Integrations, APIs, and Data Import/Export
What you must understand
Know the import/export wizard, data loading workflows, and the APIs (SOAP and REST) used to push and pull data. Understand external accounts for integrations, file formats (CSV, XML), and reconciliation keys during import.
Traps that appear in questions
- Reconciliation. An import without a reconciliation key creates duplicates; specifying the key updates existing records.
- Column mapping. Mismatched column order or types silently corrupts data - always map explicitly.
- API authentication. SOAP and REST use different auth patterns; a credential valid for one may not work for the other.
- Batch vs. real-time. Large imports belong in scheduled workflows, not synchronous API calls.
Rule of thumb
Every import needs three decisions: file format, reconciliation key, and error handling. If any is unspecified, the import is unsafe.
Worked example
Importing 50,000 contacts: use a data-loading workflow with CSV, reconcile on email, and route rejected rows to an error file. A synchronous API call for that volume will time out.