Configuring the Synchronize task

Synchronizing information with the server is critical to ensuring the currency of map data both in the field and in the office. Field-workers will use the Synchronize task to send updates performed in the field back to the office and will be able to get the most recent map data for a specified map extent as well. Using the Synchronize task requires that field-workers have an Internet connection on their mobile devices and that the connection can access the URL of the mobile Web service used in the field project.

The Synchronize task includes status of what has been updated on the device since the last time the device was synchronized with the server, and it will also inform users if the last synchronization attempt they made was successful or if it failed. A synchronization log is stored on the mobile device for each project, and that log contains information such as the date and time of the last synchronization and details as to why a synchronization attempt failed. The file is located in the project directory on the device: \ArcGIS\<Project Folder>\Project Name.sync.

If the synchronization attempt failed, the Synchronize page will display a link that field-workers can click to view a description of the error that has occurred.

Common sources of error include the following:

• No network connection on device—Error description will read "Cannot Connect to Server." The field-worker can view current network connections using the View Status task.
• Access to mobile map Web service denied—Error description will read "Cannot Connect to Server." If this occurs, check to see if the URL of the Web service is running. If it is, have the field-worker attempt to access it from the device using a Web browser. Simply add ?wsdl to the URL entry in the Web browser. If you receive an error message in the browser, the URL is not accessible.
• Web service schema and mobile cache schema do not match—Error description will read "Checksum error" This indicates that the map schema has been altered after the map cache schema was created on the device. This may occur if you created and deployed a map to the mobile device then changed the map document that is published as a Web service. The field-worker can simply delete the mobile cache folder, and the next time the project is opened, it will connect to the Web service and re-create the cache.

The Synchronization task has options to automatically post updates from the device back to the server as well.