Cloud-to-Intranet messagingby Force.com Streaming API

Shinichi Tomita@stomita

Mashmatrix, Inc.

Cloud-to-Intranet messaging in Force.com• HTTP callout / Outbound Messaging

- Open inbound HTTP port on firewall (Almost impossible for usual companies)

• API Polling

- Not realtime / Consumes a lot of API quotas

• Force.com Streaming API

- No need to open inbound port on firewall

- Almost realtime

Force.com Streaming API

• Enables push notification from Server to subscribed client(s)

• GA in Spring ’12

• Standard based (Bayeux protocol)

- Client libraries available in various languages

Message flow for generic request clients

1. SecureConnect request client creates a record which includes request message to Intranet resource server

2. Force.com publishes a notification to its request channel subscribers (= SecureConnect resource server)

3. Resource server processes the request and access to the resource data behind the firewall

4. Resource server returns response by updating the request record

5. Force.com publishes a notification to its response channel subscribers (= SecureConnect request client), and SecureConnect request client receives response

Message flow for generic request clients

Resource Server

5. Streaming 2. Streaming

4. response

Request Client

1. request

3. resource

accesss

Callout from Apex

• On submitting request, register an object which implements ResponseListener interface

- Both request message and response listener object are serialized and inserted as a record

• Registered response listener is callbacked by Apex trigger when the response arrived

Callout from Apex

Resource Server

2. Streaming

4. response

5. trigger

Request Client

Apex Class1. request

Response

Listener

3. resource

access

Sample code/** * An example client which link opportunity information to intranet system via SecureConnect */public class OpportunitySynchronizer {

public static void linkToExternalSystem(Opportunity opp) { String oppJson = JSON.serialize(opp); SecureConnect.request('opps/link', opp.Id, new PropagateResponseListener(opp.Id)); } /** * Callbacked when the response arrived from intranet server */ public class LinkResponseListener implements SecureConnect.ResponseListener { public Id oppId { get; set; }

public LinkResponseListener(Id oppId) { this.oppId = oppId; }

public Type getClassType() { return LinkResponseListener.class; } public void onResponse(String responseCode, String responseData) { if (responseCode == 'success') { String extId = responseData; Opportunity opp = new Opportunity(Id=this.oppId, ExtId__c=extId); update opp; } } }}

Project on GitHub

• http://github.com/stomita/fdc-secureconnect