SOAP API Developer Guide

Introduction to SOAP API
About SOAP API
Release Notes
Quick Start: SOAP API
Step 1: Sign up for Salesforce Developer Edition
Step 2: Generate or Obtain the Web Service WSDL
Step 3: Import the WSDL File Into Your Development Platform
Step 4: Walk Through the Sample Code
Core Data Types Used in API Calls
Tooling API Objects in the Enterprise WSDL
API Call Basics
Error Handling
Security and the API
SOAP API End-of-Life Policy
Using the Partner WSDL
Reference
Using the API with Salesforce Features
Glossary
PDF

Step 1: Sign up for Salesforce Developer Edition

Use Salesforce Developer Edition to develop, stage, and test your API code against sample data.

Using a separate org to develop your applications protects your live data during testing. This recommendation is especially true for applications that insert, update, or delete data (as opposed to simply reading data). After you’ve tested your code, you can implement it in an edition with API access.

To create a Developer Edition org, go to developer.salesforce.com/signup and follow the instructions for signing up for a Developer Edition organization.

If you already have a Developer Edition organization, verify that your user profile has the API Enabled permission. This permission is enabled by default, but may have been changed by an administrator. For more information, see Salesforce Help.