Top Salesforce Integration Interview Questions for 2024

Salesforce Integration Interview Questions and Answers to help you prepare for your next Salesforce Interview.

Q1. What is an Integration Pattern?

Integration Pattern is a standardized method for Integrating systems. It identifies how systems (including their components and services) interact as part of an Integration Solution Design. Integration Pattern describes a proven way to evaluate and solve Integration problems without reinventing the wheel.

Four types of Integration Patterns:

• Point to Point Integration – Multiple systems connected directly with each other.
• Hub & Spoke Integration – Systems are integrated to a central Hub.
• API Gateway Integration – Serves as a single point of entry for specific apps that want to access a given API.
• Event-Driven Architecture Integration – Publish and Subscribe model supports asynchronous integration.

Q2. What are the common Integration Initiatives for the Salesforce Platform?

• Application Integration – Integrate features and functionality across systems
• Data Integration – Data integrations and synchronization between two or more systems
• Process Integration – Extend Business Process and Service Across Systems

Q3. What are the common Salesforce Platform Integration Design Patterns?

• Remote Process Invocation – Request and Reply: Salesforce invokes a process on a remote system and the system then waits for a reply
• Remote Process Invocation – Fire and Forget: Salesforce invokes a process in a remote system but doesn’t wait for completion of the process
• Batch Data Synchronization – When data is updated in an external system or on the Salesforce Lightning Platform, the updates are reflected in either system. Updates are applied in a batch manner
• Remote Call-In – A remote system creates, retrieves, updates, or deletes data stored in Lightning Platform
• Data Virtualization – Salesforce accesses external data in real time
• High-Frequency Data Replication – A source system asynchronously replicates data to a target system in near–real time at high scale
• Publish/Subscribe – Salesforce publishes an event (such as a record created, changed, deleted, and so on) with no knowledge of who may be on the receiving end. Any number of subscribers listen for these events and process them accordingly

Q4. What is a Connected App?

A connected app is a framework that enables an external application to integrate with Salesforce using APIs and standard protocols, such as Security Assertion Markup Language (SAML), OAuth, and OpenID Connect. Connected apps use these protocols to authorize, authenticate, and provide single sign-on (SSO) for external apps.

Q5. What are the common OAuth 2.0 Authorization Flows for Connected Apps?

• Web App Integration (OAuth 2.0 Web Server Flow)
• Mobile App Integration (OAuth 2.0 User-Agent Flow)
• Server-to-Server Integration (OAuth 2.0 JWT Bearer Flow)
• IoT Integration (OAuth 2.0 Device Flow)
• Refresh Token Flow
• Username-Password Flow
• SAML Bearer Assertion Flow
• SAML Assertion Flow

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Q6. What is Change Data Capture?

Change Data Capture is a streaming product that enables you to integrate your Salesforce data with external systems. With Change Data Capture, you can receive changes of Salesforce records in real time and synchronize corresponding records in an external data store. Change Data Capture publishes events for changes in Salesforce records corresponding to create, update, delete, and undelete operations.

Q7. What is Analytics API?

The Analytics REST API is based on the Chatter REST API. It is used to programmatically access Analytics features such as datasets, dashboards and lenses.

Q8. What is Metadata API?

Metadata API is used to retrieve, deploy, create, update or delete customization information, such as custom object definitions and page layouts in Salesforce Org.  Applications built using Metadata API can be used to move Metadata between orgs or local repositories. You can access Metadata PI using Ant Migration Tool or Salesforce Extensions for Visual Studio Code.

Q9. What is the Tooling API?

Tooling API is used to build custom development tools or apps for Salesforce Platform. It allows you to retrieve smaller pieces of Metadata making it a good fit for developing interactive  applications.

Q10. What is the User Interface API?

User Interface API can be used to build Salesforce UI for native mobile apps & custom web apps. User interfaces built using User Interface API let users work with records, list views, actions, favorites and more. Once a request is received behind the scenes Salesforce checks field-level security settings, sharing settings, and permissions .Makes SOQL queries to get record data. Gets object metadata, theme and layout information.

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Salesforce Integration Interview Questions

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Q11. What is Salesforce Connect?

Salesforce Connect provides seamless integration of data across system boundaries by letting users view, search, and modify data that’s stored outside Salesforce org. For example, data that’s stored on premises in an enterprise resource planning (ERP) system. Instead of copying the data into Salesforce org, you can use external objects to access the data in real time via web service callouts.

Salesforce Connect maps Salesforce External Objects to data tables in external systems. Instead of copying the data into org, Salesforce Connect accesses the data on demand and in real time. The data is never stale, and we access only what you need. It is recommend to use Salesforce Connect when:

• You have a large amount of data that you don’t want to copy into your Salesforce org
• You need small amounts of data at any one time
• You want real-time access to the latest data

Salesforce Connect uses a protocol-specific adapter to connect to an external system and access its data. When you define an external data source in your organization, you specify the adapter in the Type field. There are three types Adapters available for Salesforce Connect:

1. Cross Org – Uses the Lightning Platform REST API to access data that’s stored in other Salesforce orgs
2. OData 2.0/OData 4.0 – Uses Open Data Protocol to access data that’s stored outside Salesforce. The external data must be exposed via OData producers
3. Custom Adapter Created via Apex – You use the Apex Connector Framework to develop your own custom adapter when the other available adapters aren’t suitable for your needs

Q12. What are External Objects?

External objects are similar to custom objects, but they map to data stored outside of the Salesforce org. To connect with the data of the external system, each external object relies on an external data source definition. On the external system, each external object definition corresponds to a data table. Each field on the external object corresponds to a table column on the external system.

 Following relationships are available for external objects:

1. Lookup Relationship – A lookup relationship field links a child standard, custom, or external object to a parent standard or custom object
2. External Lookup Relationship – An external lookup relationship links a child standard, custom, or external object to a parent external object
3. Indirect Lookup Relationship – An indirect lookup relationship links a child external object to a parent standard or custom object

Q13. When will you prefer Import Wizard over Data Loader?

Use the import wizards when:

• You are loading less than 50,000 records.
• The object you need to import is supported by import wizards. To see what import wizards are available and thus what objects they support, from Setup, enter Data Management in the Quick Find box, then select Data Management.
• You want to prevent duplicates by uploading records according to account name and site, contact email address, or lead email address.

Q14. When will you prefer Data Loader over Import Wizard?

Use Data Loader when:

• You need to load 50,000 to 5,000,000 records. Data Loader is supported for loads of up to 5 million records. If you need to load more than 5 million records it is recommended to use third party ETL tools.
• You need to load into an object that is not yet supported by the import wizards.
• You want to schedule regular data loads, such as nightly imports.
• You want to export your data for backup purposes.

Q15. What is different when using Data Loader with ‘Use Bulk API’ option enabled?

Enabling the Bulk API in Data Loader allows you to load or delete a large number of records faster than using the default SOAP-based API. Some of the key differences when ‘Use Bulk API’ option in Data Loader is selected are:

• It allows you to execute a hard delete if you have the permission and license
• Insert null values is not available
• Allow field truncation is not available
• You can also select the ‘Enable serial mode for Bulk API‘ option. Processing in parallel can cause database contention. When contention is severe, the load can fail. Serial mode processes batches one at a time, however it can increase the processing time for a load.

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Salesforce Integration Interview Questions and Answers

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Q16. What are Named Credentials?

A named credential specifies the URL of a callout endpoint and its required authentication parameters in one definition. To simplify the setup of authenticated callouts, specify a named credential as the callout endpoint. If you instead specify a URL as the callout endpoint, you must register that URL in your org’s remote site settings and handle the authentication yourself. For example, for an Apex callout, your code handles authentication, which can be less secure and especially complicated for OAuth implementations.

Named credentials are supported in these types of callout definitions:

• Apex callouts
• External data sources of these types:
  • Salesforce Connect: OData 2.0
  • Salesforce Connect: OData 4.0
  • Salesforce Connect: Custom (developed with the Apex Connector Framework)
• External Services

Q17. What are REST API Composite Resources?

REST API Composite Resources can be used to improve application’s performance by minimizing the number of round-trips between the client and server.

Composite Resources List:

• Composite – Executes a series of REST API requests in a single call. You can use the output of one request as the input to a subsequent request. The response bodies and HTTP statuses of the requests are returned in a single response body. The entire series of requests counts as a single call toward your API limits.
• Composite Graphs – Composite graphs provide an enhanced way to perform composite requests, which execute a series of REST API requests in a single call.
• Batch – Executes up to 25 subrequests in a single request. The response bodies and HTTP statuses of the subrequests in the batch are returned in a single response body. Each subrequest counts against rate limits.
• sObject Tree – Creates one or more sObject trees with root records of the specified type. An sObject tree is a collection of nested, parent-child records with a single root record.
• sObject Collections – Executes actions on multiple records in one request. Use sObject Collections to reduce the number of round-trips between the client and server. The response bodies and HTTP statuses of the requests are returned in a single response body. The entire request counts as a single call toward your API limits. This resource is available in API version 42.0 and later.

Q18. What is the Composite REST API?

Composite REST API call executes a series of REST API requests in a single call. You can use the output of one request as the input to a subsequent request. The response bodies and HTTP statuses of the requests are returned in a single response body. The entire series of requests counts as a single call toward your API limits.

The requests in a composite call are called subrequests. All subrequests are executed in the context of the same user. In a subrequest’s body, you specify a reference ID that maps to the subrequest’s response. You can then refer to the ID in the url or body fields of later subrequests by using a JavaScript-like reference notation.

You can have up to 25 subrequests in a single call. Up to 5 of these subrequests can be sObject Collections or query operations, including Query and QueryAll requests.

Q19. What is the Composite sObject Tree API ?

A Composite sObject Tree API call creates one or more sObject trees with root records of the specified type. An sObject tree is a collection of nested, parent-child records with a single root record.

In the request data, you supply the record hierarchies, required and optional field values, each record’s type, and a reference ID for each record. Upon success, the response contains the IDs of the created records. If an error occurs while creating a record, the entire request fails. In this case, the response contains only the reference ID of the record that caused the error and the error information. The response bodies and HTTP statuses of the requests are returned in a single response body. The entire request counts as a single call toward your API limits.The request can contain the following:

• Up to a total of 200 records across all trees
• Up to five records of different types
• sObject trees up to five levels deep

Q20. What is a SSL Certificate?

SSL is an acronym for Secure Sockets Layer, an encryption technology. SSL creates an encrypted connection between your web server and your visitors’ web browser allowing for private information to be transmitted without the problems of eavesdropping, data tampering, or message forgery.

Millions of online businesses use SSL protocol and certificates to secure their websites and allow their customers to place trust in them. In order to use the SSL protocol, a web server requires the use of an SSL certificate. SSL certificates are provided by known Certificate Authorities (CAs). Your customers won’t trust your web site without an SSL certificate.

If you are transmitting sensitive information on a web site, such as credit card numbers or personal information, you need to secure it with SSL encryption.

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Salesforce Integration Interview Questions and Answers

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Q21. What are the benefits of API-led connectivity?

A methodical way to connect applications, data, and devices through reusable and purposeful APIs instead of point-to-point integration. Some of the key benefits of API-led connectivity are:

• Clear contracts between systems
• Reusability
• Discoverability
• Visibility and security
• Availability and resiliency

Q22. Explain Multi-Org Architecture Models.

1. Hub and Spoke Model

One Org is considered the “hub” that orchestrates data across all the other orgs, or “spokes.” The data between the hub and spoke may be uni-directional or bi-directional based on org requirements.

2. PubSub / ESB (Enterprise Service Bus) Model

The PubSub (publisher / subscriber) model is where data is sent between orgs based on people, process, or automation-driven events. This model is similar to the hub and spoke model, but it is less of a direct connection and more of an event-driven model.  Data is transmitted as necessary.

3. Point to Point Model

There is no centralized org in this model, but all of the orgs are chain-linked together through various connections among one another. These connections may also be ad-hoc and accommodate the needs of the individual orgs without forcing them to work within a centralized, unified process.

Q23. What is Streaming API?

Streaming API is a subscription mechanism based on CometD, which enables real-time streaming of event messages. CometD enables the server to push data to the client when the data is available and while the client maintains a connection to the server. The Streaming API subscription mechanism supports following types of events:

• Generic Streaming Events – Generic Streaming events enable you to publish event messages with an arbitrary string value that the client receives.
• PushTopic Events – PushTopic events are tied to Salesforce data. They enable you to stream Salesforce record changes to clients based on criteria you define in a SOQL query in a PushTopic record. The event messages include only the fields that you specify in the SOQL query. Record operations tracked include record creation, update, delete, and undelete.
• Platform Events—Platform Events is the new version of Generic Streaming. With custom platform events, you can publish and subscribe to custom notifications. You can define the schema of the event data by creating platform event objects and fields. Also, you can subscribe to standard platform events that are defined and published by Salesforce to monitor user- and security-related activity in Salesforce and other things.
• Change Data Capture—Change Data Capture is the new version of PushTopic events. With Change Data Capture, you get changes of records of all supported changed fields. Record operations tracked include record creation, update, delete, and undelete. There is no need to specify a SOQL query. Each event message contains header fields with information about the change.

Q24. What is WSDL (Web Service Description Language)?

Web Services Description Language (WSDL) is a standard specification for describing networked, XML-based services. It provides a simple way for service providers to describe the basic format of requests to their systems regardless of the underlying run-time implementation. WSDL documents allow developers to expose their applications as network-accessible services on the Internet. You can access Salesforce WSDL files via  Setup -> Integrations -> API. Salesforce provides following WSDL files:

• Enterprise WSDL
• Partner WSDL

The table below highlights the differences between the two types of WSDLs:

Enterprise WSDL	Partner WSDL
Is strongly typed	Is loosely typed
Is tied (bound) to a specific configuration of Salesforce	Can be used to reflect against/interrogate any configuration of Salesforce
Changes if modifications (e.g custom fields or custom objects) are made to an organization’s Salesforce configuration	Is static, and hence does not change if modifications are made to an organization’s Salesforce configuration.
Is intended primarily for Customers	Is intended primarily for Salesforce Partners

Q25. What is Asynchronous Apex?

Asynchronous Apex is used to run processes in a separate thread, at a later time. It is used for callouts to external systems, operations that require higher governor limits, and code that needs to run at a scheduled time. Asynchronous Apex can be used in following ways:

• Batch Apex – Run large jobs that would exceed normal processing limits. Example: De-duplication of records
• Future Methods – Run in their own thread, and do not start until resources are available. Example: Web Service Callout from an Apex Trigger
• Queueable Apex – Similar to future methods, but provide additional job chaining and allow more complex data types to be used. Example: Performing sequential processing operations with external Web services
• Scheduled Apex – Schedule Apex to run at a specified time. Example: Daily or weekly tasks

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Salesforce Integration Interview Questions

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Q26. Explain External Services.

External Services can be used to connect your Salesforce org to an external API without using any code. You can use declarative tools and OpenAPI specifications to describe the external API functionality, and External Services creates invocable actions within Salesforce. These invocable actions can be used in a flow that interacts with the external API source.

Q27. List some of the Salesforce Connectors.

Some of the commonly used connectors are:

• Salesforce Connect –  Provides seamless integration of data across system boundaries by letting your users view, search, and modify data that’s stored outside your Salesforce org. For example, perhaps you have data that’s stored on premises in an enterprise resource planning (ERP) system. Instead of copying the data into your org, you can use external objects to access the data in real time via web service callouts.
• Marketing Cloud Connect – Connects Marketing Cloud with Sales or Service Cloud to help you combine the digital marketing capabilities of Marketing Cloud with the data management, segmentation, and campaign management tools in Salesforce. 
• Heroku Connect – Build Heroku apps that share data with your Salesforce deployment. Using bi-directional synchronization between Salesforce and Heroku Postgres, Heroku Connect unifies the data in your Postgres database with the contacts, accounts and other custom objects in the Salesforce database.

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