Error Handling Basics

Error handling is critical in integration design to ensure systems can gracefully manage failures.

Common Integration Errors

Connectivity Errors

• Network failures: Unable to reach remote systems
• Timeouts: Connections take too long to respond
• Authentication failures: Invalid credentials
• Rate limiting: Too many requests to an external service

Data Errors

• Validation failures: Data doesn't meet requirements
• Format errors: Data isn't structured correctly
• Missing data: Required information not available

Business Rule Errors

• Constraint violations: Business rules not satisfied
• Process exceptions: Special cases in business logic

Simple Error Handling Approaches

Error Logging

• Keep records of errors for troubleshooting
• Include timestamp, error type, and context

Notifications

• Alert appropriate personnel about critical errors
• Combine similar errors to prevent alert fatigue

Recovery Options

• Retry operations that might succeed on another attempt
• Create backup/failover processes for critical functions

Best Practices

1. Log clearly: Capture what went wrong and when
2. Categorize errors: Group by type for easier handling
3. Define priorities: Focus on business-critical issues first
4. Test error paths: Deliberately trigger errors to verify handling
5. Learn from failures: Improve your processes over time