# Diagnosing landscape pain points and platform constraints

*Integration Architect Study Guide · Evaluate the Current System Landscape · Last updated October 16, 2026 · https://www.certifyforce.com/study-guide/integration-architect/evaluate-the-current-system-landscape/diagnosing-landscape-pain-points-and-platform-constraints*

Reading an existing landscape for the constraint behind a symptom: API usage against the 70% headroom ceiling, which org pays for cross-org Salesforce Connect callouts, OData join and throttling limits, the daily async Apex limit, synchronous coupling, org-bound platform events, browser-side Omniscript callouts and source systems that only export nightly files.

- Certification: Salesforce Integration Architect
- Exam section: Evaluate the Current System Landscape
- Study guide: https://www.certifyforce.com/study-guide/integration-architect

**Official exam objective:**

> Given an existing system landscape, analyze for constraints and/or pain-points to satisfy a business requirement(s).

## What the exam expects

- Compare normal-day API usage with the org's allocation and the Well-Architected 70% ceiling, and recommend batching and monitoring when headroom is too thin.
- Explain which org's allocation Salesforce Connect callouts consume, and which Connect limits (joins, external throttling) explain a symptom.
- Diagnose the daily asynchronous Apex execution limit and fix one-job-per-record designs by bulkifying.
- Recognize synchronous coupling to an unreliable system as the pain point, and decouple through durable middleware.
- Spot designs that assume platform events cross orgs, run Omniscript callouts in the browser, or expect real-time access to a nightly-file source.

Key terms: **allocation** (the org's total inbound API calls per 24 hours), **headroom** (capacity kept free below a limit for spikes), **provider org** (the org whose data the cross-org adapter reads), **tight coupling** (one system can't work when the other is down), **Integration Procedure** (server-side OmniStudio data processing).

## Key facts

| Fact | Detail | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Operational ceiling | Target 70% of limits under normal load; 70-85% is warning, above 85% red | [Well-Architected: Reliability](https://architect.salesforce.com/docs/architect/well-architected/guide/reliability.html) |
| Allocation scope | Whole org per 24 hours; a Full sandbox not created from a template has its own 5,000,000 | [API Request Limits and Allocations](https://developer.salesforce.com/docs/platform/salesforce-app-limits-cheatsheet/guide/salesforce-app-limits-platform-api.html) |
| Cross-org adapter cost | Each callout counts toward the provider org's API usage | [General Limits for Salesforce Connect](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=sf.platform_connect_general_limits.htm&type=5) |
| Connect joins | Maximum 4 per query across external and other objects | [General Limits for Salesforce Connect](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=sf.platform_connect_general_limits.htm&type=5) |
| OData callouts | No Salesforce callout limit; external system may limit traffic | [General Limits for Salesforce Connect](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=sf.platform_connect_general_limits.htm&type=5) |
| OData ID mapping | 100,000 new external record IDs per hour, each for long-term and short-term mapping (OData 2.0 and 4.0) | [General Limits for Salesforce Connect OData Adapters](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=platform.odata_general_limits.htm&type=5) |
| Daily async Apex | 250,000 or licenses × 200, whichever is greater; shared by all async types | [Execution Governors and Limits](https://developer.salesforce.com/docs/atlas.en-us.apexcode.meta/apexcode/apex_gov_limits.htm) |
| Platform events across orgs | Can't listen between orgs | [Data Integration with Salesforce](https://architect.salesforce.com/docs/architect/decision-guides/guide/data-integration.html) |
| Change Data Capture direction | Not available for external-to-Salesforce | [Data Integration with Salesforce](https://architect.salesforce.com/docs/architect/decision-guides/guide/data-integration.html) |

## Check yourself

- Why does a 320,000-call day on a 400,000 allocation need redesign?
- When does a Salesforce Connect callout consume API allocation?
- What is the daily async Apex limit for an org with 2,000 licenses?
- Why can't a service-org trigger receive a sales-org platform event?

## Sources

- [Data Integration with Salesforce](https://architect.salesforce.com/docs/architect/decision-guides/guide/data-integration.html)
- [Improve Application Integration with Layered Approach](https://trailhead.salesforce.com/content/learn/modules/app-integration-patterns/app-integration-patterns-2)
- [Well-Architected: Reliability](https://architect.salesforce.com/docs/architect/well-architected/guide/reliability.html)
- [API Request Limits and Allocations](https://developer.salesforce.com/docs/platform/salesforce-app-limits-cheatsheet/guide/salesforce-app-limits-platform-api.html)
- [Execution Governors and Limits](https://developer.salesforce.com/docs/atlas.en-us.apexcode.meta/apexcode/apex_gov_limits.htm)
- [General Limits for Salesforce Connect](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=sf.platform_connect_general_limits.htm&type=5)
- [General Limits for Salesforce Connect OData Adapters](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=platform.odata_general_limits.htm&type=5)

## About the full unit

The "Core concepts", "Exam traps" and "Worked scenario" sections of this unit, its 8 linked practice questions, and unlimited timed mock exams are included with the Integration Architect pack (USD $19): https://www.certifyforce.com/practice-exams