Order Builder
Overview
This article provides an overview of Order Builder and serves as an index to detail articles about setting up and using Order Builder.
Order Builder
Order Builder is a Zuora SDK for the Force.com Apex programming language. It implements a subset of our SOAP API calls as Apex methods so that your Force.com applications can call subscription-related Zuora services without using SOAP.
With Order Builder, Force.com developers and ISVs can handle all aspects of order management from within the Salesforce environment - including subscription orders, amendments, renewals, and cancellations. This allows you to support sophisticated subscription and pay-as-you-go revenue models in your applications with minimal development.
Order Builder provides Apex methods for making subscription-related calls to the Zuora SOAP API. This simplifies your Apex code and eliminates the need for dealing with the mechanics of SOAP. For many Salesforce applications, this subset of our SOAP API provides all the Zuora functionality that's needed, especially if used with Component Library. For instance, our customers have used the SDK to develop customer and partner portals, as well as customizations such as approvals and workflows. However, some applications may require more Zuora functionality, and those may have to use our WSDL and SOAP API from within their Salesforce application.
Because our Apex methods use SOAP calls, you may sometimes find helpful information and insight by looking in SOAP API documentation. You will notice that the features and data structures are similar, but not always identical. New SOAP API features, if they are incorporated in Order Builder, may lag behind by one or more releases.
To help get you started, check out the sample code at our GitHub site.
Install Order Builder
Order Builder is included with Zuora 360, and requires the following:
- An active Zuora tenant
- An active Salesforce org in Enterprise or Unlimited Edition
- Familiarity with Zuora functionality and Zuora APIs
- Development experience with the Force.com Platform
Order Builder is included with the Zuora 360 managed package. Use the Zuora 360 installation instructions to install the latest version of the Zuora 360 and Order Builder in your Salesforce org.
Configure Connection Settings
You must configure the connection settings that will be used by Order Builder. See Configuring Order Builder Connection Settings for detailed instructions.
Set Up a Schema
Order Builder provides Apex methods that use the Zuora SOAP API. For this reason, you need to upload the Zuora WSDL from your Zuora tenant into Salesforce to provide the schema for Order Builder and to be able to use Order Builder.
See Setting Up the Order Builder Schema for detailed instructions.
Program with Order Builder
Order Builder supports many of the Zuora APIs and exposes them as "Apex Wrapper Methods." After installing the Zuora 360 managed package in your Salesforce org, you will have access to global methods that serve as wrappers for the underlying Zuora APIs through the zApi class.
See Programming with Order Builder for more information.
Best Practices for Using Order Builder
See Best Practices for Using Order Builder for best practice information about using Order Builder.