Have you ever wondered how Pulsar uses API calls? Read this article to find out.
What is an API call?
An API call is a request or query to the Salesforce database. Third-party applications, like Pulsar, use API calls to get information from your Salesforce database. For more information about API calls, refer to
Why does the number of API Calls matter?
Depending on your Salesforce licensing agreement, you may have a limited number of API calls to use per day. While this number may seem large, the API calls can get used quickly when you multiply the number of daily requests by the number of users in your org. Hitting your API call limit can disrupt business processes. For more information about how Salesforce allocates resources, refer to Salesforce Features and Edition Allocations.
Why does Salesforce limit API calls?
Salesforce data servers are shared resources. Salesforce limits API calls to prevent the overuse of database servers, so everyone gets the data they request in a timely manner. Therefore, you are encouraged to only request the minimum amount of data needed, using filters, permissions, and other tools provided in the system. For more details about the API limits, refer to API Request Limits and Allocations.
How does Pulsar use API calls?
In Pulsar, each time you sync, push data to the server, or refresh settings, API calls are used.
It is tempting to limit API call usage by limiting the number of records or fields requested in a query. Unfortunately, the number of API calls is not determined by the number of records in a request. The number of API calls is determined by the amount of data in each request. Each request from the server will fetch a certain amount of data. For instance, you may request 10,000 records which each contain a short text phrase or you may request 10,000 records containing images, documents, or long text blocks. The former request may use up only 5 API calls, while the latter may use up 10 API calls. This is because short text fields contain small amounts of data, while images, documents, and large text fields contain larger amounts of data.
How to reduce the number of API calls you use?
The easiest way to reduce the number of API calls used by Pulsar, is to reduce size of the data you sync. You can do this by reducing the number of records maintained on your users' device. Use the Salesforce profiles and permissions and Pulsar sync settings to only sync objects and records required by each user. You can filter the data by job role, region, account, or other criteria. For more information, see