This is an introduction to a series of posts of my notes about Salesforce APIs, Integrations, and Connectors that I am making while working towards the Integration Architect certification. I hope that they prove useful starting points for others on this journey too.
What is an API?
APIs (Application Program Interfaces) are sets of protocols and definitions for building and integrating application software. They are contracts between a user seeking information from the resource server and the resource server providing that information. In the Salesforce world, APIs allow you to access Salesforce data and metadata without using the Salesforce user interface.
What is Metadata?
Metadata is typically described as data that provides information about other data. However, it is not the content of the data itself – it describes it!
A note about API availability. It is always best to check whether the Salesforce, Pardot, Marketing Cloud, or other addition has APIs available before you plan future integrations. For example, if you wish to utilise APIs with Professional Edition of Salesforce, you will need to purchase them. Similarly, if you want to make use of Pardot’s API’s and you are on Pardot Growth Edition you will need to upgrade to make that possible.
Always check the age of any Salesforce certification notes you see and treat the Salesforce documentation available as the Golden Source of Truth!*
* Architect pun…
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