Integrations & data
Connect business tools with a reliable API integration
An API integration lets software exchange information through a defined interface. It can remove repeated entry or trigger work in another system. To remain useful, it must also account for delays, invalid data, duplicate events and service interruptions.
Describe an exchange before promising synchronisation
Start with a concrete instruction: when an order is approved, send its lines to the preparation system. Name the source, destination, event and required information. A small flow diagram communicates more than a broad request to connect everything.
Do not send the same field both ways without a priority rule. Establish which system owns customer details, stock and statuses. If both sides can change a record, specify conflict handling. The integration should follow an operational process the team understands rather than just matching columns.
Check access, documentation and limits
Gather documentation, test accounts and representative data. Verify that the current subscription permits the required operations. An API may allow reading but not editing, or impose request limits. These conditions can alter the timing and direction of the proposed exchange.
Use integration-specific credentials with the necessary permissions only. Keep secrets out of browser code and unprotected shared files. Assign someone who can renew access and respond when an account or supplier changes. Credentials are part of ongoing operation, not just an installation task.
Choose how and when updates are sent
Exchanges may run periodically or respond to events where supported. Webhooks can notify another system of changes; periodic retrieval may suit less urgent tasks. Choose according to acceptable delay, API capabilities and processing volumes.
Define what up to date means: immediate, within minutes or before tomorrow’s activity. When a transfer is pending, the interface should make that understandable. Background processing can avoid blocking the user, provided its eventual result remains visible to the people responsible.
Handle duplicates, rejected data and recovery
An event can arrive more than once, or a request may time out after the destination has already processed it. Use stable references and suitable duplicate checks to avoid creating a second order or action. Retrying a failure should not repeat its effect unnecessarily.
Distinguish temporary failures from data requiring correction. An unavailable service may justify another attempt; an unknown identifier may require intervention. Keep useful operational records without unnecessarily storing secrets or sensitive information. Provide a controlled way to retry after a correction.
Test the workflow and assign ownership
Test a normal exchange, missing information, duplicates, interruption and recovery. Use volumes representative of the intended operation. One successful example does not show what happens when actions arrive together or out of order.
Name the person monitoring failures and contacting the supplier. Retain field, status and identifier documentation. An API change can require work even when your own application is unchanged. Maintenance therefore belongs in an integration budget alongside initial implementation.
Your checklist
- Name systems, triggering events and exchanged fields.
- Assign an authoritative source for each value.
- Check access rights, subscription and API limits.
- Plan duplicates, failures, alerts and recovery.
- Assign monitoring and integration maintenance.
Frequently asked questions
Can tools without APIs be connected?
Examine the supported alternatives, such as imports, exports or official connectors. Their absence may make the intended integration fragile or impossible. Confirm feasibility before promising synchronisation.
Are integrations always real time?
No. Timing depends on available interfaces, their limits and the business need. Periodic updates may be appropriate; urgent workflows need a different design and corresponding monitoring.
A project to explore
Pare-Brise Éco
Pare-Brise Éco presents connections between operational tools and external services. Its project page relates the technical integration work to concrete business journeys.
Explore the project