How does Outbound Messaging work in Salesforce and what are its delivery guarantees?
Suggested answer
Outbound Messaging sends a SOAP XML message to an external endpoint when a record meets workflow criteria (triggered via Workflow Rules or Approval Processes). Salesforce generates a WSDL that the receiving endpoint must implement to accept the message.
Delivery Guarantee: Outbound Messaging provides at-least-once delivery. If the endpoint does not return an acknowledgment (ACK) within the timeout period, Salesforce retries with exponential back-off for up to 24 hours. The receiving endpoint must handle duplicate messages idempotently.
Acknowledgment: The endpoint must return a specific SOAP response containing <Ack>true</Ack>. Without this ACK, Salesforce will keep retrying.
Limitations: Outbound Messaging is SOAP-only, limited to workflow-triggered contexts, and does not support REST or JSON. For modern integrations, Platform Events or CDC are preferred over Outbound Messaging.
Practice content for interview preparation; not an official vendor answer. Verify details against current product documentation.
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