Remote Replication allows users working outside of your networked office to send and receive data with a simple Outlook email account.

Click here for instructions on setting up your SalesPro Tasks Rule/Alert in Outlook.

Overview
Many times users work outside of the office and need to take a copy of the current server database with them. To do so, they would use the "Create A Replica" utility on the 'Local Replication' tab, which makes an exact copy, record-by-record, of the server database. See the help topic called Local Replication for more information.

Then, when outside of the office, the user can send changes back to the server via their Outlook email account by following the steps below.

NOTE: YOUR Email address and the Replicator Server's email address are setup by your System Administrator and are NOT editable here.

Sending A Package To The Replicator Server
1) Click the 'Replicate With Server' option.
2) Check the 'View Message in Outlook Before Sending' option. This will give you a chance to cancel sending the package if for some reason you change your mind.
3) Click the 'Send Package' button to start the process.

All changes made to your data since your last replication will be zipped up and attached in a new Outlook email message, which will be displayed for you (if you checked the 'View message in Outlook before sending' option). If you have a lot of changes, and the data cannot fit into a 5MB file, one or more additional email messages will be created with the extra attachments.

When the email message(s) appear, verify each one and click the 'Send' button to send it/them.

Sending A Package To Another Client System
Sometimes if you're working remotely with another user, you may find it necessary to replicate your local databases with each other's. You could do a simple 'Local Replication' by copying one database to a flash drive and choosing it for Local Replication, but you can also use the Remote Replication features to have Outlook send the changes to the other user.

NOTE: This utility requires that you select a date on the calendar on this tab, which the replication utility will use to choose which changes to send to the other client database. For example, if you know that the changes you want to share were made since Monday of this week, choose the date of Monday and all changes after 12:00 a.m. on that date will be packaged up and sent.

Follow these steps:
1) Click the 'Replicate With Another Client User' option.
2) Enter the user's email address in the textbox; this should be the same email address that is displayed in the "My Email Address" textbox on the other client's system.
3) Check the 'Let me select the tables to send' option if you only want to send data from one or two pages. For example, if you've added new Report Designs in the Report Designer/Reports page and want to send them to someone to replicate into their database, you can simply choose the 'Reports' table (when prompted after clicking 'Send Package'), keeping your replicaton package very small and quick to send.
4) Check the 'View Message in Outlook Before Sending' option. This will give you a chance to cancel sending the package if for some reason you change your mind.
5) Click the 'Send Package' button to start the process.

If you checked "Let me select the tables to send' option you'll be prompted to choose from the list of available tables, much like doing a local replication.

All changes made to your data since the selected date will be zipped up and attached in a new Outlook email message, which will be displayed for you (if you checked the 'View message in Outlook before sending' option). If you have a lot of changes, and the data cannot fit into a 5MB file, one or more additional email messages will be created with the extra attachments.

When the email message(s) appear, verify each one and click the 'Send' button to send it/them.

Unlike sending a package to the Replicator Server, which then returns a package to you, a client-to-client replication is a one-way action. In other words, you can send your changes to another client using the steps above, but to get any changes from that client, he/she will need to do the same and send a client-to-client package back to YOU. Only the Replicator Server automatically returns a package when it receives one.

Receiving A Package From The Server
How quickly your replication package and sent and a new one sent back to you by the Replicator Server depends on how fast your Internet connection is and how busy the email server is. You may get a package back in a few minutes, or it may take several hours.

The return package from the Replicator Server will appear in your Outlook Inbox. When you see it there, click the 'Incoming Pkg' button on this tab to begin processing it. You will be asked if you want to process it; if you cancel, you can click the 'Incoming Pkgs' button later to start the replication again.

Types of Replication Packages from the Server
Typically you will simply receive a response to YOUR replication request from the Replicator Server. However, if you are a new user and do NOT have a copy of the company's production database, the System Administrator will send you a full copy via Outlook, complete with your Security login and password.

If that type of package is sent, you will be prompted for a location for creating a new database. Please follow any instructions through that process and pay particular attention to the prompt that appears when the data is complete as it will tell you your Login Name and Password for the new database.

Other replication types may also be sent from the Replicator Server; for example, when a program update is available, you may be notified by a special replication package that will give you specific instructions for updating your system.

Receiving A Package From Another Client
When you see the package from another client come into your Outlook email Inbox, click the 'Incoming Pkg' button on this tab to start processing it, which will be just like processing one from the Replicator Server.

Outlook Inbox Folder
Replication searches in your 'Inbox' folder for incoming replication packages and task notifications. If your inbox has many messages, it may take a long time for these searches, as it needs to look through all of them.

You can specify a different folder by using the default, 'SalesPro Tasks' or entering a new folder name in the 'My Outlook Inbox Is:' field.  Then click the 'Verify Folder' button to create it or verify it. A message will follow, reminding you to setup a rule in Outlook for using this folder, and it will copy to the Windows clipboard the text you will need in Step 2 below.

To automate this, you will also need to add a rule in Outlook to automatically put all replication emails into this folder. Choose Tools, Rules & Alerts, New Rule from the Outlook menu, then follow the steps on the dialog:

Step 1 - Select a template

Choose to 'Move messages with specific words in the subject to a folder'.

Step 2 - Edit the description (click an underlined value)

Click on the 'specific words' link and use Ctrl+V to paste the words from the windows clipboard. Click 'Add' and 'Ok' to close the dialog.

Then click on the 'specified' (folder) link and choose the new folder.  The results should look like this: