to group multiple sub-requests into a single HTTP request. It’s useful for minimizing round-trips to Salesforce, reducing API call usage, and improving performance for complex integrations that require multiple actions.
40. Explain the Change Data Capture (CDC) limits and considerations in Salesforce.
Answer:
CDC in Salesforce has limits on the number of records and events that can be captured in a specific time period. Considerations include:
Event Retention: Events are retained for up to 72 hours.
Volume Planning: High-velocity transactions may impact performance.
Event Filtering: To avoid unnecessary data capture.
41. What are the differences between Platform Events and PushTopics?
Answer:
Platform Events: Support custom events, are published asynchronously, and can be subscribed to by both Salesforce and external systems.
PushTopics: Designed for real-time monitoring of record changes based on specific SOQL queries and are ideal for simpler use cases that require tracking specific field changes.
42. Describe the Metadata API and its role in integration.
Answer:
The Metadata API is used to retrieve, deploy, and manage metadata components in Salesforce, such as object definitions, layout configurations, and workflows. It’s key for DevOps, allowing for automated deployment and continuous integration processes in multi-org environments.
43. What are Custom APIs in Salesforce, and when should you consider creating one?
Answer:
Custom APIs in Salesforce are built using the Apex REST or SOAP API to expose specific services or logic not covered by standard APIs. They’re used in cases requiring tailored processes, such as advanced calculations, logic for third-party systems, or specialized data structures.
44. What is the purpose of the Tooling API?
Answer:
The Tooling API provides access to metadata components typically managed through the Salesforce UI, such as Apex classes, triggers, and Visualforce pages. It’s useful for developer tools, code analysis, and CI/CD pipelines that require fine-grained access to Salesforce’s development features.
45. How would you handle concurrency and locking issues in a Salesforce integration?
Answer:
Handling concurrency and locking involves:
Using the Bulk API: For bulk data operations that handle locks more efficiently.
Retry Mechanisms: Implementing retry logic for integrations that face record lock errors.
Queueing Mechanisms: Using Platform Events or external queuing systems to manage high concurrency.
46. Describe Out-of-the-box Integration Patterns in Salesforce.
Answer:
Out-of-the-box patterns include:
Remote Process Invocation: For calling an external process from Salesforce or vice versa.
Data Synchronization: Ensures data consistency between Salesforce and external systems.
Batch Data Processing: Handles large data volumes efficiently. Each pattern provides reusable solutions to common integration requirements.
47. How do Salesforce Canvas apps work for integration?
Answer:
Salesforce Canvas allows embedding external web applications in Salesforce, using the Canvas SDK for seamless interaction between the app and Salesforce data. It’s ideal for scenarios needing interactive or embedded external applications within the Salesforce UI.
48. What are the main differences between Salesforce REST API and Composite REST API?
Answer:
REST API: Provides basic CRUD operations for Salesforce data.
Composite REST API: Enables batching multiple related requests in a single transaction, with support for dependency ordering. It’s preferred for complex transactions requiring atomic operations.
49. How would you implement a Real-Time Integration with Salesforce?
Answer:
Real-time integration with Salesforce can be achieved using:
Platform Events: For asynchronous event handling.
CDC: For real-time data synchronization.
Streaming API or PushTopics: For monitoring record changes.
Custom Apex Callouts: To handle real-time data fetching from external systems when an event occurs.
50. How do Salesforce Standard APIs differ in terms of functionality and use cases?
Answer:
REST API: Simple CRUD, lightweight, good for mobile/web apps.
SOAP API: Robust, transactional, better for complex enterprise integrations.
Bulk API: Efficient for high-volume data operations.
Metadata API: For deployment and configuration management. Each API is optimized for specific scenarios, balancing performance, ease of use, and the level of transactional control required.
These questions and answers cover a broad range of Salesforce administration topics, making them a great resource for interview preparation!
Note: The purpose of sharing above questions & answers are to give you an idea about how it is going to be during interviews. Please don't rely on it and go with proper preparation.
March 10, 2025 at 12:46PM
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