Overview of data exchange technologies

SQL Anywhere offers a wide range of options for exchanging data with existing enterprise systems and mobile devices, including such tools as:

  • MobiLink—synchronization   MobiLink offers session-based, bi-directional synchronization. It is ideal for exchanging data between a central database and many remote UltraLite or SQL Anywhere databases, or between a central, non-relational data source and many remote UltraLite or SQL Anywhere databases.

    During a MobiLink synchronization, the remote database uploads changes that were made to it since the previous synchronization with the MobiLink server. On receiving this data, the MobiLink server updates the central database and then downloads changes from the central database to the remote database. It also ensures the transactional integrity of the databases in the event a connection between them is lost, and provides mechanisms for the resolution of data change conflicts.

    MobiLink file transfer functionality lets you transfer files to remote applications on the same connection you use to synchronize data, which is useful when populating new remote databases or upgrading software.

    In addition, MobiLink provides direct row handling for synchronizing remote data with any central data source. The data sources to which you can synchronize can include an application, web server, web service, application server, text file, spreadsheet, non-relational database, or an RDBMS that is not supported as a consolidated database.

  • QAnywhere—mobile enterprise messaging and mobile web services   QAnywhere offers a comprehensive mobile application-to-application messaging solution that provides secure, assured message delivery for distributed and mobile users. By extending the MobiLink server, QAnywhere reliably sends and receives messages between mobile applications and enterprise systems.

    QAnywhere offers:

    • Secure, store-and-forward messaging for smart-client applications

    • Reliable communication that is tolerant of network faults

    • Network-independent communication

    • Rules-based and guaranteed message delivery between occasionally-connected devices and message-based enterprise systems

    • Easy integration with Java Message Services—expanding your options for integrating enterprise systems with mobile database applications

    • Mobile web services

  • SQL Remote—replication   SQL Remote is a data-replication technology designed for two-way synchronization between a consolidated database and large numbers of remote databases, typically including many mobile databases.

    SQL Remote uses a store-and-forward architecture to synchronize data using a file or message transfer mechanism such as FTP or email.

    SQL Remote preserves transactional integrity, making it ideal for many business applications, particularly those that operate in environments where connections are unreliable. Furthermore, memory and disk space requirements are minimal for all components of the replication system.

    See Introducing SQL Remote.


Comparing synchronization technologies
Propagation methods
Choosing a synchronization technology
Mobile enterprise messaging: QAnywhere
Mobile web services