Follow the Steps given in this section for third-party integrations.
Choose the Right API
Select any one approach from REST or SOAP for interfacing to the third-party web services. You will need end-points or URL for both.
Authentication Protocol
Get the Username and password to access the third-party database.
Authentication Response
Once the authentication request is validated, the License key and certificate is passed along with it.
Validation Structure
Confirm the duration of certificate and License key validity.
Considering above specifics, after you pick one from the REST and SOAP API, take a detailed approach.
If you pick REST, identify the services provided. All requests will be in the form of a URL (HTTP/HTTPS). Pass request parameters such as Product, Price, Account Location etc and the Authentication Token as part of the URL.
If you opt for SOAP the communication will be XML based. Get the class file from third-party vendor using which you can generate Apex classes. You'll also need Request and Response parameters.Invoke the methods from these Apex classes.
You can also combine REST and SOAP approaches. You can perform authentication using REST and call services using SOAP.
Post Integration
- After integration you should architecture the Error mechanism. It is necessary to let the client know about the success and failure of an API call with the help of good error messages.
- Identify the mode of notification to the admin or technical team about the errors. For example, you can configure an auto-email on failure of a job.