Synchronizing agent for multiple clients/applications on a computer system

• US 20060015539A1
• Filed: 07/28/2004
• Published: 01/19/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 07/16/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: SAP SE
• Original Assignee: SAP AG (SAP SE)
• Inventors: Sacks, David L., Wolf, Werner G.
• Granted Patent: US 7,567,988 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• 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 16/275 Synchronous replication
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99933 Query processing, i.e. searching
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99952 Coherency, e.g. same view to multiple users

Abstract

A suite of features for use by a synchronization agent to synchronize data records among two or more clients. Some of the embodiments enhance conventional synchronization features by providing customizable response of a synchronization agent to an operator'"'"'s needs. For example, conditions may be defined that permit various client records to be synchronized according to policies that differ from default synchronization policies. Different synchronization policies may be triggered by the content of data records or by the clients from which the records originate. Other features may cause automatic population of fields within data records or resolution of synchronization conflicts.

Claims

1. A system, comprising:

a pair of clients, each to store data records of at least one common type,

a synchronization agent provided in communication with the clients that, when engaged, surveys records of the clients and synchronizes them according to a predetermined metric, the synchronization agent comprising a rule set identifying at least two synchronization policies to be performed upon like kind records stored by the clients and conditions for invoking the respective synchronization policies.

2. A method for synchronizing data records among multiple clients, comprising:

identifying data records from the clients that are candidates for synchronization,

comparing data from a candidate record against a filtering condition, and

if the comparison generates a match, synchronizing the candidate record.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the filtering condition is a client record.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein the candidate record is not synchronized if the comparison does not generate a match.

5. The method of claim 2, wherein the filtering conditions are different for different clients.

6. A method for synchronizing data records among multiple clients, comprising:

determining whether a conflict exists among data records stored by multiple clients,

displaying contents of the conflicting records on a field-by-field basis, and

based on operator input, generating a synchronization record from the conflicting records, and

storing the synchronization record to at least one client.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein a conflict is determined when copies of data records on different clients have different data.

8. A method for synchronizing data records among multiple clients, comprising:

responsive to an operator command, identifying a data record currently being viewed by a first client, and

synchronizing the data record with a corresponding data record stored by a second client.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein no other records of the first client are synchronized in response to the operator command.

10. A method for synchronizing data records among multiple clients, comprising:

identifying data records from the clients that are candidates for synchronization,

if a candidate record is incomplete, identifying a second record related to the first record,

completing data of the candidate record using data from the second record,

synchronizing at least one client using the completed candidate the record.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the second record is identified from an express link stored by the first record.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein the identifying comprises:

comparing data of the candidate record to corresponding data from other stored records, and

selecting the second record based on a degree of similarity between the data of the candidate record and the second record.

13. The method of claim 10, further comprising, prior to the synchronizing, querying an operator for confirmation of the completed data.

14. The method of claim 10, wherein the second record is stored on a client different from the first record.

15. A method for synchronizing data records among multiple clients, comprising:

identifying task records from the clients that are candidates for synchronization,

determining whether any of the candidate task records show that the task has been completed,

synchronizing task records that have not been completed.

16. A method for synchronizing data records among multiple clients, comprising:

identifying data records from the clients that are candidates for synchronization,

displaying a query to an operator to select/de-select records for inclusion in a synchronization operation, and

responsive to the operator'"'"'s selections, synchronizing selected records.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein de-selected records are excluded from synchronization.

18. A multi-client system, comprising:

a customer relationship management (CRM) client storing data representing a plurality of customers,

a second client, and

a synchronization agent having includes a plurality of engageable templates that, when activated, causes a customer snapshot to be created from data records stored by the CRM client according to engaged templates and stored on the second client.

19. The multi-client system of claim 18, wherein the second client is a mobile computing device.

20. The multi-client system of claim 18, wherein the second client shares a common computing platform with the CRM client.