Why does idempotency matter in Salesforce integrations?

Direct Answer

Idempotency matters because retries and duplicate messages are normal, and the integration must avoid creating repeated side effects.

Detailed Explanation

A stronger answer explains that stable integrations assume failure and retry behavior. Idempotent design protects external calls, record updates, and downstream systems from accidental duplication.

Why the Interviewer Asks This

The interviewer is checking whether you think operationally about distributed systems.

Weak Answer Warning

A weak answer says idempotency is only useful for very large integrations.

Stronger Answer Direction

Explain duplicates, retries, and safe recovery.

Follow-up Question

What design techniques help you implement idempotency?