Forging an Integrated Solution

In this chapter, you will continue learning about Salesforce-specific knowledge areas a CTA must master. Integration architecture is the fifth domain out of seven. You will cover the needed knowledge and then complete a hands-on exercise using a mini hypothetical scenario for each domain.

The enterprise landscape is continuously growing and becoming more complex. There is hardly an enterprise today that would use Salesforce in isolation from other systems. Distributed solutions are the default nowadays because integration today is much simpler than before. Yet, it is still the area that has the most significant impact on an implemented software solution’s success.

Integration is a complex domain but has a limited number of unique use cases. This is somewhat similar to the Identity and Access Management (IAM) concepts you covered in Chapter 4, Core Architectural Concepts: Identity and Access Management, where the concept itself was challenging...

Understanding What You Should Be Able to Do as a Salesforce Integration Architect

Integration architects are usually technically capable professionals with the ability to understand integrated data structures and their impact on the overall solution.

They recommend, design, and develop a suitable enterprise integration landscape that allows multiple systems to interact in a secure, scalable, and performant way.

Integration architects should be able to select and justify the correct integration pattern based on a given scenario. They should be able to create an integration strategy that considers the integrated applications’ trade-offs, limitations, and capabilities. A Salesforce Integration Architect should also be aware of the out-of-the-box capabilities and limitations of the platform.

Note

According to the Salesforce online documentation, a CTA candidate should be able to meet a specific set of objectives, which can be found at the following link: https://packt...

Introducing the Integration Architecture Domain Mini Hypothetical Scenario: Packt Medical Equipment

The following mini scenario describes a challenge with a particular client. The scenario is tuned to focus on challenges related to integration architecture specifically. But as you would expect, there are also requirements related to other domains, such as data and security.

Before you start, make yourself familiar with the six integration patterns mentioned earlier in the Design Your Integration Interface Using the Right Integration Pattern section on using the right integration pattern. In this mini scenario, you will go through practical examples of some of these patterns. This chapter will focus on the logical thinking required to design an integration interface.

You are also advised to go through the scenario once to build an initial picture of the required solution. Then, go through the requirements and try to solve them yourself. Once you are done with your attempt, compare...

Designing the Enterprise Integration Interfaces to Build Your Connected Solution

Give yourself time to quickly skim through the scenario and understand the big picture and develop some initial thoughts about the solution. This is an essential step for every scenario. Our approach is to incrementally solve the scenario. However, you still need to understand the big picture first and build some initial ideas, or you might risk losing a lot of time redesigning your solution.

Understanding the Current Situation

The first paragraph has some general information about PME. You learn from it that PME has some legacy CRM solutions and is looking to consolidate them using Salesforce. Moreover, you get to know that they would like to retain two systems. A legacy ERP system that is accessible only via the corporate intranet and a centralized inventory management system.

Both systems are disconnected from any other system. The scenario did not exactly specify where they are hosted, but...

Summary

In this chapter, you have dived into the details of the Salesforce integration architecture domain. You learned what a CTA is expected to cover and at what level of detail. You discovered the key Salesforce integration patterns and understood their importance and impact on the clarity of the designed solution.

You then tackled a mini hypothetical scenario that focused on integration architecture, and you solutioned it and created some engaging presentation pitches. You learned the structured way of designing an integration interface and encountered some interesting design decisions. You came across multiple examples where you used diagrams to deliver a structured and easy-to-follow solution presentation. You learned how to avoid the negative impact of rushing to conclusions about the integration interfaces.

You also covered other topics in the mini scenario, including migrating users to new identity stores and dealing with partner users, and got a glimpse of a presentation...