API is documented and includes sample code for developers

Description

This requirement mandates a mature, documented API process for developers and partners to use in implementations. The inclusion of sample code aids developers in understanding, utilizing, and integrating the API optimally.

Example Use Case

Scenario: A mid-sized e-commerce firm uses CPM software to handle its financial data. The organization wants to integrate the CPM system with their existing customer relationship management (CRM) tool for better synchronization of customer and financial data.

Solution: The CPM software provides detailed API documentation and sample code. Developers, with the help of the provided resources, manage to integrate the CRM tool with the CPM software efficiently, allowing for opportunity data from the CRM to populate the forecast in the CPM tool automatically.

Considerations

The first step is to make sure the product has an API in the first place. Many do not and do their integrations custom each time. That is a hassle over time as the product changes and your integrations break.

Also consider what integrations are offered out of the box and what they do. Some will import a narrow set of data from a source system. When you need to bring in something else, like metrics, the pre-built integration might not handle it. It might only be able to import summarized values from the chart of accounts. Always ask.

Questions to Ask a Vendor

• API Resources: How comprehensive and up-to-date is your API documentation? Does it include clear sample code for developers?
• Support: What kind of support do you provide for your API? Is there assistance available for troubleshooting integration issues?
• Pre-Built Integrations: If you don't offer an API, do you have pre-built integrations? Is there documentation for those?