Siebel Medical Handheld Guide > Working with Siebel Handheld Applications > Synchronizing Data on Your Handheld Device >

Using Companion Synchronization with the Siebel Handheld Client

If you are using Companion Synchronization, you must follow a three-step process to synchronize you Handheld application, remote, and server databases. Immediately before and after every Siebel Remote synchronization, you must perform a Companion Synchronization. This process can be time consuming for the user and difficult for the administrator to enforce.

Integrated Synchronization eliminates the need for you to initiate three separate synchronization sessions for each Siebel Remote synchronization.

Before using Integrated Synchronization, you must specify or add the parameter RemoteCfgName in the [pda] section of medicalce.cfg for the CFG file that will be used to invoke Siebel Remote synchronization. For example, RemoteCfgName=emedical.cfg. If you do not specify this parameter it will default to siebel.cfg. This parameter is used by Siebel Handheld application synchronization to invoke Siebel Remote. It applies only when synchronizing using the Integrated Synchronization option.

Integrated Synchronization automatically initiates each of the following synchronization steps:

1. Handheld Upload and Processing - Handheld application transactions are uploaded to the companion PC and processed.
2. Siebel Remote Synchronization - The Siebel Mobile Client is synchronized with the Siebel Server. Transactions on the Mobile Client database are uploaded to the Siebel Server, and changes to the Siebel Server are downloaded to the Mobile Client database.

   CAUTION:  If there is a Handheld application patch staged on the server, synchronization terminates and the patch is installed. After the patch installation is completed, you are prompted to synchronize again (using either Integrated Synchronization or Companion Synchronization) to complete the data extraction and download (that is, move to Step 3). It is critical that you synchronize a second time after the patch installation is completed. If you fail to do so, you will not be able to start the Siebel Handheld application.

3. Handheld Data Extract and Download - Data is extracted from the Mobile Client database to the handheld device database.

You can use Companion Synchronization to synchronize your Handheld application with Siebel Mobile Client as many times as you wish between Integrated Synchronization sessions. However, it is recommended that you conduct Integrated Synchronization sessions frequently so that the Siebel Remote synchronization process does not take long periods of time to complete and update conflicts are minimized.

To perform Companion Synchronization from the PC

1. From the companion PC, establish a Microsoft ActiveSync connection to the handheld device.
2. From the companion PC, choose Start, Programs, then Siebel Handheld Sync.

   The Siebel Handheld Synchronization dialog box appears.

   1. Enter your name and password.
   2. Select the Perform Remote Sync check box to perform an Integrated Synchronization.

      If you want to perform a Companion Synchronization only, then unselect the Perform Remote Sync check box.

      Selected Bypass Set Filters skips the step of selecting the filters and immediately starts the synchronization process. If you select Bypass Set Filters, then the filters that you selected the last time you synchronized are used. If this is the first time you are synchronize, then the default filters are used.

3. Tap Start.

   NOTE:  Tap Default Filters to restore the filter selection to the default setting.

4. Tap OK and tap Start to begin synchronization.
   1. The Siebel Handheld Sync dialog box appears. If "Perform Remote Sync" was selected, this is followed by the Siebel Remote dialog box. When synchronization has successfully completed, the Finished dialog box appears.
   2. If a Handheld application patch needs to be installed, the synchronization process is interrupted and the patch is installed. After the patch is installed, you must restart Siebel Handheld application synchronization to complete the data extract process. If you fail to do so, you cannot start your application.
   3. The Finished dialog box appears indicating that the synchronization has successfully completed.
5. Tap OK to exit Siebel Handheld Sync.

   NOTE:  If synchronization errors occur, an error dialog box appears.

You can also perform a companion synchronization by running hhsync.exe from the command line. This executable runs in silent mode without user input, It allows customers to launch Handheld Sync without entering a user name and password. This can be done by including the hhsync.exe in a batch file.

To perform Companion Synchronization from the command line

1. From the companion PC, establish a Microsoft ActiveSync connection to the handheld device.
2. Choose Start, Programs, Accessories, then Command Prompt
3. Enter the following command:

   Run hhsync.exe /u sporter /p sporter /errlog d:\txn.log /remote Y /remote_mode F

   where:

   /u =<User name> (Required)

   /p = <Password>

   /errlog = <Transaction error file path/name>

   /remote = <Perform remote sync. Accepted values: Y or N>

   /remote_mode = <Remote sync mode. Accepted values: F or U. F: Full Sync and U: Upload Only.

Companion Synchronization can also be performed in the method described for Direct Server Synchronization via Proxy in Using Direct Server Synchronization with the Siebel Handheld Application Client.

To perform Companion Synchronization from the handheld device

1. Start the synchronization process from the application-level menu.

   For information about how to start synchronization from the application-level menu, see the online help for the Siebel Handheld application.

2. In the Sync window, select the Enable Remote Sync check box. It is disabled by default.

   For information on changing the parameter value for EnableRemote in the setup.ini file, see Siebel Handheld Application setup.ini Parameters.

3. See the steps for synchronizing using DSSvP in the procedure To synchronize with the Siebel Handheld Application Server.