Everything You Need to Know about Custom Code Integrations

Selecting the proper software solution for data integration can be tricky, with so many different choices available. Besides, these options provide you with websites, catalogs, and pamphlets, only leaving you with half the story told. For that very reason, we've worked to compile several well-known and lesser-known data integration platforms into a single and easy-to-read document to aid in your decision making. In this blog, we'll discuss the pros and cons of custom code integration.

More than likely, the first integrated software solutions you created were probably bespoke or custom coded, end to end, integrations. If you’ve already got your own ERP application and want to support integration from other data entities with another application, then you’ve likely asked your software partner to add some custom code to support communication between your APIs.

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The pros

This type of approach works best when you have no more than 2 applications to integrate. If you feel comfortable enough in the stability of your integration team, then this should work for you. However, we always recommend that you agree on the code and have robust discussions regarding how the integration will function.

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The cons

• Writing custom code can cost money and take up a substantial amount of time.
• Custom code needs the professional who built the integration to provide support and maintenance.
• Adding new functionality can be difficult because there isn’t much knowledge of the current code available.
• For mission-critical integration, your team would be forced to create custom monitoring protocols, which can be expensive.
• When the APIs are updating themselves, you could experience communication issues.
• Changing the software in your IT landscape requires a big project and a big process.
• You’ll need extra custom coding at some point to integrate new technologies like marketing automation software, AI, and machine learning tooling.

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Using custom code for integrations is just one of the many ways to integrate your applications. Learn more by downloading our free white paper 'How to choose an integration solution.'