Getting Started with Data Synchronisation Studio

Welcome to our Getting Started guide for Data Synchronisation Studio, commonly known as Data Sync.

Data Sync works on the principle of data comparison; where you compare two data sources and the Data Sync engine calculates the differences between them. It works by joining the data sets via Key Column(s) defined int he schema map which are used to identify each record as unique. The changes are output as a series of Add, Update, or Delete actions and these can be synchronised and applied to the target system to make the target the same as the source.

The Data Sync Designer is where you design your Data projects, this is the UI you open and it allows you to quickly and easily build and test your data projects.

Below we will cover a tour of the various areas of Data Sync to help you navigate your way around the UI. We also cover the core concepts that form the basis of your projects.

Tour

When you first open Data Sync you will be greeted with a page that looks like the screen capture below:

1 - Start Screen

The start page will show any recently opened data sync projects and will enable you to either create a new project or open a saved project.

2 - Data Source A (Source)

This is where you will connect to your Source data source. Once connected you will be able to view the source connection properties and columns available. You can then add columns to your schema map.

3 - Data Source B (Target)

This is where you will connect to your Target data source. Once connected you will be able to view the target connection properties and columns available. You can then add columns to your schema map.

4 - Connection Library Tree View

This window is the Connection Library Tree View window. Once you have saved connections to the Connection Library they will be visible in this window. You can then drag and drop connections onto your Source and Target Windows.

5 - Output Window

This is the Output window, where all feedback from Data Sync will be shown. This includes errors and successful or failed synchronisations.

6 - Menu Bar and Shortcuts

The Menu bar will give you access to all of the functions available in Data Sync.

File

The file menu enables you to create a new project, open a saved project, save or save as the current project you are working on, view recent files, check the project properties or close the whole program.

View

The View Menu enables you to open and write Dynamic Columns and Project Automation code. You can also reopen the Connection Library tree view window from this menu if you have closed this.

Tools

The Tools Menu is generally the most used menu within Data Sync. It contains the create functions for the various connector types, for example Create SQL Table and Create SharePoint List. You can schedule your Data Sync Projects using the Create Scheduled Task and you can open up the project in the Run Tool to take the scheduling further. You can also swap your Source and Target at the click of a button and you can open the Connection Library and Schema Cache Folders in file explorer.

The Tools Menu also enables you to perform more advanced functions such as writing a new data provider, add encryption to your projects, and create and apply mapping rules.

From this menu you can also open the Ouvvi Deployment Manager to manage and install your Ouvvi Management instances.

Help

The Help Menu gives you access to the documentation on our documentation site and our helpdesk system so then you can create a support ticket. You can also check for software updates, register your license, and view details about the version of Data Sync you are currently running.

Shortcuts

The shortcut menu has the following shortcuts (these are listed in order from left to right):

• New Project
• Open Project
• Open Deployment Manager
• Save Project
• Dynamic Columns
• Project Automation
• Swap Data Source Sides
• Apply Mapping Rule
• Convert to Group and Aggregate Project
• Sync Mode (Choose either Normal or Incremental Mode)
• Run the Compare (A to B)

7 - Tabs

Click through the tabs to change the view you are currently looking at.

When we fist open Data Sync for we have a choice of the Start Page or the Schema Map. Clicking on the tab Schema Map will open up the Schema Map window. This is where you will configure your project mapping from source to target.

As you do more in Data Sync more tabs will open, for example Project Automation, Comparisons, and Dynamic Columns will each open a new tab.

Data Source Functions

The Data Source Function Menu has the following functions available (these are listed in order from left to right):

• Connect Data Source
• Preview Data
• Refresh Connection
• Filter Data Source
• Add Calculated Column
• Delete Calculated Column
• Add Lookup
• Delete Lookup

Column Filter

The data source window contains a search bar where you can enter in a value and any columns that contain the value entered will remain with dark text. Any columns that do not meet the conditions will be greyed out. This can help you find the column you are looking for when your source has lots of columns.

Data Source Filter

As well as being able to define a filter from the data source toolbar/functions bar you can also filter the source data by entering an expression into the filter box found at the bottom of the data source window. You can use this to apply .Net Expression to return a boolean expression. Please see the Filtering docs for more information on filtering your data source.

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If you are needing to filter something that is expensive on API calls, then filter this on the server side before running through Data Sync. For example: Run a FetchXML query within Dynamics and connect to this as your source in your Data Sync Project rather than filtering client side by using the filter box.

Connection Properties

Connection Properties can be found at the bottom of your Data Source Connection Window. The below example shows the connection properties for a SQL table:

Within all connection property types there will always be a Synchronisation section. This enables you to set whether you want Data Sync to be able to Add, Update and/or Delete data if any changes are found. By default Delete is disabled.