Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

General Questions

What is the HaloPSA CRM Custom Integration?

The HaloPSA CRM Custom Integration is a production-ready solution that connects HaloPSA with multiple B2B data sourcing platforms including Apollo.io, ZoomInfo, Hunter.io, and others. It implements a sophisticated Lead → Prospect → Opportunity workflow with enhanced custom fields, intelligent deduplication, and bi-directional synchronization.

What B2B data sources are supported?

Currently supported platforms:

• Apollo.io - Lead database and engagement platform
• ZoomInfo - B2B contact and company database
• Hunter.io - Email finder and verification
• Lusha - Contact and company database
• Seamless.ai - Real-time search engine for B2B contacts
• Lead411 - B2B sales intelligence platform
• RocketReach - Contact information database
• BookYourData/LeadsBlue - B2B lead generation service
• UpLead - B2B contact discovery platform

Is this integration production-ready?

Yes, this integration is designed for production use with:

• Comprehensive error handling and logging
• Rate limiting and throttling
• Data validation and deduplication
• Monitoring and alerting capabilities
• Security best practices
• Scalable architecture

Installation and Setup

What are the system requirements?

Minimum Requirements:

• Node.js 16.0.0 or higher
• npm 7.0.0 or higher
• 2GB RAM
• 10GB storage
• Linux/Windows/macOS

Recommended for Production:

• Node.js 18.x LTS
• 4GB RAM
• 50GB storage
• Linux server with systemd
• PostgreSQL database
• Redis for caching (optional)

How do I install the integration?

# Clone the repository
git clone https://github.com/sjackson0109/halopsa-crm-b2b-integration.git
cd halopsa-crm-b2b-integration

# Install dependencies
npm install

# Configure environment
cp .env.example .env
# Edit .env with your credentials

# Run setup
npm run setup

# Start the service
npm start

Can I run this in Docker?

Yes, Docker support is included:

# Build the image
docker build -t halopsa-integration .

# Run the container
docker run -p 3000:3000 \
  -e HALOPSA_CLIENT_ID=your_id \
  -e HALOPSA_CLIENT_SECRET=your_secret \
  halopsa-integration

What ports does the service use?

• 3000: Main API server
• 9090: Metrics endpoint (Prometheus)
• 5432: PostgreSQL database (if using local)
• 6379: Redis cache (if using local)

Configuration

How do I configure HaloPSA credentials?

Set the following environment variables:

HALOPSA_BASE_URL=https://your-instance.halopsa.com
HALOPSA_CLIENT_ID=your_client_id
HALOPSA_CLIENT_SECRET=your_client_secret
HALOPSA_WEBHOOK_SECRET=your_webhook_secret

How do I set up custom fields in HaloPSA?

The integration requires specific custom fields. Run the setup script:

npm run setup-custom-fields

This creates:

• CF_101-113: Lead fields (source, services, growth signals, etc.)
• CF_201-206: Prospect fields (pain points, budget, fit score, etc.)
• CF_301-304: Opportunity fields (value, probability, competitors, etc.)

What database does it use?

The integration supports:

• PostgreSQL (recommended for production)
• SQLite (for development/testing)
• MySQL/MariaDB (with limitations)

How do I configure database connection?

For PostgreSQL:

DATABASE_URL=postgresql://user:password@localhost:5432/halopsa_integration

For SQLite (development):

DATABASE_URL=sqlite:./data/database.db

Data Synchronization

How does deduplication work?

The integration uses intelligent deduplication:

1. Exact Match: Email address matching
2. Fuzzy Match: Company name and contact name similarity
3. Domain Match: Email domain consistency
4. Manual Override: Preserve user modifications

What happens if a lead already exists?

When importing leads:

• Update Existing: Enrich existing records with new data
• Create New: If no match found
• Merge Strategy: Intelligent field merging
• Conflict Resolution: Configurable merge rules

How do I handle data quality issues?

The integration includes:

• Validation Rules: Email format, phone numbers, required fields
• Data Cleaning: Automatic formatting and normalization
• Quality Scoring: Confidence scores for imported data
• Review Queue: Manual review for low-quality data

Can I customize field mappings?

Yes, field mappings are configurable in config/custom.json:

{
  "field_mappings": {
    "apollo": {
      "first_name": "person.first_name",
      "company": "person.organization.name",
      "CF_102": "organization.keywords.join(', ')"
    }
  }
}

API Usage

How do I authenticate API requests?

Use API key authentication:

curl -H "X-API-Key: your_api_key" \
  https://your-domain.com/api/leads

Or OAuth 2.0 for HaloPSA integration.

What are the API rate limits?

• Authenticated requests: 1000 per hour
• Sync operations: 100 concurrent operations
• Bulk imports: 10 bulk operations per hour
• Webhook events: 1000 per minute

How do I handle bulk imports?

Use the bulk import endpoint:

curl -X POST https://your-domain.com/api/sync/leads/bulk \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -H "X-API-Key: your_api_key" \
  -d '{
    "source": "apollo",
    "leads": [
      {"first_name": "John", "email": "john@company.com"},
      {"first_name": "Jane", "email": "jane@company.com"}
    ]
  }'

How do webhooks work?

Webhooks notify you of events:

• Lead Created: When new leads are imported
• Prospect Converted: When leads become prospects
• Opportunity Created: When prospects become opportunities
• Sync Completed: When bulk operations finish

Configure webhook URL in your environment and handle events in your application.

Workflow Management

How does the Lead → Prospect → Opportunity workflow work?

The workflow has three stages:

Lead Stage:

• New Lead → Researching → Contacted → Engaged → Convert to Prospect
• Exit paths: No Interest, Do Not Contact, Invalid Data

Prospect Stage:

• New Prospect → Prospecting → Qualified → Convert to Opportunity
• Exit path: Disqualified

Opportunity Stage:

• New Opportunity → Progressing → Negotiation → Won/Lost

Can I customize the workflow?

Yes, workflows are configurable in config/workflows.json:

{
  "lead_lifecycle": {
    "stages": ["new", "researching", "contacted", "engaged"],
    "transitions": {
      "researching_to_contacted": {
        "conditions": ["email_sent"],
        "auto_transition": false
      }
    }
  }
}

What triggers stage transitions?

Transitions can be:

• Automatic: Based on time, data conditions, or external events
• Manual: User-initiated through HaloPSA interface
• Conditional: Based on field values or business rules

How do I track workflow analytics?

The integration provides analytics endpoints:

# Get workflow metrics
curl https://your-domain.com/api/analytics/workflow

# Response includes:
# - Conversion rates by stage
# - Average time in each stage
# - Bottleneck identification
# - Success metrics

Troubleshooting

Why are my sync operations failing?

Common causes:

1. Invalid Credentials: Check API keys and tokens
2. Rate Limiting: Too many requests, implement backoff
3. Network Issues: Check connectivity to HaloPSA and B2B sources
4. Data Validation: Ensure data meets requirements
5. Custom Fields: Verify fields exist in HaloPSA

How do I debug webhook issues?

1. Check webhook signature validation
2. Verify endpoint is accessible
3. Review webhook payload format
4. Check for timeout issues
5. Monitor webhook retry logic

What should I do if the service is slow?

Performance issues can be caused by:

1. Database Queries: Check for missing indexes
2. Memory Leaks: Monitor heap usage
3. External API Delays: Check B2B provider response times
4. Large Datasets: Implement pagination
5. Caching Issues: Verify cache configuration

How do I check service health?

Use the health check endpoint:

curl https://your-domain.com/health

This returns:

• Service status and version
• Database connectivity
• External API status
• System resource usage

Security

How is data protected?

• Encryption: Data encrypted at rest and in transit
• Access Control: Role-based permissions
• Audit Logging: All operations logged
• Input Validation: All inputs validated and sanitized
• Rate Limiting: Protection against abuse

What security certifications does it have?

The integration follows:

• OWASP Security Guidelines
• GDPR Compliance for data protection
• SOC 2 Type II principles
• ISO 27001 information security standards

How do I handle sensitive data?

• Masking: Sensitive data masked in logs
• Encryption: PII encrypted in database
• Retention: Configurable data retention policies
• Deletion: Secure data deletion procedures

Scaling and Performance

How many leads can it process per day?

Performance depends on configuration:

• Basic Setup: 1,000-5,000 leads/day
• Optimized Setup: 10,000-50,000 leads/day
• Enterprise Setup: 100,000+ leads/day

Can it handle multiple B2B sources simultaneously?

Yes, the integration supports:

• Concurrent Processing: Multiple sources processed in parallel
• Resource Allocation: Configurable resource limits per source
• Priority Queues: High-priority sources processed first
• Load Balancing: Distribute load across multiple instances

How do I scale for high volume?

Scaling strategies:

1. Horizontal Scaling: Multiple service instances
2. Database Sharding: Split data across multiple databases
3. Queue Partitioning: Separate queues for different sources
4. Caching Layers: Redis clusters for high availability
5. CDN Integration: For static asset delivery

Support and Maintenance

How do I get support?

Support channels:

• GitHub Issues: For bugs and feature requests
• Documentation: Comprehensive guides available
• Community: GitHub discussions for questions
• Professional Services: For enterprise deployments

How often are updates released?

• Patch Releases: Weekly for bug fixes
• Minor Releases: Monthly for new features
• Major Releases: Quarterly for significant changes

What’s included in maintenance?

• Security Updates: Critical security patches
• Bug Fixes: Issue resolution and improvements
• Documentation Updates: Keep guides current
• Compatibility: Ensure compatibility with HaloPSA updates

Can I contribute to the project?

Yes! Contributions are welcome:

• Bug Reports: Help identify and fix issues
• Feature Requests: Suggest improvements
• Code Contributions: Submit pull requests
• Documentation: Improve guides and examples
• Testing: Help test new features

Licensing and Cost

What license is this under?

The project is licensed under the MIT License, allowing:

• Commercial use
• Modification
• Distribution
• Private use

Are there any costs?

• Software: Free and open source
• B2B Data Sources: Costs vary by provider
• HaloPSA: Standard HaloPSA licensing applies
• Infrastructure: Hosting and database costs
• Support: Optional professional services

Can I use this commercially?

Yes, the MIT license allows commercial use. However:

• B2B data providers may have their own terms
• HaloPSA usage follows their licensing
• Professional support available for enterprise deployments

Migration and Integration

Can I migrate from existing integrations?

Yes, migration support includes:

• Data Export: Export from existing systems
• Format Conversion: Transform data to required format
• Incremental Migration: Migrate in phases
• Rollback Procedures: Safe rollback if issues occur

How do I integrate with existing systems?

Integration options:

• REST API: Direct API integration
• Webhooks: Event-driven integration
• Database: Direct database access
• Message Queues: Async processing
• ETL Tools: Data pipeline integration

What about data backup and recovery?

Backup features:

• Automated Backups: Scheduled database backups
• Point-in-Time Recovery: Restore to specific time
• Cross-Region Replication: Disaster recovery
• Data Export: Export data for external backup

If you have additional questions not covered here, please check the documentation or create a GitHub issue.