Integration-Architect Questions and Answers

 A trigger is a programmatic way of executingsome logic when a record is inserted, updated, deleted, or undeleted in Salesforce. A trigger can invoke an Apex class that contains the code to perform aREST callout to an external system. A REST callout is a way of sending an HTTP request to a service endpoint and receiving a response. A REST callout can be synchronous or asynchronous, depending on whether the Apex code waits for the response before continuing the execution. A synchronous callout is suitable for scenarios where the response is needed immediately, such as order fulfillment1.

An Apex proxy class is a class that is generated from a WSDL (Web Service Description Language) document of an external SOAP web service. An Apex proxy class can be used to make a SOAP callout to the external web service, but not a REST callout. A SOAP calloutis another way of sending an HTTP request to a service endpoint and receiving a response, but it uses a different format and protocol than REST2.

Process Builder is a declarative tool that allows you to automate business processes by defining criteria and actions. Process Builder can invoke an Apex class that implements the Process.Plugin interface, which allows you to extend the functionality of Process Builder with custom logic. However, Process Builder does not support synchronous callouts, because it runs in the background and does not wait for the response from the external system. Process Builder only supports asynchronous callouts, which are executed after the transaction is committed3.

Batch Apex is a way of processing large volumes of data asynchronously by breaking them into smaller batches of records. Batch Apex can be used to perform complex or long-running operations on data, such as data cleansing, archiving, or integration. Batch Apex can make callouts to external systems by implementing the Database.AllowsCallouts interface in the batch class. However, Batch Apex is not suitable for scenarios wherethe callout needs to be synchronous, because it runs in the background and does not wait for the response from the external system. Batch Apex also has some limitations, such as the maximum number of batches in the queue, the maximum number of records per batch, and the maximum number of callouts per batch4.

A Lightning Component is a reusable unit of user interface that can be used to build modern web apps with Salesforce. A Lightning Component can make a callout to an external system by using JavaScript code or by invoking an Apex controller class that contains the logic for the callout. A Lightning Component can make a synchronous or asynchronous callout, depending on whether the JavaScript code or Apex code waits for the response before continuing the execution. However, a Lightning Component is not a good choice for scenarios where the callout needs to be triggered by arecord change, such as when an opportunity is closed/won. A Lightning Component requires user interaction, such asclicking a button or loading a page, to initiate the callout5.

Therefore, the correct answer is A, because writing a trigger that invokes an Apex class to make a REST callout to the Order Management System is the only option that satisfies the requirements of making a synchronous callout when an opportunity is closed/won.

Change Data Capture is a feature that enables you to receive near-real-time changes of Salesforce records, including create, update, delete, and undelete operations. Change Data Capture retainschange events in the event bus for up to three days, so you can resume data replication from the point of failure. Change Data Capture also provides a consistent and reliable way to synchronize data changes with external systems, without the need for custom triggers or code. Reference: Salesforce Integration Architecture Designer Resource Guide, page 24

Named Credentials and Protected Custom Settings are two persistence mechanisms that can be used to ensure that secrets are protected from deliberate or inadvertent exposure. Named Credentials allow you to specify the URL of a callout endpoint and its required authentication parameters in one definition. Salesforce manages all the authentication for Apex callouts that specify a namedcredential as the callout endpoint, and you don’t have to add more authentication logic in your Apex code. Named Credentials can be defined to provide a secure and convenient way of settingup authenticated callouts, and they can also be usedin Lightning components, Visualforce pages, and flows1.

Protected Custom Settings are a type of custom settings that store application-specific data that is hidden from subscribers. They are only accessible by the managed package that created them, and they canbe used to store secrets such as encryption keys, passwords, or tokens. Protected Custom Settings can be accessed by Apex code, formulas, or validation rules within the same namespace as the settings2.

Encrypted Custom Fields are not a suitable mechanism for storing secrets, because they are not designed to prevent unauthorized access to sensitive data. Encrypted Custom Fields allow you to encrypt text fields using a standard encryption scheme. The encrypteddata is masked in reports, list views, and search results, but it can still be viewed by users who have the “View Encrypted Data” permission. Encrypted Custom Fields are intended to protect data from unauthorized access by users within your organization, not from external threats or malicious code3.

Protected Custom Metadata Types are another type of custom metadata types that store application-specific data that is hidden from subscribers. They are similar to Protected Custom Settings, but they have some advantages such as being deployable using change sets or Metadata API, being accessible by SOQL queries, and being able to reference other metadata types or settings. However, Protected Custom Metadata Types cannot be used to store secrets, because they do not support encryption or masking of sensitive data. Protected Custom Metadata Types are intended to store configuration datathat is specific to your managed package, not secrets that need to be secured.

Therefore, the correct answer is B and D, because Named Credentials and Protected Custom Settings are the only persistence mechanisms that can be used to securely store secretsin Salesforce.

Using a Connected App for each external system integration is a good solution because it can provide security, auditing, and monitoring features for each integration. A Connected App is an application that can connect to Salesforce using APIs and OAuth as an authentication protocol. A Connected App can also enforce policies such as IP restrictions, login hours, and session timeout for each integration. Using a shared integration user for the three external system integrations is not a good solution because it violates the principle of least privilege, as well as makes it difficult to audit the activities of each system. Using a shared Connected App for the three external system integrationsis also not a good solution because it does not allow for granular control and visibility of each integration. Using a unique integration user for each external system integration is not enough to meet the security and auditing requirements, as it does not provide any mechanism for authentication, authorization, or encryption. Reference: Salesforce Integration Architecture Designer Resource Guide, page 20-21

 Make a callout to the payment gateway through ESB supporting error handling and logging for audit purposes. This solution meets the requirements of integrating with an external RESTful service, ensuring real-time updates to the CSR, and supporting post payment processes. ESB stands for Enterprise Service Bus, which is a software architecture model that allows communication between different applications via a common bus. ESB can handle the callout to the payment gateway service, and provide error handling, logging, routing, transformation,and orchestration capabilities. ESB can also integrate with other systems or services that are involved in the post payment processes, such as billing, invoicing, or reporting. References: Certification - Integration Architect - Trailhead, [Enterprise Integration Patterns]

This is because SSL/TLS mutual authentication is a security featurethat allows Salesforce to verify the identity of the client that connects to its API endpoint on port 8443. To enable this feature, you need to upload a client certificate to Salesforce and assign the “Enforce SSL/TLS Mutual Authentication” user permission to the users who need to access the company portal. The other options are not sufficient for this scenario because:

A, Enable My Domain and SSL/TLS, is a prerequisite for using SSL/TLS mutual authentication, but it does not ensure that all integrations use it. My Domain allows you to customize your Salesforce domain name and SSL/TLS provides encryption for your data in transit.

C, Generate a Self-signed Certificate, is a step that you need to do on the client side to create a certificate that can be usedfor SSL/TLS mutual authentication, but it does not ensure that allintegrations use it. You also need to upload the certificate to Salesforce and assign the user permission.

D, Generate a CA-signed Certificate, is an alternative to generating a self-signedcertificate, but it also does not ensure that all integrations use SSL/TLS mutual authentication. You still need to upload the certificate to Salesforce and assign the user permission.

 Push Topic Events can define a custom payload, which is one of the factors that should be considered when choosing a Streaming APIimplementation. Push Topic Events are based on SOQL queries that define the data changes to be notified of. You can specify the fields to be returned in the event message by using the SELECT clause in the query. This allows you to customize the payload according to your needs2

The system types, the error handling mechanisms, and the data volume and processing volume are three constraints and pain-points that an integration architect should consider when choosingthe integration pattern/mechanism. The system types determine what kind of interfaces and protocols are available or required for the integration, such as APIs, file systems, email, etc. The error handling mechanisms ensure that the integration can handleany failures or exceptions gracefully and provide appropriate logging and notification.The data volume and processing volume affect the performance and scalability of the integration, as well as the choice of synchronous or asynchronous methods. Reference: Salesforce Integration Architecture Designer Resource Guide, page 17

The correct answer is C, Request-Reply: Enhanced External Services invokes a REST API. This is because Enhanced External Services allows you to register an external web servicethat has an OpenAPI 2.0 specification and use it as an invocable action in a Lightning flow. This way, you can check the preferences from the external service in real-time and get the response in Boolean and string values. The other options are not suitable for this scenario because:

A, Fire and Forget: Process-driven platform events publishes events on Salesforce Event Bus, is a pattern that is used for asynchronous integration, where the sender does not expect a response from the receiver. This is not suitable for checking preferences in real-time.

B, Remote Call-In: Salesforce REST API with REST Composite Resources, is a pattern that is used for integrating external applications with Salesforce by calling the Salesforce REST API. This is not suitable forinvoking an external service from a Lightning flow.

D, Data Virtualization: Salesforce Connect map data external REST data in external objects, isa pattern that is used for accessing external data without copying or synchronizing it to Salesforce. This is not suitable for checking preferences in real-time or using them in a Lightning flow.

The recommended solution is to use a time-based workflow rule. A time-based workflow rule is a type of workflow rulethat executes actions at a specific time, such as a certain number of days before or after a record field value. By using a time-based workflow rule, you can send an email alert to the contacts of the accounts that do not qualify for a business extension for the next month, and include a meeting invite in the email. This solution can handle large volumes of data and does not require any custom code. Using batch Apex, process builder, or trigger is not a recommended solution because they are more complex andrequire custom code or configuration. Batch Apex is a way to run large-scale and long-running jobs that operate on many records. Process builder is a tool that lets you automate business processes by creating a process with criteria and actions. Trigger is a type of Apex code that executes before or after database operations, such as insert, update, delete, or undelete.

Option A is correct because Salesforce B2C Commerce to Service Cloud Connector is an integration solution that allows service agents to see order history from a B2C Commerce system. Salesforce B2C Commerce to Service CloudConnector is a pre-built package that integrates Salesforce B2C Commerce and Service Cloud using REST APIs and Platform Events. It enables service agents to view, edit, cancel, and refund orders from B2C Commerce within the Service Cloud console. It also supports features such as customer verification, order search, order details, and order history.

Option B is incorrect because a REST API offered by Commerce Platform is not an integration solution that allows service agents to see order history from a B2CCommerce system. A REST API offered by Commerce Platform is a set of web services that expose the functionality and data of the Commerce Platform to external applications. It can be used to create, update, delete, or query resources such as products, catalogs, customers, or orders. However, a REST API offered by Commerce Platform is not a complete integration solution, as it requires additional development, configuration, and maintenance to connect with Service Cloud and display the order history in the Service Cloud console.

Option C is incorrect because Mulesoft Anypoint Platform is not an integration solution that allows service agents to see order history from a B2C Commerce system. Mulesoft Anypoint Platform is a platform that enables developers to build, manage, and monitor integrations and APIs across various systems and applications. It can be used to connect Salesforce B2C Commerce and Service Cloud using various connectors, protocols, and transformations. However, Mulesoft Anypoint Platform is not apre-built integration solution, as it requires additional development, configuration, and maintenance to connect with Service Cloud and display the order history in the Service Cloud console.

Option D is incorrect because a REST API offered by SalesforcePlatform is not an integration solution that allows service agents to see order history from a B2C Commerce system. A REST API offered by Salesforce Platform is a set of web services that expose the functionality and data of the Salesforce Platform to external applications. It can be used to create, update, delete, or query resources such as objects, records, metadata, or Apex classes. However, a REST API offered by Salesforce Platform is not a complete integration solution, as it requires additional development, configuration, and maintenance to connect with B2C Commerce and display the order history in the Service Cloud console.

 Both Platform Events and Outbound Message offer declarative means for asynchronous near-real time needs. They aren’t best suited for real-time integrations (A). In both Platform Events and Outbound Messages, the event messages are retried by and delivered in sequence, and only once. Salesforce ensures there is no duplicate message delivery (B). Message sequence is possible in Outbound Message but not guaranteed with PlatformEvents. Both offer very high reliability. Fault handling and recovery are fully handled by Salesforce ©. Number of concurrent subscribers to Platform Events is capped at 2,000. An Outbound Message configuration can pass only 100 notifications in a single message to a SOAP end point (D). Both Platform Events and Outbound Message are highly scalable. However, unlike Outbound Message, only Platform Events have Event Delivery and Event Publishing limits to be considered (E). Reference: Salesforce Integration Architecture Designer Resource Guide, page 23

The authentication is achieved by handling it in the code. A Named Credential is a type of metadata that specifies the URL of a calloutendpoint and its required authentication parameters. An Apex callout is a way to invoke anexternal web service or API from Apex code. When using a Named Credential with an Apex callout, the authentication is handled by the Apex code that invokes the callout. The Apex code can use the HttpRequest class to set the endpoint, method, headers, and body of the callout request, and use the Http class to send the request and receive the response. The Apex code can also use the NamedCredential class to access the properties of the Named Credential, such as the principal type, protocol, and credential type. Handling authentication with login flows is not a valid option because login flows are a way to customize the user login process in Salesforce, not for external web services or APIs. Connecting via Salesforce Connect or Communities is not a valid option because they are not related to Apex callouts or Named Credentials.

Therequirements that the integration architect should evaluate while designing the integration needs of this project are:

Assess security requirements for internal systems and decide Integration methods that support the requirements.

Evaluate the build of acustom authentication mechanism for users in each country and support for customers and partners.

Evaluate Salesforce native authentication mechanism for all users including customers and partners.

The integration architect should assess the security requirements for internal systems, such as the ERP system and other systems that will be integrated with Salesforce for Sales and Support business processes. The security requirements may include authentication protocols, encryption standards, data access policies, and compliance regulations. The integration architect should then decide on the integration methods that support these requirements, such as SOAP or REST APIs, middleware solutions, or connectors. The integration architect should also evaluate the build of a custom authentication mechanism for users in each country and support for customers and partners. A custom authentication mechanism may be necessary to integrate with the local active directory of each country and provide a seamless user experience. The integration architect should also consider how to support customers and partners who have different authentication options, such as self-registration or Google login. The integration architect should also evaluate Salesforce native authentication mechanism for all users including customers and partners. Salesforce native authentication mechanism is a built-in feature that allows users to log in to Salesforce with their username and password. Salesforce native authentication mechanism may be simpler and easier to implement than a custom or third-party solution, but it may not meet all the security requirements or user preferences. The integration architect should compare the pros and cons of each option and choose the best one for the project. Evaluating Salesforce solution for customers and for partners, using third party solution for internal users is not a valid requirement because it does not address the need to authenticate internal users with their local active directory. Considering third party Single Sign On solution supporting all user authentication including customer and partner is not a valid requirement because it does not address the need to integrate with internal systems and their security requirements.

Using an Enterprise Service Bus (ESB) to determine which shipping service to use, and transform requests to the necessary format is a good solution because it can provide routing, transformation, mediation, and orchestration capabilities for integrating different services. An ESB can also abstract the complexity and heterogeneity of the services from the client application, which simplifies the integration. Using Outbound Messaging to requestcosts and delivery times from Shipper delivery services with automated error retry is not a good solution because Outbound Messaging is a Salesforce-specific feature that uses SOAP web services, which may not be compatible with all shipping services. UsingAPEX REST Service to implement routing logic to the various shipping service is also not a good solution because it can introduce performance and scalability issues, as well as increase the maintenance cost and complexity of the code. Using Enterprise Service Bus user interface to collect shipper-specific form data is not a valid option because an ESB does not have a user interface component. Reference: Salesforce Integration Architecture Designer Resource Guide, page 16-17

The recommendations that the Salesforce integration architect should make to fulfill the requirements around caching, queuing, error handling, alerts, retries, event handling, etc. arebased on the best practices and capabilities of the middleware tools. The recommendation B is valid because middleware tools can provide true message queueing for integration scenarios that require asynchronous processing, guaranteed delivery, load balancing, etc. The recommendation D is valid because middleware tools can handle various events that may occur during the integration process, such as logging errors, sending notifications, triggering recovery actions, etc. The recommendation E is valid becausemiddleware tools can support the publish/subscribe pattern for event-driven integration, where the middleware can route messages from publishers to subscribers based on topics or filters. The recommendation A is not valid because transforming a fire-and-forget mechanism to request-reply does not improve performance, but rather increases the latency and complexity of the integration. The recommendation C is not valid because message transformation and protocol translation are tasks that are better suited for middleware tools than Salesforce, as they can handle different formats and protocols more efficiently and flexibly23

1: Integration Architecture Designer Resource Guide 2: Integration Patterns and Practices 3: Salesforce Integration Architecture Designer Certification Exam Guide

 Integrating Salesforce with Data Warehouse, Order Management and Email Management System is the best option considering Salesforce capabilities. Salesforce can be used as the primary case management system, replacing the existing one. Salesforce can also integrate with the Data Warehouse to provide analytics and reporting on case data. Salesforce can integrate with the Order Management System to access order information related to cases. Salesforce can integrate with the Email Management System to send and receive emails from customers and agents. Reference: Salesforce Integration Architecture Designer Resource Guide, page 16

The API that should be used for the Salesforce platform event solution is Tooling API. Tooling API is a specialized API that exposes metadata used in developer tooling that you can access through REST or SOAP. You can use Tooling API to create, update,or delete platform event definitions and fields4 Streaming API is used to subscribe to platform events and receive notifications when they are published5

The message durability considerations that an Integration Architect should make when designing a solution to meet these business requirements are:

When subscribing to Salesforce Event bus, ReplayID is used with a value of -2 to be able to see old and new events.

High-volume event messages are stored for 72 hours (three days).

A Salesforce Event bus is a messaging service that allows you to publish and subscribe to events inSalesforce or from external sources. ReplayID is a property of an event message that indicates its position in the event stream. By using ReplayID with a value of -2, you can replay all events stored in the retention window, which can help you see the stages of order processing in Salesforce. High-volume event messages are a type of event message that can handle large volumes of data and are optimized for performance and scalability. High-volume event messages are stored for 72 hours (three days) in the event bus, which means they can be replayed within that time frame. The other options are not correct. Using ReplayID with a value of -1 means you can only see new events that are published after your subscription. High-volume event messages are not stored for 24 hours (one day), but for 72 hours (three days).

Leveraging Middleware for all back-office system integrations ensuring real time alerting, monitoring and reporting capabilities is the best integration solution for this scenario.Middleware is a software layer that acts as an intermediary between Salesforce and other systems, providing a common platform for data transformation, routing, orchestration, security, error handling, logging, and monitoring. Middleware can help to ensurereliability and performance of the integrations, as well as provide visibility and control over the integration processes. Middleware can also support various integration patterns and protocols, such as SOAP, REST, JMS, etc. Reference: Salesforce Integration Architecture Designer Resource Guide, page 14

The Connect REST API is designed to access Chatter feeds and social data such asusers, groups, followers, and files. By using this API, the integration can query the Chatter posts that include the #thanksNTO hashtag and post them to Twitter using another API. The REST API, Streaming API, and Apex REST are not specific to Chatter and do not provide the same level of functionality and ease ofuse as the Connect REST API2

Option D is correct because Platform Shield Encryption allows you to encrypt standard fields and use them in workflow rules. Platform Shield Encryption uses AES 256-bit encryption to protect sensitive data atrest, while preserving platform functionality12

Option A is incorrect because Cryptography Class is a set of Apex methods for creating digests, message authentication codes, signatures, and encryption. It does not provide a way to encrypt standard fields or use them in workflow rules3

Option B is incorrect because Data Masking is a feature that replaces sensitive data in sandboxes with dummy data. It does not encrypt data in production or allow the use of encrypted data in workflow rules45

Option C is incorrect because Classic Encryption is a feature that encrypts custom fields with 128-bit AES encryption. It does not support standard fields or workflow rules67

Leverage Change Data Capture to track changes to the Contact object and write a CometD subscriber on the homegrown application. This solution meets the requirements of keeping Salesforce and the homegrown application synchronized for consistency, using event-driven and asynchronous integration. Change Data Capture is a feature that allows you to receive near real-time notifications of changes to Salesforce records, such as inserts, updates, deletes, and undeletes. You can use Change Data Capture to track changes to the Contact object, and publish them as events to an event bus. CometD is a protocol that allows you to subscribe to events from the event bus using a streaming API. You can write a CometD subscriber on the homegrown application, and use it to receive the events and update the customer data accordingly. References: Certification - Integration Architect - Trailhead, [Change Data Capture Developer Guide], [Streaming API Developer Guide]

This is because Bulk API is a RESTful API that is optimized for loading or deleting large sets of data asynchronously. By processing jobs in parallel mode, you can take advantage of the multiple resources available on the Salesforce platform and speed up the data load. The other options are not suitable for this scenario because:

B, Contact Salesforce support to schedule performance load, is not a valid option as Salesforce does not offer such a service. You are responsible for optimizing your own data load performance.

C, Use Bulk API to process jobs in serial mode, is a slower option than parallel mode as it processes one batch at a time. This is only recommended when you have dependencies betweenrecords or when you want to preserve the order of records.

D, Use Bulk API to process jobs in high performance mode, is not a valid option as there is no such mode in Bulk API. You can only choose between parallel and serial modes.

The integration consultant should implement monitoring by identifying criticalbusiness processes and establishing automation to monitor performance against established benchmarks. This approach can help detect and diagnose any degradation in Salesforce performance, such as slow response time, high error rate, or low availability. The automation can use various tools and methods, such as platform events, event monitoring, health check, or third-party monitoring services123

The continuation class in Apex allows you to makelong-running requests to external web services and process their responses in a callback method. This is useful for scenarios where the response time exceeds the normal Apex limits, such as 10 seconds for synchronous transactions or 120 seconds for asynchronous transactions. By using continuation, you can avoid hitting these limits and provide a better user experience1

Option B is correct because platform events are published after the Apex transaction completes. Platform events are asynchronous messages that are published and consumed by different processes or systems. When an Apex transaction publishes a platform event, the event is not sent immediately, but rather added to a temporary queue. The event is only published and delivered to the subscribers after the Apex transaction commits successfully. This ensures that the event data is consistent with the database state and that the event is not lost in case of a rollback.

Option A is incorrect because platform events are not published immediately before the Apex transaction completes. As explained above, platform events are published after the Apex transaction commits successfully. Publishing events before the transaction completes can cause data inconsistency and event loss issues.

Option C is incorrect because platform events can have a trigger in Apex, but this is not related to the question of when events are published. A platform event trigger is a special type of Apex trigger that executes when a platform event message is received by Salesforce. A platform event trigger can perform logic based on the event data, such as updating records, sending notifications, or calling external services. A platform event trigger does not affect the publishing of events, but rather the consumption of events.

Option D is incorrect because platform events can be published from Apex, but this does not answer the question of when events are published. Platform events can be published from various sources, such as Apex code, Process Builder, Flows, or API calls. Publishing events from Apex requires creating an instance of a platform event object and using the EventBus.publish method to add it to the temporary queue. The actual publishing of events happens after the Apex transaction completes, regardless of the source of the events.

Trigger invokes Queueable Apex method, with custom error handling process. Queueable Apex allows you to run asynchronous jobs that can make callouts to external web services. You can use custom error handling logic to handle any failures and retry the callouts if necessary. You can also use Database.Stateful interface to maintain state across transactions and ensure that each order is sent exactly once. This solution meets the requirements of sending order and line items directly to an existing finance application web service when an order is fulfilled, and ensuring that each order reaches the finance application exactly once for accurate invoicing. References: Certification - Integration Architect - Trailhead, [Queueable Apex], [Making a Web Service Callout from a Queueable Apex Job]