Lesson 2: Set up your MobiLink consolidated database

Your MobiLink consolidated database is a central repository of data and includes MobiLink system tables and stored procedures used to manage the synchronization process. With direct row handling, you synchronize with a data source other than a consolidated database, but you still need a consolidated database to maintain information used by the MobiLink server.

In this lesson, you:

Create a database and define an ODBC data source.
Add data tables to synchronize to remote clients.
Install MobiLink system tables and stored procedures.

Note

If you already have a MobiLink consolidated database set up with MobiLink system objects and a DSN, you can skip this lesson.

Create your consolidated database

In this tutorial, you create a SQL Anywhere database using the Sybase Central Create Database Wizard.

To create your SQL Anywhere RDBMS

Start Sybase Central.

From the Start menu, choose Programs » SQL Anywhere 11 » Sybase Central.

Sybase Central appears.
In Sybase Central, choose Tools » SQL Anywhere 11 » Create Database.

The Create Database Wizard appears.
Click Next.
Leave the default of Create Database On This Computer, and then click Next.
Enter the file name and path for the database. For example, enter:

c:\MLobjexcel\MLconsolidated.db
Follow the remaining instructions in the wizard, accepting the default values, except as follows:
- Clear the option Stop The Database After Last Disconnect.
Click Finish.

The database called MLconsolidated appears in Sybase Central.

Define an ODBC data source for the consolidated database.

Use the SQL Anywhere 11 driver to define an ODBC data source for the MLconsolidated database.

To define an ODBC data source for the consolidated database

Start the ODBC Administrator:

From the Sybase Central Tools menu, choose SQL Anywhere 11 » Open ODBC Administrator.

The ODBC Data Source Administrator appears.
On the User DSN tab, click Add.

The Create New Data Source window appears.
Select SQL Anywhere 11, and then click Finish.

The ODBC Configuration For SQL Anywhere 11 window appears.
On the ODBC tab, type the Data source name mlexcel_db. On the Login tab, type DBA for the User ID and sql for the Password. On the Database tab, type MLconsolidated for the Server Name and c:\MLobjexcel\MLconsolidated.db for the Database File.
Click OK to define the data source and OK again to close ODBC Administrator.

Create tables for synchronization

In this procedure, you create the RemoteOrders table in the MobiLink consolidated database. The RemoteOrders table contains the following columns:

Column	Description
order_id	A unique identifier for orders.
product_id	A unique identifier for products.
quantity	The number of items sold.
order_status	The order status.
last_modified	The last modification date of a row. You use this column for timestamp based downloads, a common technique used to filter rows for efficient synchronization.

To create the RemoteOrders table

Connect to your database using Interactive SQL.

At a command prompt, run the following command:
dbisql -c "dsn=mlexcel_db"

Run the following command in Interactive SQL to create the RemoteOrders table.

CREATE TABLE RemoteOrders
(
 order_id           integer not null,
 product_id         integer not null,
 quantity           integer,
 order_status       varchar(10) default 'new',
 last_modified      timestamp default current timestamp,
 primary key(order_id)
)

Interactive SQL creates the RemoteOrders table in your consolidated database.

Stay connected in Interactive SQL for the following procedure.

Run MobiLink setup scripts

You can find setup scripts for each supported consolidated database in the MobiLink/setup subdirectory of your SQL Anywhere 11 installation.

In this procedure you set up a SQL Anywhere consolidated database. You do this using the syncsa.sql setup script. Running syncsa.sql creates a series of system tables and stored procedures prefaced with ml_. The MobiLink server works with these tables and stored procedures in the synchronization process.

To install MobiLink system tables

Connect to your consolidated database in Interactive SQL if you are not already connected.

Run the following command:
dbisql -c "dsn=mlexcel_db"
Run the following command in Interactive SQL to create MobiLink system tables and stored procedures. Replace c:\Program Files\SQL Anywhere 11\ with the location of your SQL Anywhere 11 installation.
read "c:\Program Files\SQL Anywhere 11\MobiLink\setup\syncsa.sql"
Interactive SQL applies syncsa.sql to your consolidated database.

Stay connected in Interactive SQL for the next lesson.