Exploring the Salesforce REST API

Exploring the Salesforce REST APIJay HurstDirector, Product Management

@extraidea

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Many customers are facing a set of challenges around building client applications against the Salesforce REST API.

Raise your hand if you:• Have used the REST API in Salesforce

• Have tried to build a client application using the REST API but have faced issues with the number of round trips

• Have a need to design efficient APIs and want to reduce the number of API round trips to the Salesforce server

Building Streamlined APIs

Bulk

REST

Metadata

SOAP

Tooling

Streaming

INTE

GRAT

ION

LAYE

R

Point & Click Integration Tools

PageBuilder

DECLARATIVE DEVELOPMENT

GLOBAL ENTERPRISE CLOUD INFRASTRUCTURE

PLATFORM SERVICES

APP MANAGEMENT & DEPLOYMENT

Workflow Engine

UI FrameworkSharing & Permissions

GlobalSearch

Reports &Dashboards

Files & Content

Authentication CollaborationEvent Log Framework

TranslationWorkbench

App Builder

ProcessBuilder

SchemaBuilder

Multi-Tenant Network& Firewall

AutoUpdates

Backup &Geodiversity

Security Trust

IDECLI AgileAccelerator

StoreBuilder

DevConsoleSandbox

Metadata

Heroku DX node.js

PROGRAMMATIC DEVELOPMENT

Database SmartContainers

HerokuAdd-ons

HerokuButton

Ruby

Identity

GlobalData Centers

DataStorage

Single code base

Python Java APEXPHP

OfflineSalesforce1 Mobile

Container GeolocationPushNotificationsSDK Mobile Identity

MOBILE SERVICES

Community Builder

PageBuilder

App Cloud Gives You Tools for Building Any AppFull spectrum of capabilities from enterprise control to elastic flexibility

REST API• Best suited for browser or mobile applications which

do not need to access high amounts of records• Access data over REST• XML or JSON• Synchronous• Authenticate with OAuth 2.0 (connected app)

https://www.salesforce.com/us/developer/docs/api_rest/

https://www.salesforce.com/us/developer/docs/api_rest/

Anatomy of a REST API Callhttps://na44.salesforce.com/services/data/v37.0/sobjects/Account/

0010000000ABc12

Instance of Saleforce

API Type

API Version

API Subtype

Entity

Record ID

Traditional REST API Diagram

What is a Composite API?

What is a Composite API?• An API that is built by combining existing API

functions• A single request to an API can perform multiple functions

• Orchestration of the composite APIs allow developer controlled business logic and functionality• Responses from one API method can be directed as inputs into another method

• Multiple APIs can be used in a single call to improve performance

• Compositions are key for designing efficient API for use in mobile development

Salesforce Composite Resources

Batching REST Resource• Resource which accepts multiple REST calls to

execute• A single Batch REST request can execute up to 25 sub-requests

• Sub-requests contains the resource (URI) and the method to execute

• Each sub-request is an unrelated API call

• Sub-requests are executed serially, in order, and as the running user

• As each sub-request completes, the call is committed

• Has one optional parameter• haltOnError - indicates if the batch should stop on any error that is encountered

• The response will be a JSON object of responses from the sub requests

Batch REST API Diagram/services/data/v37.0/sobjects/Account

/services/data/v37.0/sobjects/Account

/services/data/v37.0/sobjects/Contact



/services/data/v37.0/sobjects/Case


/services/data/v37.0/sobjects/Task


/services/data/v37.0/composite/batch

Example Batch Request{"batchRequests" : haltonerror:true, [ {"method" : "POST", "url" : "v34.0/sobjects/account/", "richInput" : {"Name" : "NewName", "Industry" : "Tech"}},

{"method" : "GET", "url" : "v34.0/sobjects/account/describe/"},

{"method" : "GET", "url" : "v34.0/query?q=select id, name, industry from account order by createddate desc limit 10" }]}

Example Successful Batch Response{"hasErrors" : false, "results" : [{ "statusCode" : 201, "result": {"id" : "001B0000003xiArIAI”, "success" : true, "errors" : [ ]} }, { "statusCode" : 200, "result": {"actionOverrides" : [ ], "activateable" : false, ..., "undeletable" : true, "updateable" : true} }, { "statusCode" : 200, "result": {"totalSize" : 10, "done" : true, "records" : [{ "attributes" : {"type" : "Account”, "url" : "/services/data/v34.0/ sobjects/Account/001B0000003xiArIAI”}, ... }] } }]}

Example Unsuccessful Batch Response{"hasErrors" : true, "results" : [{ "result" : [{"message" : "Required fields are missing: [Name]”,"errorCode" : "REQUIRED_FIELD_MISSING", "fields" : [ "Name" ]}], "statusCode" : 400 },{ "result”:[{"message”:"Cannot access this resource in a batch request”, "errorCode”: "INVALID_BATCH_REQUEST”}], "statusCode" : 400 },{ "result" : [{ "message" : "\nselect ids, name, industry from account\n^\nERROR at Row: 1:Column:8\nNo such column 'ids' on entity 'Account'. If you are attempting to use a custom field, be sure to append the '__c' after the custom field name. Please reference your WSDL or the describe call for the appropriate names.”, "errorCode" : "INVALID_FIELD"}], "statusCode" : 400 }]}

Batching REST API Demo

TreeSave REST Resource• Creates SObject trees with the same top level object

type • A recursive data structure that contains a root record, its data, and its child records represented as other sObject trees

• The REST resource manages all of the ID creations and mapping

• Create an Account, Contact, Opportunity, and Note in a single call

• The request can contain the following:• Up to a total of 200 records across all trees

• Up to five records of different types

• SObject trees up to five levels deep

• You can create 200 top level records, by only providing the top level

TreeSave API Diagram/services/data/v37.0/sobjects/Account









/services/data/v37.0/composite/tree/Account

Using the TreeSave REST Resource• The dev provides the record relations via a reference

ID • ReferenceId is used to link related records and to return errors

• Only Insert is supported

• Triggers, processes, and workflow rules fire separately for each of the object levels

• EX – All triggers fire for all the top level records, then all fire for the second level records, then third, etc…

• All records are rolled back on any error• Error will indicate which referenceId had the error so that the developer can take the appropriate action

Example TreeSave Request{"records" :[ {"attributes" : {"type" : "Account", "referenceId" : "ref1"}, "name" : "SampleAccount”, "phone" : "1234567890”, "website" : "www.salesforce.com", "numberOfEmployees”: "100”, "type" : "Analyst”, "industry" : "Banking", "Contacts" : { "records" : [ {"attributes" : {"type" : "Contact", "referenceId" : "ref2"}, "lastname" : "Smith”, "title" : "President”, "email" : "[email protected]" }, {"attributes" : {"type" : "Contact", "referenceId" : "ref3"}, "lastname" : "Evans”, "title" : "Vice President”, "email" : "[email protected]”}] }}, {"attributes" : {"type" : "Account", "referenceId" : "ref4"}, "name”: "SampleAccount2”, "phone”: "1234567890”, "website" : "www.salesforce2.com", "numberOfEmployees”: "100”, "type" : "Analyst”, "industry" : "Banking”}]}

Example Successful TreeSave Response{ "hasErrors" : false, "results" : [ { "referenceId" : "ref1", "id" : "001B0000003xiAwIAI" }, { "referenceId" : "ref4", "id" : "001B0000003xiAxIAI" }, { "referenceId" : "ref2", "id" : "003B0000003l3L5IAI" }, { "referenceId" : "ref3", "id" : "003B0000003l3L6IAI" } ]}

Example Unsuccessful TreeSave Response{ "hasErrors" : true, "results" : [ { "referenceId" : "ref4", "errors" : [ { "statusCode" : "REQUIRED_FIELD_MISSING", "message" : "Required fields are missing: [Name]", "fields" : [ "Name" ] } ] } ]}

TreeSave REST API Demo

Current Composite APIs on Salesforce• There are a number of existing Composite resources

• The Batching REST resource allows for the sending of multiple REST calls in a single round trip

• The calls are unrelated, simply reduces round trips

• The TreeSave REST resource allows creation of multiple records in a single call

• Limited to insert and all-or-none saves

• Apex REST can be used to build custom logic

• Requires complete design by the developer

Building a Composite API on Salesforce• A new API which will be a combination of Batch and

TreeSave • Outputs from one API call can be Inputs into another using the developer assigned referenceId

• Ex - @Account1.id can be used in a later query, as a reference field, or in an action

• Friendly URLs will assist in navigating the resource hierarchy

• Ability to crawl the resource tree easily

• Ex - /services/data/v36.0/sobjects/Account/001X00000000123/Contacts will give you a list of all Contacts on a the designated Account

• This will allow multiple CRUD operations to collections

• This will allow a simple layer of orchestration to the REST API

Composite REST API Diagram/services/data/v37.0/sobjects/Account








/services/data/v37.0/query/?q=select id from account limit 4/services/data/v37.0/sobjects/Case/describe

/services/data/v37.0/tree/Account

Query

Describe

Composite API Request{"compositeRequest" : [{ "type" : "rest", "method" : "POST", "url" : "/v30.0/sobjects/Account", "referenceId" : "Account1", "richInput" : {"Name" : "Salesforce"} },{ "type" : "rest", "method" : "PATCH", "referenceId" : "Contact1", "url" : "/v30.0/sobjects/Contact/0030000000AB3d", "richInput" : {"accountId" : "@{Account1.Id}"} },{ "type" : "rest", "method" : "GET", "referenceId" : "ContactsOfAccount1", "url" : "/v30.0/sobjects/Account/@{Account1.Id}/Contacts" }]}

Example Successful Composite Response[{ "id" : "001B000000E8mNSIAZ", "success" : true, "errors" : [ ] }, null, { "totalSize" : 1, "done" : true, "records" : [ { "attributes" : { "type" : "Contact", "url" : "/services/data/v37.0/sobjects/Contact/003B0000006dUZMIA2" }, "Id" : "003B0000006dUZMIA2", … } ]} ]

Composite API Demo

What did we Learn?• What is the Salesforce REST API• Existing Features that begin to

support composite actions• Batching API

• TreeSave API

• Composite API

• Demos of existing resources

thank y u

Exploring the Salesforce REST API

Software

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