System and method for resolving conflicts detected during a synchronization

• US 7,584,186 B2
• Filed: 10/14/2005
• Issued: 09/01/2009
• 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, Chen, James S. L., Flanagin, Stephen D.
• Primary Examiner(s): ALAM, SHAHID AL
• Application Number:
  US11/250,742
• Publication Number:
  US 20060059208A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,418 Days
• Field of Search: 707/1, 707/10, 707/203, 707/6, 707/7, 709/201, 709/205
• 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 16/278 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

1. A computer-implemented method for resolving a synchronization conflict, comprising:

designating a first property of a first data file as a mergeable property and designating a second corresponding property of a second data file as mergeable;

determining whether a detected conflict includes a difference between the first property and the second corresponding property, wherein the conflict is detected by the presence of a dirty indicator in the first data file and a dirty indicator in the second data file; and

when the detected conflict does not include a difference, removing the dirty indicator from both the first data file and the second data file, wherein synchronization is not performed on the first property and the second corresponding property.

2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising merging the first property and the second corresponding property to form a single file in two stores, when the detected conflict includes a difference between the first property and the second corresponding property.

3. The computer-implemented method of claim 2, wherein merging includes determining a preferred state for the first property and the second corresponding property when the initial state of the first property and the second corresponding property is different than the preferred state.

4. The computer-implemented method of claim 3, 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.

5. The computer-implemented method of claim 3, wherein the first property and the second corresponding property include a read indicator, and the preferred state includes an unread state.

6. The computer-implemented method of claim 2, wherein merging is performed without user-intervention on the mobile device.

7. The computer-implemented method of claim 2, further comprising sending a notification to a mobile device when merging of the first property and the second corresponding property is performed.

8. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the first property and the second corresponding property include a read indicator.

9. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the first property and the second corresponding property include a reminder and a reminder time.

10. The computer-implemented method of claim 9, wherein the conflict is resolved by merging a reminder with an earlier reminder time of the conflicting properties as the value for both properties.

11. A computer readable storage medium having computer-executable instructions for resolving a synchronization conflict, the instructions comprising:

designating a first property of a first data file as a mergeable property and designating a second corresponding property of a second data file as mergeable;

determining whether a detected conflict includes a difference between the first property and the second corresponding property, wherein the conflict is detected by the presence of a dirty indicator in the first data file and a dirty indicator in the second data file; and

when the detected conflict does not include a difference, removing the dirty indicator from both the first data file and the second data file, wherein synchronization is not performed on the first property and the second corresponding property.

12. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 11, further comprising merging the mergeable property of the first date file with the corresponding mergeable property of the second data file, when the mergeable property of the first date file and the corresponding mergeable property of the second data file are different.

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

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

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

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

14. The computer-readable storage 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 storage medium of claim 13, wherein merging is performed without user-intervention on the mobile device.

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

17. A system, comprising:

a processor; and

a storage having computer-executable instructions stored thereon, wherein the computer executable instructions are configured to;

designating a first property of a first data file as a mergeable property and designating a second corresponding property of a second data file as mergeable;

determining whether a detected conflict includes a difference between the first property and the second corresponding property, wherein the conflict is detected by the presence of a dirty indicator in the first data file and a dirty indicator in the second data file; and

when the detected conflict does not include a difference, removing the dirty indicator from both the first data file and the second data file, wherein synchronization is not performed on the first property and the second corresponding property.

18. The system of claim 17, further comprising merging the first property and the second corresponding property to form a single file in two stores, when the detected conflict includes a difference between the first property and the second corresponding property.

19. The system of claim 18, wherein merging includes determining a preferred state for the first property and the second corresponding property when the initial state of the first property and the second corresponding property is different than the preferred state.

20. The system of claim 19, 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.