# Migration, broadcast, sync, correlation and aggregation use cases

*MuleSoft Integration Foundations Study Guide · Recognize common integration problems, use cases, and technical solutions · Last updated November 2, 2026 · https://www.certifyforce.com/study-guide/mulesoft-integration-foundations/integration-problems-use-cases-and-technical-solutions/migration-broadcast-sync-correlation-and-aggregation-use-cases*

MuleSoft's five data integration patterns (migration, broadcast, bi-directional sync, correlation and aggregation), the questions that identify each one, and how to break a business problem into several of them.

- Certification: Salesforce MuleSoft Integration Foundations
- Exam section: Recognize common integration problems, use cases, and technical solutions
- Study guide: https://www.certifyforce.com/study-guide/mulesoft-integration-foundations

**Official exam objective:**

> Given a complex business problem, identify the fundamental integration use cases that can deliver an end-to-end business solution.

## What the exam expects

- Identify migration, broadcast, bi-directional sync, correlation and aggregation from a business requirement.
- Apply MuleSoft's three broadcast questions to choose between migration, broadcast and bi-directional sync.
- Distinguish bi-directional sync (union of the datasets) from correlation (intersection).
- Explain why aggregation avoids a separate replicated reporting database.
- Decompose one end-to-end business problem into the several patterns it needs.

Key terms:
- **Migration**: moving a scoped dataset from a source system into a destination system.
- **Broadcast**: one-way sync from one to many, moving only recently changed items in near real time.
- **Bi-directional sync**: combining two datasets so they behave as one while remaining separate datasets.
- **Correlation**: bi-directional sync of only the items that occur in both systems.
- **Aggregation**: taking or receiving data from multiple systems and combining it into one.

## Key facts

| Fact | Detail | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Number of data patterns | Five: migration, broadcast, bi-directional sync, correlation, aggregation | [Five data integration patterns](https://www.mulesoft.com/integration/data-integration-patterns) |
| Migration tuning | Large volumes, many records in parallel, graceful failure | [Five data integration patterns](https://www.mulesoft.com/integration/data-integration-patterns) |
| Broadcast scope | Only items changed since the last run | [Five data integration patterns](https://www.mulesoft.com/integration/data-integration-patterns) |
| Broadcast frequency rule | More often than roughly every hour tends to be broadcast | [Five data integration patterns](https://www.mulesoft.com/integration/data-integration-patterns) |
| Two broadcasts vs one sync | MuleSoft recommends two broadcast applications | [Five data integration patterns](https://www.mulesoft.com/integration/data-integration-patterns) |
| Sync vs correlation | Union vs intersection of the scoped dataset | [Five data integration patterns](https://www.mulesoft.com/integration/data-integration-patterns) |
| Aggregation benefit | Data current when needed and not replicated | [Five data integration patterns](https://www.mulesoft.com/integration/data-integration-patterns) |

## Check yourself

- Why is broadcast described as a sliding window?
- When does the second broadcast question rule an application out?
- Does correlation care how a shared record got into each system?
- Which routing model does MuleSoft suggest for bi-directional sync across many systems?

## Sources

- [Top five data integration patterns](https://www.mulesoft.com/integration/data-integration-patterns)
- [What are integration design patterns?](https://www.mulesoft.com/integration/what-are-integration-design-patterns)

## About the full unit

The "Core concepts", "Exam traps" and "Worked scenario" sections of this unit, its 6 linked practice questions, and unlimited timed mock exams are included with the MuleSoft Integration Foundations pack (USD $19): https://www.certifyforce.com/practice-exams