Searching for the proper tool to fit your business needs can be a daunting task. At Service Objects, ease of integration is engineered in as part of each of our products, ranging from seamless API interfaces to list processing services that work directly on your data files. This article discusses each of our integration strategies in detail, to simplify your research process and to help pinpoint the type of integration that will best suit your needs.
Service Objects products are created as web services. This means that any programming language that can make a web service request, can make use of our services. From programming languages like PHP, Java, C#, Ruby, Python, Cold Fusion and many more, to CRM systems such as Salesforce, Marketo, Hubspot and beyond. Nearly all major languages and platforms can make use of Service Objects’ web services.
Below we discuss the most common types of integrations we see from our clients . And if you have a platform that isn’t listed below and would like more information on how it could tie in with our services, please reach out to us – we are happy to provide tips, sample code, plug-ins and recommend best practices and procedures.
API integration
This is our most popular option for real-time validations and it allows our capabilities to be integrated directly into your software. Our services can be called via web requests either by HTTP GET or SOAP/POST, and the service response can be delivered in XML or JSON format. These protocols and output formats generally allow enough flexibility to meet your needs. We also offer a web service description language (WSDL) file that can be consumed to auto generate the necessary methods and classes to call our various web services. If you have a specific language in mind, please check out our Sample Code page – chances are we have sample code already written for your needs.
List Processing
List processing involves sending us a list of your data to be validated. We take this list and process it through the appropriate web service and then return the results, appended to each record in your file. From there you can take the data, apply your business logic, and save it to your database.
This type of process is often the best approach for cleaning up existing data in bulk. A large export is generally easier than integrating via the API and processing it manually. However, depending on the resources you have available, both API or list processing are completely viable options and we have a number of clients that use both in concert.
We offer two convenient solutions for list processing: single batch runs for one-time processing or automated batches. Let’s look at the differences between them:
Single batch runs. A single batch run is one of the simplest ways to have your data processed. You send us a comma-separated value (CSV) file and we’ll run it against our services, append the data, and return it to you. It is perfect for cleaning up existing data. Many clients run a single one-time batch process to clean up their existing data and then implement a real-time solution into their product, giving them the best of both worlds: clean existing data together with a process to ensure that incoming data is the highest quality possible.
Automated List Processing. Your data can be processed securely and automatically by uploading the data file to our secure FTPS server. Once uploaded, our system will recognize the new list to process and get to work. The input file will be parsed, run through a web service, and the results will be appended to the original file. It is nearly identical to the one-time processing service that we offer, with the added benefit that you can upload files at your convenience to be processed automatically.
CRM integration
If you currently use one of the major customer relationship management (CRM) or marketing automation software platforms like Salesforce, Marketo, Hubspot, or others, chances are that our services integrate with it and we likely have sample code or plug-ins for themEach platform has its own level of customizability but they almost universally offer some variation on a plugin, API, or exposed interface to integrate with. Contact us to learn more about integrating our capabilities with your specific platform.
Whether you develop an API interface for your current software, use batch list processing, or integrate our capabilities with your CRM or marketing automation platform, Service Objects is with you every step of the way with support, sample code, tutorials, and the experience that comes with serving nearly 2500 customers. Get in touch with us today and see how easy it can be to integrate best-in-class data quality with your own applications environment.
