Sync "U" - What is Synchronization:
In general, the term "synchronization" means to perform a set of instructions to set one or more items (like watches) to the same condition. In the case of PointSync Professional, it is setting the condition of items in business and mobile databases to contain the same data. Sounds simple.. right?
Many people today carry smartphones that contain apps that communicate with their bank, office email, social media or other areas where they have an account. While viewing bank account data or getting email on a mobile device have become commonplace, the technology behind getting 10, 50, 100 or 1000 field workers synchronizing data to and from multiple database is a significantly more demanding task with serious implications if things go wrong. PointSync Professional was developed to operate with hundreds of mobile devices connecting, syncing and disconnecting throughout the day. If you're serious about a robust, flexible and scalable mobile enterprise application platform (MEAP), look no further than PointSync Professional.
Single User to Single Record
This model represents the most common and simplest synchronization model. In this model, users only have access to a single record of information. Once logged in to the system, the user only has access to the information they are allowed access to. This is the simplest form of synchronization as users and their data are isolated from each other. Mobile banking, social media and travel apps frequently use this sync model.
PointSync Professional can easily manage this model, but has the necessary features to handle complex business-class synchronization scenarios.
Multiple Users to Multiple Records
This model is most often used in business situations where multiple users need access to data in multiple database tables. The complexity is much higher than a one-to-one sync model because users actions on the database are NOT isolated from each other. Opportunities for corruption, undesired data overwriting and conflicting keys can occur without a robust synchronization platform working behind the scenes to manage the flow of data.
PointSync Professional® expects this type of complexity and acts like a "data traffic controller" to monitor transfers and protect databases in the organization as well as in the field.
Server-to-Server Synchronization
In this model, separate databases are kept synchronized, allows all users to have access to current information on the database they connect with. This scenario can occur when databases are kept in different regions, but their data must be kept synchronized throughout the lifecycle. In a recent Healthcare study, server-to-server sync was used to aggregate data collected in different regions for purposes of analysis and reporting.
Server to Server synchronization is built into PointSync Professional.
PointSync Professional© Special Synchronization Features...
Data Rollback
There are numerous reasons why a sync could fail. A possible result of a failed sync is partial data appearing in your database. Partial data has the potential to cause significant problems with applications that require full records to operate properly. PointSync Professional® includes sync rollback technology that won't commit a single byte of data until ALL the data from the sync is verified to be present. This "all or nothing" strategy guarantees no partial data will ever appear in your SQL Server, Sybase, Db2, MySQL or other compatible database. How important is this? Just ask a DBA in your organization!
Checkpoint Restart
As we've made clear, the synchronization process is delicate. You may experience problems during a sync that cause it to stop sending data midway through the process. During long sync's where large amounts of data are involved, having to start the sync over (perhaps more than once) is frustrating and time consuming. PointSync Professional® contains checkpoint restart technology that recognizes the data send successfully. If the sync needs to be restarted, it resumes where it left off, rather than start over from the beginning.
ID Pooling
ID Pooling forces mobile devices to create unique primary keys when creating new records (work orders, patient tickets, inventory items, etc) in the field. Because the mobile device is not connected directly to the enterprise database and cannot receive unique ID's from it, ID Pooling is used to create them. To do this, PointSync Professional® manages and administers buckets of unique ID's assigned to each device. When the device uses it's allotted ID's, PointSync will send out a new unique batch.