Integrations, Data Migration, and Extensibility
What the exam tests
Integration, migration, and extensibility questions test API choice, data mapping, import strategy, and safe extension patterns. You need to know when to configure, integrate, or extend.
Core rules and concepts
- Prefer configuration first, then supported APIs, then extensions. Direct database access is not a supported integration pattern.
- Use REST for real-time synchronous integration and bulk or batch import for migration; respect API limits and error handling.
- Data migration: profile source data, map fields, deduplicate, load in dependency order, reconcile counts, and keep a rollback plan.
- Integration users should have least-privilege roles and separate credentials; do not reuse human admin accounts.
- Extensibility should be isolated and documented; custom objects and fields need lifecycle ownership.
Worked example
Migrate 50,000 accounts and 120,000 contacts from a legacy CRM. Load accounts first with external IDs, then contacts with parent references; deduplicate by normalized name and email before load; reconcile record counts and spot-check 1% of records. The reasoning: dependency order prevents orphaned contacts, external IDs support idempotency, and reconciliation catches partial loads.
Traps
- Loading transactions before reference data.
- No deduplication or external ID strategy, causing duplicates on retry.
- Using an admin account for integrations.
- Treating extensions as free customization without upgrade impact.