Developer Kickstart: Integrations

This repository is a pivotal element of the Developer Kickstart curriculum at Cloud Code Academy. Crafted for aspiring Salesforce developers, this module delves into the intricate domain of integrations, spotlighting the principles, tools, and best practices necessary to effectively connect Salesforce with external systems and platforms.

Goals of the Practice

Throughout this repository, you will broaden your comprehension of:

• The fundamental importance of integrations in creating cohesive, interconnected solutions that bridge Salesforce with other platforms and applications.
• Employing RESTful Web Services to facilitate standardized communication between systems.
• Utilizing External Services to integrate Salesforce with third-party services without writing code.
• The concepts behind Outbound and Inbound integrations, and how they facilitate data exchange between Salesforce and other systems.
• Authenticating and securing your integrations, ensuring data protection and compliance with necessary standards.
• Strategies to handle potential challenges, such as data transformation, conflict resolution, and error handling, to guarantee smooth and robust integrations.

By mastering Salesforce integrations, you will be empowered to create holistic and interconnected solutions that leverage the full capabilities of both Salesforce and third-party platforms. This knowledge forms the bedrock for crafting versatile Salesforce solutions that serve diverse business needs by tapping into external functionalities and data sources.

Setup

Setup Overview

Getting Started Checklist

1. Create/Configure a trailhead playground or developer org to do your work throughout this program.
2. Install Visual Studio Code from here.
3. Install Salesforce Extension Pack in Visual Studio Code. This can be done by searching 'Salesforce Extension Pack' in the Extensions view in VS Code and clicking Install.
4. Authorize your org in Visual Studio Code. Press Ctrl + Shift + P to open the command palette and type 'SFDX: Authorize an Org', then press Enter. Follow the steps in the browser to log in to your org, then return to VS Code.
5. Make sure to save and deploy your changes into Salesforce from your local machine. This can be done through the command pallet or right clicking the file you want to deploy and using the option SFDX: Deploy this source to org

Running the Test Classes

To run the test classes:

1. Open the command palette with Ctrl + Shift + P.
2. Type 'SFDX: Invoke Apex Tests...', and press Enter.
3. In the 'Select Test Class' input, select the test class you want to run and press Enter.
4. The test results will appear in the Output panel at the bottom of the screen. You can switch to the 'Test' tab in this panel to see a summary of the test run.

Resources

If you get stuck at any point, here are some resources that might help:

• Apex Developer Guide
• Salesforce Stack Exchange
• Visual Studio Code Documentation
• Salesforce Extensions for Visual Studio Code

And remember, programming is often about solving problems, so don't be afraid to use search engines to find answers to your questions.

Good luck with your learning journey in Salesforce development!