Prepare to use the Data Resynchronization utility

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Q11105 - HOWTO: Prepare to use the Data Resynchronization utility

Summary
To assist shared database users in determining if there is any shared data that needs to be resynchronized, a utility is being deployed and installed as part of the latest service pack, RM(d) SP1. This service pack is required to complete the necessary workgroup synchronization program updates

Download the "RM(d) SPI" service pack and install at the server and all clients. Do this even if your version already says "RM(d)" or "SP1" without the "d" under Help - About in Commence.
Delete permissions are required to all categories containing data to be resynchronized. Review the Delete Permissions section below for more information.

This article is intended for Commence Administrators and discusses how to prepare to deploy the RM(d) SP1 service pack and how to configure and use the Workgroup Data Resynchronization utility. This article will also help you select the appropriate advanced options if needed for your workgroup before running the Data Resynchronization utility.

Delete Permissions
The Data Synchronization utility resynchronizes data by recreating items that contains unique markers. During this process the original data is deleted. If the clients do not normally have delete permissions, several temporary options are available depending on the complexity of your workgroup's permissions configuration. Choose from the following options for your workgroup:

Changing Default Permissions << recommended for large workgroups
Changing Permissions for specific users << recommended for smaller or dispersed workgroups
Requiring users to Login to Server << recommended for dispersed workgroups

After the data from all clients has been processed, the permissions can be reset to their original configuration as needed. Each option is discussed in more detail below.

Option 1: Changing Default Permissions

The Commence Administrator can temporarily change the default permissions for the entire workgroup. This option is best used when the default permissions specify No Delete, and most users are set to use the default.

For Commence Designer Edition, select Customize -> Workgroup, then click Next to open the Database Options window. Click the Default Permissions button then click Edit Permissions. Select the categories containing data to be resynchronized. If the current Delete permission is set to None, change this to "All". No change is necessary if the current permission is "Selective". Press Save and Finish.

For Commence Application Suite, select Tools -> Customize -> Workgroup, then click Next to open the Database Options window. Click the Default Permissions button then click Edit Permissions. Select the categories containing data to be resynchronized. If the current Delete permission is set to None, change this to "All". No change is necessary if the current permission is "Selective". Press Save and Finish.

If changing the workgroup delete permissions, do not apply the RM(d) SP1 service pack to the server until the permission change has synchronized out to all the clients. Users must be in sync with the server to receive the permission change.

Option 2: Changing Permissions for specific users

The Commence Administrator can temporarily update the permissions for each individual client to Delete All. This is a good option if just a few users need their Delete permissions to be updated.

For Commence Designer Edition, select Customize -> Workgroup, then click Next twice to open the Permissions window. Select the specific users and click the Edit Permissions button. Select the categories containing data to be resynchronized. If the current Delete permission is set to None, change this to "All". No change is necessary if the current permission is "Selective". Press Save and Finish.
For Commence Application Suite, select Tools -> Customize -> Workgroup, then click Next twice to open the Permissions window. Select the specific users and click the Edit Permissions button. Select the categories containing data to be resynchronized. If the current Delete permission is set to None, change this to "All". No change is necessary if the current permission is "Selective". Press Save and Finish.

If changing the workgroup delete permissions for specific users, do not apply the RM(d) SP1 service pack to the server until the permission change has synchronized out to these clients. The specific users must be in sync with the server to receive the permission change.

Option 3: Requiring Users to Login to Server

For more complex permission configurations, another option is to require one or more users to temporarily login to their Commence client as the Administrator. The option to 'Require users to login..' should be turned on at the server if it is not already enabled.

For Commence Designer Edition, select Customize -> Workgroup, then click Next to open the Database Options window. Turn on the option to 'Require users to Login to the Shared Database' by checking the box. Press Finish to save this change.
For Commence Application Suite, select Tools -> Customize -> Workgroup, then click Next to open the Database Options window. Turn on the option to 'Require users to Login to the Shared Database' by checking the box. Press Finish to save this change.

This is a global setting for the entire workgroup that will facilitate running the Data Synchronization utility. Once the login prompt has been enabled, users with the correct delete permissions can still login using their regular login ID. Only the users with insufficeint delete permissions need to login as Administrator.

The advantages to this option are its ease of use and its immediate effectiveness. Clients do not need to be 100% in sync with the server. Additionally, users logged in as Administrator will not gain access to any records they do not have permissions to view.

One disadvantage is that users logged in as Administrator will be granted temporary author rights, allowing them to modify shared views. Users should exercise caution while logged in as Administrator and should be instructed to say No to any prompts to save changed views. After the data from all clients has been processed, the password for the Administrator login should be changed to prevent unauthorized logins in the future.

More Information

The SP1 release includes the Data Resynchronization utility which is used to identify and resynchronize shared data added after March 19, 2006 that might not have synchronized with the server. The release also introduces a new command line option, /NOSYNC, that allows users to temporarily suspend workgroup synchronization.

Note: Mixed version workgroups are not supported. Clients that are not at the proper service pack level will receive an error when attempting to synchronize with the server. This safeguard is designed to store shared data at the client until it can be successfully synchronized.

Review the steps below to prepare to use the Data Resynchronization utility.

Server Processing

The RM(d) SP1 service pack must be installed at the server first. The first time you run the utility at the server, choose the Advanced option and Scan only. This will give you a preview of what to expect. See the Advanced section below for more information about Scan Only vs. Scan & Update modes.

Download and install the RM(d) SP1 service pack at the server. Copy this file to a shared drive so that it is accessible to all clients.

Backup the data at the server. You will be prompted to backup the data after the service pack has been applied. You can safely cancel if you have a current backup.

When prompted, choose to run the Data Resynchronization utility after the service pack has been applied.

Select Advanced, then Scan only.

Commence will be launched minimized by the utility. If prompted to run Commence a second time, say No.

Note: The /NOAGENTS and /NOSYNC command line options will be in effect when Commence is auto- launched by the utility. This will suspend all synchronization and agent activity for the active database. Be sure to close and restart Commence after the utility has completed processing.

After all the clients have been processed, run the Data Resynchronization utility one final time at the server in Scan & Update mode. To do this, you can manually apply the /NOAGENTS and /NOSYNC command line options to the Commence shortcut before launching Commence and opening the database. Then run the utility by using the start menu shortcut or by double-clicking the WGResync.exe file in the Commence program folder. You may be prompted to login multiple times; enter the correct login and password each time to proceed. See the Related Articles for assistance with applying command line options.

Client Processing

The Data Resynchronization utility should be run at each client workstation to resynchronize any shared data that was recently added.

A wizard will guide the user through each step of the process. The final step will prompt them for an email address so that a log file can be sent to the Commence Adminstrator. Review this log to ensure each client has successfully processed their shared data.

Backup the data at the client.

Install the RM(d) SP1 service pack at the client.

Run the Data Resynchronization utility at the client. Make sure the client knows whether to choose the Express or Advanced option.

The active database in Commence should be launched automatically by the utility with the appropriate command line options.

If prompted to login, make sure the user has delete rights or can login as Administrator.

Close and restart Commence.

Advanced users may choose not to run the Data Resynchronization utility immediately after applying the service pack. You can manually apply the /NOAGENTS and /NOSYNC command line options to the Commence shortcut before launching Commence and opening the database. Then run the utility by using the start menu shortcut or by double-clicking the WGResync.exe file in the Commence program folder. You may be prompted to login multiple times; enter the correct login (one with sufficient delete rights) and password each time to proceed.

After all the clients have been processed, verify the administrator has received the result log from each client. Also confirm the server contains items that were resynchronized. Use any of the client result logs to identify items that were added between March 20 and the date the service pack was first installed.

Express (default)
The Data Resynchronization utility is already configured to use the default options that are best for a typical workgroup. This will scan the database for any items that need to be resynchronized and automatically update these items to resend the data to the server.

Simply notify each user to choose the Express button when running the tool. Also make a quick update to the instruction sheet template to make sure they have your correct email address to send the log files to you.

Options for Express scan & update (default):
Show THID details = yes
Ask each category = no
Update items after 3-19-2006 = yes
Minimize questions = yes

Advanced Options
If you choose to change some of the options for your workgroup, you should notify each user to choose the Advanced button when running the tool. You should also update the instruction sheet to note the different options. Some suggested configuration changes are detailed below.

Scan Only
The first time you run the Data Resynchronization utility you may want to have greater control over the process. The tool can be configured to be more interactive by prompting you before each step. You can also choose to simply review the resulting log file without performing the actual resynchronization. This 'dry-run' is useful for determining the amount of data that will be processed so that you can better estimate how long it should take to resynchronize.

Options for interactive scan only:
Show THID details = yes
Ask each category = yes
Update items after 3-19-2006 = no
Minimize questions = no

Scan & Update
This configuration allows the Workgroup Resync tool to update the necessary records but will notify you at each step and prompt you if there are any questions.

Options for interactive scan & update:
Show THID details = yes
Ask each category = yes
Update items after 3-19-2006 = yes
Minimize questions = no

Verbosity level of the log file
The log file is designed to contain a detailed record of all resynchronized items, including their internal ID numbers. However this additional detail may cause the log file to be difficult to browse. The log file can be made less verbose by turning off the option to 'Show THID details'.

Options for less verbose log file:
Show THID details = no
Ask each category = no
Update items after 3-19-2006 = yes
Minimize questions = yes

Special Considerations
Local items
The Data Resynchronization utility will process local data added after March 19th along with shared data. If you added local items as a workaround before the service pack was applied, these items will automatically be shared and synchronized with the server upon running the Database Synchronization utility.

Local items added prior to March 20th will remain local and will not be shared by the Data Synchronization utility.
If there was any private data (items you do NOT wish to share) added after March 20th, these items should be marked so that you can identify them later.

Marking an item can be as simple as entering a unique text string in the name or notes field such as "-L". However you should not use wildcards (* or ?) to mark items since these are considered reserved characters in Commence filters. After the utility has completed its processing, filter for these items, then use the Edit - Copy Item command to copy and resave it privately. Once the local item is saved, the shared item can be deleted.

Multiple shared databases
If there are multiple shared databases you should manually apply the /NOAGENTS /NOSYNC /PROMPT command line options to your Commence shortcut. Close and restart Commence to select a different shared database. Run the utility using the start menu shortcut or by double-clicking the WGResync.exe file in the Commence program folder.

Applies To