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Ryan M.ax204Ryan M.ax204 

Partner integration strategy

Hi folks - My organization is looking at building some technology that integrates with sf.com using the web services API. I am aware that "out-of-the-box" only clients of ours with the Enterprise Edition would be able to use our application. I've also heard that if we become an official partner that there is some mechanism whereby our application could get access to the web services API for clients that have only the professional edition. I'm interested in learning more about how this works technically and also what is required to have this functionality unlocked, i.e. what kind of partner do we need to become? What costs are involved, etc..

Thanks very much for your help!

Ryan
mike kreadenmike kreaden
Certified solutions are provided an API token to identify their calls to the AppExchange web service. These sanctioned solutions can thereby interoperate with both Enterprise Edition and Professional Edition orgs.



The steps to certification can be summarized as follows:



1. Build your AppExchange application (or integrate with the AppExchange DB). Developer Edition orgs are free, and we provide all of the technical resources you need on sforce.com.

2. Join the AppExchange Partner Program - see www.appexchange.com (details available 01/07/06).

3. Work through the AppExchange Certification Questionnaire to provide us with detailed information on your integration design and implementation, security framework and policies, and company background.

4. Contact Partner Success (partnersuccess@salesforce.com) to sign up as a partner and get an assigned Partner Success Manager.

5. Work with your Technical Alliances Consultant to conduct a design review of your AppExchange solution.



Once engaged with your Partner Success Manager, you will be introduced to the certification program manager who will schedule your certification review.



More information on partnering will be available at www.appexchange.com this weekend (Jan. 07, 2006).
Ryan M.ax204Ryan M.ax204
Hi Mike - thanks for the reply. Just a few points of clarification...

Is there a specific parter level you need to be at to get this "key" that unlocks the API for the pro version or is it more a discretional decision?

Would salesforce consider unlocking this functionality for a organization that builds custom apps for it's clients? In other words, there isn't one specific app that we would get certified for right now, but instead a variation of a couple different features we do for different customers?

Thanks again,
Ryan
mike kreadenmike kreaden
As a benefit of AppExchange certification, sanctioned applications are provided with a PE-enabled api token which allows them to make API calls to PE and EE orgs. We subject certified applications to a 100+ check list which includes security policies, security infrastructure audit, integration design review, functional testing and AppExchange design review.

Qualifications for certified applications can be found on a new page in the AppExchange - about to be posted. I will post the url to this thread when it is released.

Note that the API token only pertains to API calls - all other edition-specific limitations apply to whatever org you are binding to (number of custom fields, profiles, number of custom tabs, number of apps, etc.).

As for custom (ad-hoc) development, that is what Enterprise Edition is intended for. Any company, large or small, that has more sophisticated data processing needs should consider Enterprise Edition.