Coordinated synchronization

• US 7,373,362 B2
• Filed: 11/19/2001
• Issued: 05/13/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 11/19/2001
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Sybase Incorporated (SAP SE)
• Original Assignee: Extended Systems Inc. (SAP SE)
• Inventors: Butler, David, Detweiler, Richard, Jeide, Scott A., Ramanujam, Srinivasan
• Primary Examiner(s): Vu; Kim
• Assistant Examiner(s): GYORFI, THOMAS A
• Application Number:
  US10/075,134
• Publication Number:
  US 20030097381A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,367 Days
• Field of Search: 707/8, 707/201, 707/10, 707/203, 709213-216
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/2308 Concurrency control transaction processing G06F9/466
• 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: Y10S 707/99952 Coherency, e.g. same view to multiple users
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99953 Recoverability

Abstract

A coordinating push and user-initiated synchronization method and system. Initially, changes to a local application data store are detected and records affected by the change are identified. At some point, a record affected by a detected change is pushed to a remote system where it is ascertained whether the pushed record, in its current form as affected by the detected change, has already been replicated in or deleted from a remote application data store through user-initiated synchronization. If not, the pushed record is used to update the remote application data store. Instead, at some point it may be ascertained whether the identified record, in its current form as affected by the detected change, has been replicated in or deleted from the remote application data store through push synchronization as just described. If not, the remote application data store is synchronized with the local application data store.

Claims

1. A coordinated push synchronization method, comprising the acts of:

detecting changes to a local application data store;

identifying a record affected by a detected change;

pushing the identified record to a remote application data store;

ascertaining whether the pushed record, in its current form as affected by the detected change, has already been replicated or deleted in the remote application data store in order to determine whether the remote application data store will be updated with the pushed record;

if not, updating the remote application data store with the pushed record and identifying the pushed record in the remote application data store as having been pushed from the local application data store to the remote application data store, otherwise ignoring the pushed record;

wherein the act of pushing the identified record comprises;

if the identified record has been detected as being new, pushing a replica of the identified record with instructions to save the replica in the remote application data store;

if the identified record has been detected as being modified, pushing a replica of the identified record with instructions to save the replica in the remote application data store replacing a prior version of the record; and

if the identified record has been detected as being deleted, pushing instructions to delete a prior version of the identified record contained in the remote application data store.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the act of ascertaining includes comparing a local change counter associated with the pushed record in the local application data store with a remote change counter associated with a corresponding record in the remote application data store.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the act of identifying the pushed record in the remote application data store as a pushed record comprises associating an indicator with the pushed record identifying the pushed record in the remote application data store as a pushed record.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the act of associating comprises setting a coordination flag for the pushed record.

5. A coordinated user-initiated synchronization method, comprising the acts of:

detecting changes to a local application data store;

identifying a record affected by a detected change;

ascertaining whether the identified record, in its current form as affected by the detected change, was pushed to the local application data store from a remote application data store; and

if not, synchronizing the remote application data store with the local application data store;

wherein the act of synchronizing comprises;

if the identified record has been detected as being new, replicating the identified record in the remote application data store;

if the identified record has been detected as being modified, replicating the identified record in the remote application data store replacing a prior version of the record; and

if the identified record has been detected as being deleted, deleting the version of the identified record from the remote application data store.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the act of ascertaining includes examining an indicator associated with a pushed record identifying the pushed record in the remote application data store as a pushed record.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the indicator comprises a coordination flag, a set coordination flag indicating that a record is a pushed record and a reset coordination flag indicating that the record is not a pushed record.

8. A coordinated push and user-initiated synchronization method, comprising:

detecting changes to a local application data store;

identifying a first record in the local application data store affected by a detected change;

pushing the first record to a remote application data store;

ascertaining whether the pushed record, in its current form as affected by the detected change, has already been replicated in or deleted from the remote application data store and, if not, updating the remote application data store with the pushed record;

detecting changes to the remote application data store;

identifying a second record in the remote application data store affected by a detected change;

ascertaining whether the second record, in its current form as affected by the detected change, has already been pushed into the remote application data store in order to determine whether the remote application data store will be updated with the pushed record and, if not, synchronizing the remote application data store with the local application data store, otherwise ignoring the pushed record;

wherein the act of pushing the first record comprises;

if the first record has been detected as being new, pushing a replica of the first record with instructions to save the replica in the remote application data store;

if the first record has been detected as being modified, pushing a replica of the first record with instructions to save the replica in the remote application data store replacing a prior version of the record; and

if the first record has been detected as being deleted, pushing instructions to delete a prior version of the first record contained in the remote application data store.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the act of ascertaining whether the pushed record has been replicated in or deleted from the remote application data store includes comparing a local change counter associated with the pushed record in the local application data store with a remote change counter associated with a corresponding record in the remote application data store.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein the act of ascertaining whether the pushed record has been replicated in or deleted from the remote application data store includes examining an indicator associated with the pushed record identifying the pushed record in the remote application data store as a pushed record.

11. The method of claim 8, further comprising, after updating the remote application data store with the pushed record, identifying the pushed record in the remote application data store as having been pushed from the local application data store to the remote application data store.

12. A coordinated push synchronization computer program product comprising a computer useable medium having computer readable instructions thereon for:

detecting changes to a local application data store;

identifying a record affected by a detected change;

pushing the identified record to a remote application data store;

ascertaining whether the pushed record, in its current form as affected by the detected change, has already been replicated or deleted in the remote application data store in order to determine whether the remote application data store will be updated with the pushed record;

if not, updating the remote application data store with the pushed record and identifying the pushed record in the remote application data store as having been pushed from the local application data store to the remote application data store, otherwise ignoring the pushed record;

wherein the instructions for pushing the identified record comprise instructions for;

if the identified record has been detected as being new, pushing a replica of the identified record with instructions to save the replica in the remote application data store;

if the identified record has been detected as being modified, pushing a replica of the identified record with instructions to save the replica in the remote application data store replacing a prior version of the record; and

if the identified record has been detected as being deleted, pushing instructions to delete a prior version of the identified contained in the remote application data store.

13. The product of claim 12, wherein the instructions for ascertaining include instructions for comparing a local change counter associated with the pushed record in the local application data store with a remote change counter associated with a corresponding record in the remote application data store.

14. The product of claim 12, wherein the instructions for identifying the pushed record in the remote application data store as a pushed record comprise instructions for associating an Indicator with the pushed record identifying the pushed record in the remote application data store as a pushed record.

15. A coordinated user-initiated synchronization computer program product comprising a computer useable medium having computer readable instructions thereon for:

detecting changes to a local application data store;

identifying a record affected by a detected change;

ascertaining whether the identified record, in its current form as affected by the detected change, was pushed to the local application data store from a remote application data store; and

if not, synchronizing the remote application data store with the local application data store;

wherein the instructions for synchronizing comprise instructions for;

if the identified record has been detected as being new, replicating the identified record in the remote application data store;

if the identified record has been detected as being modified, replicating the identified record in the remote application data store replacing a prior version of the record; and

if the identified record has been detected as being deleted, deleting the version of the identified record from the remote application data store.

16. The product of claim 15, wherein the instructions for ascertaining include instructions for examining an indicator associated with a pushed record identifying the pushed record in the remote application data store as a pushed record.

17. A coordinated push and user-initiated synchronization computer program product comprising a computer useable medium having computer readable instructions thereon for:

detecting changes to a local application data store;

identifying a first record in the local application data store affected by a detected change;

pushing the first record to a remote application data store;

ascertaining whether the pushed record, in its current form as affected by the detected change, has already been replicated in or deleted the remote application data store and, if not, updating the remote application data store with the pushed record;

detecting changes to the remote application data store;

identifying a second record in the remote application data store affected by a detected change;

ascertaining whether the second record, in its current form as affected by the detected change, has already been pushed into the remote application data store in order to determine whether the remote application data store will be updated with the pushed record and, if not, synchronizing the remote application data store with the local application data store, otherwise ignoring the pushed record;

wherein the instructions for pushing the first record comprise instructions for;

if the first record has been detected as being new, pushing a replica of the first record with instructions to save the replica in the remote application data store;

if the first record has been detected as being modified, pushing a replica of the first record with instructions to save the replica in the remote application data store replacing a prior version of the record; and

if the first record has been detected as being deleted, pushing instructions to delete a prior version of the first record contained in the remote application data store.

18. The product of claim 17, wherein the instructions for ascertaining whether the pushed record has been replicated in or deleted from the remote application data store include instructions for comparing a local change counter associated with the pushed record in the local application data store with a remote change counter associated with a corresponding record in the remote application data store.

19. The product of claim 17, wherein the instructions for ascertaining whether the pushed record has been replicated in or deleted from the remote application data store include instructions for examining an indicator associated with the pushed record identifying the pushed record in the remote application data store as a pushed record.

20. The product of claim 17, further comprising instructions for, after updating the remote application data store with the pushed record, identifying the pushed record in the remote application data store as having been pushed from the local application data store to the remote application data store.