How to Monitor API Calls in Salesforce and Optimize Your Usage
API calls are an essential part of any Salesforce implementation, allowing external applications to communicate with your Salesforce org. However, overusing API calls can lead to performance issues, additional costs, and even API limits. In this blog post, we'll explore how to monitor API calls in Salesforce and optimize your usage to avoid these issues.
Enabling Event Monitoring
Salesforce Event Monitoring is a powerful tool that allows you to monitor and log various events, including API calls, in your Salesforce org.
To enable Event Monitoring, go to Setup > Event Monitoring > Enable Event Monitoring. If you haven't already purchased the Event Monitoring add-on, you'll need to do so.
Creating a Custom Report Type
Once Event Monitoring is enabled, you can create a custom report type to report on API calls.
Go to Setup > Report Types > New Custom Report Type. Choose "EventLogFile" as the primary object and select the fields you want to report on, such as "EventType" "Application" and NumApiCalls.
EventType: This field indicates the type of event, such as API or login events.
Application: This field indicates the application or tool making the API call.
NumApiCalls: This field indicates the number of API calls made by the application.
Creating a Report
Once you've created the custom report type, create a report using the custom report type and add the fields above to the report. You can then group the report by the Application field to see which tools are making the most API calls.
To see the total number of API calls made by each tool, use the Summarize This Field option on the NumApiCalls field. This will give you a total count of API calls made by each tool.
You can also add filters to the report to include only the tools you want to monitor. For example, if you want to monitor API calls made by a specific integration, you can add a filter to include only events related to that integration.
Analyzing the Report
Once you generate the report, you can analyze it to determine which tools are using the most API calls in your org. You can use this information to make informed decisions about which tools to optimize or remove to reduce API usage.
4 Tips for Optimizing API Usage
In addition to monitoring API calls, you can optimize your usage to avoid overuse. Here are some tips:
1. Use Bulk API
If you need to insert, update, or delete large amounts of data, consider using the Bulk API instead of the REST or SOAP API. The Bulk API allows you to process large volumes of data asynchronously, reducing the number of API calls required.
2. Use Caching
If you're making the same API call repeatedly, consider using caching to store the results temporarily. This can help reduce the number of API calls required and improve performance.
3. Reduce Query Results
If you're querying a large number of records, consider limiting the number of results returned by using filters or pagination.
4. Monitor API Limits
Keep an eye on your API usage limits and adjust your usage accordingly. You can use tools like API Usage Governor or Salesforce Optimizer to help identify areas for optimization.
API calls are a crucial part of Salesforce, but overusing them can lead to performance issues and additional costs. By monitoring your API call usage and optimizing your usage, you can avoid these issues and get the most out of your Salesforce implementation. With the steps outlined in this blog post, you can take control of your API usage and ensure that your org runs smoothly.