SQL Anywhere allows a central administrator to manage remote databases involved in MobiLink synchronization.

Central administration of remote databases lets you do the following:

Central administration of remote databases replaces the SQL passthrough functionality, originally introduced in version 11.0.0, that allowed you to download scripts of SQL statements from a consolidated database to a SQL Anywhere or UltraLite client, and have those SQL statements executed on the client at an appropriate time.

Central administration is achieved using remote tasks. A remote task is an ordered collection of commands (similar to a batch file) that you create using the MobiLink 12 plug-in for Sybase Central. A remote task may have conditions that govern when it runs. A remote task can be configured to run only once, to run on demand, or to repeat regularly. Remote tasks are deployed to the consolidated database and can be assigned to one or more MobiLink Agents.

The MobiLink Agent is an application that runs on a remote device. Each set of databases being centrally administered from a specific MobiLink server must have one instance of the MobiLink Agent running. The Agent's job is to execute the remote tasks that are assigned to it at appropriate times. The MobiLink Agent uses an UltraLite database, which is called the agent database, to store tasks that have been assigned to it, the results of tasks that have been run and other configuration information.

Periodically, the MobiLink Agent synchronizes its agent database using regular MobiLink synchronization. During these synchronizations, the Agent receives any new tasks that have been assigned to it and optionally uploads results of tasks it has run so that they can be reviewed by the system administrator using the MobiLink 12 plug-in for Sybase Central.

The diagram below shows how information flows between Sybase Central, the consolidated database, and the client devices when using the central administration of remote databases feature.