Question

We are trying to synchronize between SQL Lite databases hosted on different Android devices, and SQL server database hosted on a central server. We eliminated the use of a Webservice because of a client precondition. Could there be another way?

PS: We are allowed to hook the devices at the end of the day to a server that can host a windows service application or a windows forms application for the synchronization process.

Thanks

Answer 1

How would you hook them to a server “at the end of the day?” Typically what you would do in this sort of situation is write a custom app on the device that synced the data whenever it was possible.

You could do this in a variety of ways.

The first is to write a Service that sits and checks to see if it has the ability to connect with a web server (for example, you could simply use the LAN connection and make a preference have a string which determined what server you wanted to sync to), and then do the sync that way.

This service could be controlled by an Intent. You could also write a script which issued commands to adb which did the necessary transitions back and forth between the device (if it were hooked up via USB) to do the sync.

I would think that the best way to go about this might be to create a “sync” Activity in your app. This activity could have a button that when pressed initiated the sync with the remote client via internet (which you said you had, but how are you going to hook up to it?).