Integration Scenario

Force.com applications often require the use of data that is stored in other enterprise systems. This information can initially be pushed to Force.com through Data Loader or another data migration tool. But when Force.com is not the system of record for this information and updates occur, Force.com is left with stale data.

Updated data could be reloaded into Force.com through data migration tools, scheduled to run at regular time intervals, but this approach can quickly become impractical. This is especially true where there are requirements for real-time updates, integration to multiple systems, intricate data mappings, or complex business rules governing the updates.

Imagine that the company using your Services Manager application has a human resources system containing the names, addresses, and other core information about employees. This employee information is duplicated in Force.com in the Contact standard object. Because Force.com is not the system of record for these fields, they should be set to read-only on their page layouts to maintain data integrity between Force.com and the human resources system. But when the human resources system is updated, Force.com must also be updated. This is the goal of the integration.