Overview
When you set up an integration with Appical, it is helpful to understand the difference between a standard integration and a custom integration. This affects both the time needed to complete the integration and the cost involved.
For admins
If you are responsible for choosing or scoping an integration, here is what you need to know.
Standard integrations connect to a system Appical has already worked with, use fields Appical already has experience with, and are used to invite or update users in Appical. If your integration fits this description, it can typically be completed faster and at a lower cost.
Custom integrations are anything outside of this scope. This can include connecting to a new system, using non-standard fields, or custom processing logic (for example, switching a user's course automatically, or combining two systems to manage new hires and updates). Custom work takes more time to scope and build, and is priced individually once your Appical contact understands what is needed.
Why this matters for you:
Time: standard integrations follow an established process and are generally faster. Custom integrations need extra scoping and development time.
Cost: custom requirements have a price impact, since they require dedicated development effort.
Flexibility: it is common for requirements to become clearer as a project progresses. If your integration turns out to need custom elements once work is underway, your Appical contact will flag this and discuss the impact on timeline and cost before proceeding.
The best way to keep your project on track is to involve both your HR and IT contacts early, since HR typically knows the process and IT typically knows the system and data structure. This helps avoid surprises later in scoping.
For IT and technical teams
This section explains the technical conditions that determine whether an integration is standard or custom.
An integration is considered standard when all of the following conditions are met:
The target system is one Appical has already integrated with (see Supported Systems and Standard Fields for the current list).
The fields used are part of Appical's standard field set, processed in the standard way.
The integration is used to invite or update users in Appical. Appical does not currently support sending data from Appical to other systems.
An integration is treated as custom when any of the following apply:
It is a new system Appical has not connected to before.
A new way needs to be developed to retrieve the required information (it is not simply available as a standard field in the API).
New functionality needs to be developed to meet a specific customer requirement.
Technical impact of custom requirements:
Systems that use multiple endpoints for the required data add complexity to extraction and generally require more development time.
Custom fields alone typically have limited impact, unless they require pulling data from a different endpoint than the standard fields.
Custom processing logic can require updates to the integration configuration (middleware) or, in some cases, updates to the Appical API itself.
Because the technical impact varies significantly by case, the time and cost of a custom integration are assessed individually once the requirement is clear, rather than quoted upfront.
📌 Important: if a standard integration is found to require custom elements during mapping (for example, a field only available via lookup in a separate endpoint), your Appical contact will flag this so the impact can be assessed before development continues.
Related articles
Making a Request for an Integration
Supported Systems and Standard Fields
How Data Flows: Pull, Transfer, and Push Integrations
The Mapping Document Explained
The Integration Process, Step by Step
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