System and method for resolving conflicts detected during a synchronization session

• US 20030055825A1
• Filed: 06/27/2001
• Published: 03/20/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 06/27/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Moore, Brian, Foster, Mike A., Miles, Steven, Flanagin, Stephen D., Chen, James S.L.
• Granted Patent: US 6,993,522 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 707/10
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/27 Replication, distribution or synchronisation of data between databases or within a distributed database system; Distributed database system architectures therefor
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/278 Data partitioning, e.g. horizontal or vertical partitioning
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99936 Pattern matching access
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99937 Sorting
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99953 Recoverability

Abstract

A system and method is described for resolving a conflict detected while synchronizing a first data object in a first store associated with a mobile device and a second data object in a second store associated with a server. Once the conflict is detected, properties of the first data object are compared with corresponding properties of the second data object. If the properties and the corresponding properties that differ are designated as mergeable properties, the properties and the corresponding properties are merged. Merging the properties involves sending a preferred state associated with each of the properties and the corresponding properties to the mobile device and the server for updating the first data object and second data object, respectively, when an initial state for the properties and the corresponding properties is different than the preferred state. The preferred state is based on a likelihood that vital information would be lost if the preferred state did not replace the initial state of the property or the corresponding property. The merging is performed without user-intervention on the mobile device. In addition, the entire first data object or second data object is not sent to the mobile device to achieve the merge, thereby minimizing the data transfer to the mobile device.

Claims

12. A computer-readable medium having computer-executable instructions for synchronizing a first data object associated with a mobile device and a second data object associated with a server, the instructions comprising:

receiving a request for a synchronization event that synchronizes the first data object with the second data object;

during the synchronization event, comparing the first data object to the second data object; and

if a property of the first data object differs from a corresponding property of the second data object, merging the property of the first data object with the corresponding property of the second data object.

13. The computer-readable medium of claim 12, wherein merging the property of the first data object with the corresponding property of the second data object comprises:

determining a preferred state for the property and the corresponding property;

sending the preferred state to the mobile device if an initial state of the property of the first data object is different than the preferred state; and

sending the preferred state to the server if the initial state of the corresponding property of the second data object is different than the preferred state.

14. The computer-readable medium of claim 13, wherein the preferred state is based on a likelihood that vital information would be lost if the preferred state did not replace the initial state when different.

15. The computer-readable medium of claim 12, wherein merging is performed without user-intervention on the mobile device.

16. The computer-readable medium of claim 12, wherein the first data object comprises a set of properties and merging includes sending a sub-set of the set of properties to the mobile device if an initial state of the property that differs from the corresponding property is different than a preferred state.

17. The computer-readable medium of claim 16, wherein the sub-set includes the property that differs from the corresponding property.

18. The computer-readable medium of claim 16, wherein the preferred state is based on a likelihood that vital information would be lost if the preferred state did not replace the initial state when different.

19. A system for resolving a conflict detected during a synchronization session, comprising:

a first device associated with a first data store, the first store storing a plurality of data objects;

a second device associated with a second data store, the second data store storing a plurality of corresponding data objects, each corresponding data object being associated with one of the data objects stored in the first store;

a server configured to detect a conflict between one of the data objects and the corresponding data object when a property of the data object is different than a corresponding property of the corresponding data object and to merge the property of the data object and the corresponding property if different.

1. A computer-implemented method for resolving a conflict detected while synchronizing a first data object in a first store associated with a mobile device and a second data object in a second store associated with a server, comprising:

a) designating at least one property of the first data object as a mergeable property and at least one corresponding property of the second data object as a corresponding mergeable property;

b) determining if the conflict detected comprises a difference between the at least one mergeable property of the first data object and the at least one corresponding mergeable property of the second data object; and

c) if so, merging the first data object and the second data object to resolve the conflict.

2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein merging the first data object and the second data object comprises determining a preferred state for each of the at least one mergeable property and corresponding mergeable property that differ and storing the preferred state in the mergeable property and corresponding mergeable property if an initial state of the mergeable property and the corresponding mergeable property is different than the preferred state.

3. The computer-implemented method of claim 2, wherein the preferred state is related to a likelihood that vital information would be lost if the preferred state did not replace the initial state when different.

4. The computer-implemented method of claim 2, wherein the first data object and the second data object comprise an email object, the mergeable property and corresponding mergeable property comprises a read indicator, and the preferred state comprises an unread state.

5. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein merging is performed without user-intervention on the mobile device.

6. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising sending a notification to the mobile device if merging of the first data object and the second data object was performed.

7. The computer-implemented method of claim 6, wherein the notification includes an identifier associated with the first data object, a property name associated with the mergeable property in conflict and a status describing the conflict.

8. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the first data object and the second data object comprise an email object and the at least one mergeable property and corresponding mergeable property comprises a read indicator.

9. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the first data object and the second data object comprise an appointment object and the at least one mergeable property and corresponding mergeable property comprises a reminder and a reminder time.

10. The computer-implemented method of claim 9, wherein the conflict is resolved by merging a more conservative value of the conflicting properties as the value for both properties.

11. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising determining if values associated with the at least one mergeable property of the first data object and the at least one corresponding mergeable property of the second data object are the same, and if so, dismissing the conflict.

20. The system of claim 19, wherein the server is configured to merge the property of the data object and the corresponding property if different by sending a preferred state for the property to the mobile device if an initial state for the property is different than the preferred state and by sending the preferred state for the corresponding property to the server if the initial state for the corresponding property is different than the preferred state.

21. The system of claim 20, wherein the preferred state is based on a likelihood that vital information would be loss if the preferred state did not replace the initial state when different.

22. The system of claim 21, wherein the data object and the corresponding data object comprise an email object, the property and the corresponding property comprise a read indicator, and the preferred state comprises an unread state.

22-1. The system of claim 19, wherein the server is configured to merge the property of the data object and the corresponding property without user-intervention on the first device.