Designing Synchronized Applications
Page 2 of 7

Application Design Overview

Cloudscape synchronization is designed to make it easy to create distributed applications using intermittently connected databases. Designing a synchronized system using Cloudsync is not very different from designing a multi-user single-database system. Much of the logic in Cloudsync's work units is the same as in a multi-user client/server database application--for example, validating a customer or checking whether enough items are available to fill an order.

There is one important difference between single-database and distributed applications. In a typical single-database client/server framework, the user is continually connected to the database and can provide immediate direction and input. For example, if a user tries to order a toy that is not available, the application can immediately send the user a message asking whether to choose another toy or cancel the order. In an intermittently connected distributed system, on the other hand, the changes a user makes at a target may apply at the source some time later, making immediate user feedback impractical.