Integrations that do not create duplicate work
Identifiers, retries and logs: three decisions to make when connecting tools.
Choose a source of truth
Before connecting two tools, decide which system owns each piece of information. Document fields, identifiers and how simultaneous updates are handled. Avoid competing copies without a clear rule.
Design for retries
A request may have succeeded even if its response never arrives. For operations that create records, use a stable key and a deduplication mechanism where the system supports it. Distinguish temporary failures from errors that need manual correction.
Leave a useful trace
Record status, time and a correlation identifier. Avoid logging credentials or entire document contents. Logs should help locate an incident and resume the work.
Check before expanding
Test duplicates, missing fields, usage limits and interruptions. Define how to reconcile records across both systems and who receives alerts. An integration also needs a way to detect when it is not working.
Every process needs its own assessment. This guide is a starting point, not a promise of results.