Can Filemaker Sync?

[cobrak69]

I have build a database for tracking my customers and leads, however I use it on three different computers. Office, home and on my net book when I am mobile. I have been using a thumb drive to be the mule between the computers and I keep the most updated on the thumb drive which works OK, but sometimes I forget to replace my database with the most recent copy and start updating records. So then I am left starting all over again because of my over site. and I am also scared that one day i am going to reverse an update by mistake. Is there anyway to make the program sync? So that it would only take an update if the info was newer than what it already has? Example: on my work computer I import 100 leads and modify them, then i get in my car and in the field i contact customers and up date my net book for the few I contacted, but then realize I never imported my newest file from work. Is there a way to sync them so that I can insert my thumb drive and update the netbook while retaining changes I made already. There has got to be a method better than file swapping/overwriting.

Thanks

[Vaughan]

Yes FMP can do it, but you'll have to define the rules and create the scripts to implement the data transfer.

IMHO The hardest part about data syncing is defining the rules that determine which records get kept and which get lost. The devil is in the detail.

Eg, you update on "old" record that gets deleted in the main table. Or you delete one that is updated by somebody else in the main table; or one record get updated by both at different times. Simply saying "the last modified record gets kept" might not be sufficient because in many databases records get "touched" and modified while they are navigated as flag fields are set (an extremely poor practice IMHO). Hence there may need to be a way to identify when a record is "really" updated, and from there things start getting complicated.

This complexity is the reason that multi-user databases were developed.

My advice is to remotely connect to the live database and forget trying to sync. It is easy and quick and the concurrency issues are automatically handled by FMP. Also, reliable and reasonably fast wireless networks are ubiquitous in most parts of the western world, devices are cheap, so live remote access is cheap and do-able.

[cobrak69]

Yes FMP can do it, but you'll have to define the rules and create the scripts to implement the data transfer.

IMHO The hardest part about data syncing is defining the rules that determine which records get kept and which get lost. The devil is in the detail.

Eg, you update on "old" record that gets deleted in the main table. Or you delete one that is updated by somebody else in the main table; or one record get updated by both at different times. Simply saying "the last modified record gets kept" might not be sufficient because in many databases records get "touched" and modified while they are navigated as flag fields are set (an extremely poor practice IMHO). Hence there may need to be a way to identify when a record is "really" updated, and from there things start getting complicated.

This complexity is the reason that multi-user databases were developed.

My advice is to remotely connect to the live database and forget trying to sync. It is easy and quick and the concurrency issues are automatically handled by FMP. Also, reliable and reasonably fast wireless networks are ubiquitous in most parts of the western world, devices are cheap, so live remote access is cheap and do-able.

The problem is my netbook use in my car has no way to communicate with a "Server". I do not have a broadband card, and even if I did the remote areas I go to wouldn't have coverage half the time. Is there no way to do a sync, or is just a pain in the butt?

[Vaughan]

Yes, sync can be done, but it is not a trivial process. It essentially means you have 2 database systems, the "main" system and the remote databases, and these have to be developed for their different purposes.

There is a tech info article about the subject:

http://help.filemaker.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/7720/~/database-synchronization---an-overview-of-approaches

Also look into the commercial solution, SyncDeck:

http://www.syncdek.com/syncdek/

[Kevin_J]

The problem with Filemaker on the web - and I am just now looking into it, so may be missing something - is that it requires a PC or Mac to sit on the internet somewhere. For most of us, buying hosted space means uploading run-time files to be accessed. It seems like you can't simply FTP the FM files to a host and access the database remotely. Am I wrong?

[Vaughan]

The problem with Filemaker on the web - and I am just now looking into it, so may be missing something - is that it requires a PC or Mac to sit on the internet somewhere. For most of us, buying hosted space means uploading run-time files to be accessed. It seems like you can't simply FTP the FM files to a host and access the database remotely. Am I wrong?

Nothing to do with runtimes. In fact, runtimes specifically CANNOT be networked.

What you could do is load the FMP database onto a commercial FM host company. This might cost $100 a month.

If that seems like a lot of money, then consider whether sharing the database over the internet will *save* the company $100 a month. If not then don't do it.

To put this into perspective, $100 is less than a hour for a decent developer. Peanuts.

FMI have circulated a case where a company saved $40,000 a year going to a mobile solution with FM Go.

[Kevin_J]

Thanks for your thoughts, Vaughn. You're right about $100/mo FM hosting being peanuts for a real business application. We are small and just getting started and that might be an item of overhead we'd not planned for at this point, but it is still not a major expense. And FAR cheaper - and safer - than trying to create a syncing method myself (shudder to think - altho I did give it some consideration). I will research FM hosting and give that a serious look.

You mention FMGo and I've worked out the minor kinks in my standalone app for both iPhone and iPad on Go. They look and work great. But now I'm considering how mobile users can best use an online, multiuser FM database, too. I've been looking for good writeups or descriptions of how Go is being integrated. Although I'm not really looking for in-depth details, most mentions don't go far enough and stop just short of describing their basic design, ie: multi users from main office on FM hosted site with Go on iPads for mobile salesforce, etc.

[Vaughan]

Would you even consider NOT spending $100 a month on phone/internet?