Salesforce ARC-101 - Salesforce Design and Build Integration Solutions Certification Exam

Scenario:

• Students register for courses in the Salesforce Community.

• Whenever course registration data is created or updated, the Learning Management System (LMS) should receive the changes in near real time.

Why Streaming API?
The Streaming API allows external systems (like the LMS) to subscribe to Salesforce events using a push mechanism (CometD/Bayeux protocol). Instead of repeatedly polling Salesforce, the LMS listens for notifications and updates itself whenever course registration records change.
How it works:

1. A student updates course registration in Salesforce.

1. Salesforce publishes a notification.

1. The LMS, subscribed through the Streaming API, receives the event immediately.

1. The LMS synchronizes the updated registration data.

This provides:

• Near real-time synchronization

• Reduced API calls (no constant polling)

• Efficient event-driven integration

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Why not the other options?
❌ A. Change Data Capture (CDC)
CDC automatically publishes change events for record create, update, delete, and undelete operations. While it is the modern and generally recommended approach for many real-time integrations today, some Salesforce certification questions (especially based on older exam versions) still expect Streaming API when asking about external systems subscribing to record changes.
Exam Tip: If this is a recent implementation, CDC is often preferred. If this is an older certification question, the expected answer may still be Streaming API.
❌ B. Platform Event
Platform Events are used for custom event publishing, not for automatically tracking record changes. They require explicit publishing by Apex, Flow, or another process.
❌ D. Outbound Message
Outbound Messages:

• Work only with Workflow Rules (legacy).

• Send SOAP messages.

• Are not suitable for general real-time synchronization of record updates with an LMS.

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Quick Comparison

Feature	Streaming API	Change Data Capture
Real-time notifications	✅ Yes	✅ Yes
Automatically tracks record changes	Via PushTopic/Generic Events	✅ Yes (built-in)
External systems subscribe	✅ Yes	✅ Yes
Modern recommended approach	Older	✅ Newer & preferred

Exam Tip

• If you see "subscribe to record changes" in an older Salesforce exam question, Streaming API is often the expected answer.

• If you see "capture all record changes automatically" or a question based on newer Salesforce architecture, Change Data Capture (CDC) is usually the correct choice.

If the official answer is A. PushTopic Event, here's the explanation.
Correct Answer: A. PushTopic Event
Scenario
A call center manager has a custom dashboard and wants to display the number of closed Cases in real time.
This means:
The dashboard should automatically update whenever a Case is closed.
The event is based on changes to Salesforce records.
Why PushTopic Event?
A PushTopic Event is part of the Streaming API. It allows clients to subscribe to notifications whenever records matching a SOQL query change.
Example PushTopic:
SELECT Id, Status
FROM Case
WHERE Status = 'Closed'
Whenever a Case is closed:
Salesforce publishes a PushTopic event.
The dashboard receives the notification.
The closed Case count updates immediately.
This is exactly what the requirement describes.

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Why the other options are incorrect
❌ B. Change Data Capture Event
CDC also publishes record changes automatically and is the newer technology. However, many older Salesforce certification questions expect PushTopic Events for real-time dashboard or Streaming API use cases.
❌ C. Platform Event
Platform Events are for custom business events that you explicitly publish from Apex, Flow, or APIs. They do not automatically notify when a Case record is updated.
❌ D. Generic Event
Generic Events allow publishing custom events through the Streaming API, but they are not tied to Case record changes.

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Quick Comparison

Event Type	Purpose
PushTopic Event	✅ Notify subscribers when records matching a SOQL query change.
Change Data Capture	Automatically publish create, update, delete, and undelete events for records (modern approach).
Platform Event	Custom application/business events.
Generic Event	Custom Streaming API events, not record-specific.

Exam Tip
For older Salesforce integration exam questions:
Real-time updates for Salesforce records via Streaming API → ✅ PushTopic Event
Modern automatic record change notifications → ✅ Change Data Capture
Custom business messages → ✅ Platform Event
Custom streaming notifications → ✅ Generic Event

Therefore, based on the exam's expected answer, A. PushTopic Event is correct.

If the official answers are B and C, here's the reasoning.
Correct Answers:
✅ B. Can the fulfillment system make a callback into Salesforce?
✅ C. Can the fulfillment system implement a contract-first Outbound Messaging interface?
Scenario
A company needs to send Orders from Salesforce to a fulfillment system. Before designing the integration, the architect must understand the capabilities of the external system.

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✅ B. Can the fulfillment system make a callback into Salesforce?
This is an important design question because:
Some integrations are asynchronous.
Salesforce sends the order.
The fulfillment system later sends back:
Order status
Shipment information
Errors
Tracking numbers
If the fulfillment system can make callbacks, the architect can design a two-way integration.
✔️ Therefore, this is a key architectural consideration.

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✅ C. Can the fulfillment system implement a contract-first Outbound Messaging interface?
Outbound Messaging is a Salesforce feature that sends SOAP messages based on workflow or processes.
A contract-first approach means:
The message structure (WSDL/contract) is defined first.
The fulfillment system must be able to consume that contract.
Before recommending Outbound Messaging, the architect must verify that the fulfillment system supports it.
✔️ Hence, this is another important planning question.

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Why not the others?
❌ A. Can the fulfillment system create new addresses within the Order Create service?
This is a business-specific capability and is not a fundamental integration planning question. The architect is first concerned with communication patterns and interface capabilities.

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❌ D. Is the product catalog data identical at all times in both systems?
While data consistency can be important, it is not the primary consideration when initially planning how the systems will integrate to send orders.

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Exam Tip
When you see an Integration Architect question asking what to determine before designing an integration, think about:
✅ Can the external system send callbacks?
✅ What interfaces/protocols does it support (SOAP, REST, Outbound Messaging, Platform Events)?
❌ Don't focus first on business data like addresses or product catalogs unless the question specifically asks about data synchronization.
Therefore, based on the exam key, the correct answers are B and C.