Entourage 2004 & duplicate, recurring Calendar Events

[GEOPIX]

Version: 2004
Operating System: Mac OS X 10.5 (Leopard)
Processor: Power PC
Email Client: pop

Why oh why hasn't Microsoft's Mac product division fixed the widely reported "duplicate recurring Calendar Events" issue that crops up nearly every time we use Microsoft Sync Services to sync Entourage with Apple's iCal and Contacts for the MobileMe Cloud and the iPhone? The problem appears to be with the Microsoft side of the syncing.

Any Event that is marked "All Day" (starting at midnight and ending at midnight) is duplicated during syncing, such as Birthdays, Holidays or any other similar events. I believe I recall seeing that duplicates usually are deposited in the previous day's events. During subsequent syncs, Sync Services duplicates the duplicates with each new sync, and this cycle repeats itself over and over again. I've ended up with thousands of duplicates in my Calendar, and had to manually clean them out four times.

For awhile, I could manually view the damn duplicates in List View, sort by Category and systematically purge the duplicates. That is, until one Sync Services session destroyed all my Categories! Now, it takes hours to eliminate the duplicates. As a result, I've switched to iCal/Mail/Contacts to try out Apple's system. However, iCal has an extremely limited Event Notes field, and no support for Categories. I feel sure Apple will address this in some future update, but I'd prefer to stick with Entourage if Microsoft is going to fix this.

However, this bug has been around at least since January 2008, and I've seen anecdotal evidence on The Web that Entourage duplicate Calendar Event have been a problem for Microsoft since the release of Office X, way back in 2000! Many Entourage/iPhone users are fighting this, and discussing it in Apple's Support Forums. I've read that it also affects Office 2008 as well.

I can tell you this, if Microsoft doesn't get this fixed ASAP, they've lost an Office customer for good. It's inexcusable that Redmond hasn't fixed this for ten months now, or at least let customers know that someone is working on a fix. I've already lived through eight years (since 2000) of Entourage printing duplicate Calendar Notes every time I print an Event and I'm fed up.

 

[Barry Wainwright]

Version: 2004 Operating System: Mac OS X 10.5 (Leopard) Processor:
Power PC Email Client: pop

Why oh why hasn't Microsoft's Mac product division fixed the widely
reported "duplicate recurring Calendar Events" issue that crops up
nearly every time we use Microsoft Sync Services to sync Entourage
with Apple's iCal and Contacts for the MobileMe Cloud and the iPhone?

I suspect that if they could, they would. Things are never as easy in
the real world as they are in the world of our dreams.

The problem appears to be with the Microsoft side of the syncing.

Why do you think that? I have seen no evidence that MS is at fault, or
that Apple is at fault.

Any Event that is marked "All Day" (starting at midnight and ending
at midnight) is duplicated during syncing, such as Birthdays,
Holidays or any other similar events. I believe I recall seeing that
duplicates usually are deposited in the previous day's events. During
subsequent syncs, Sync Services duplicates the duplicates with each
new sync, and this cycle repeats itself over and over again. I've
ended up with thousands of duplicates in my Calendar, and had to
manually clean them out four times.

For awhile, I could manually view the damn duplicates in List View,
sort by Category and systematically purge the duplicates. That is,
until one Sync Services session destroyed all my Categories! Now, it
takes hours to eliminate the duplicates. As a result, I've switched
to iCal/Mail/Contacts to try out Apple's system. However, iCal has an
extremely limited Event Notes field, and no support for Categories. I
feel sure Apple will address this in some future update, but I'd
prefer to stick with Entourage if Microsoft is going to fix this.

However, this bug has been around at least since January 2008, and
I've seen anecdotal evidence on The Web that Entourage duplicate
Calendar Event have been a problem for Microsoft since the release of
Office X, way back in 2000! Many Entourage/iPhone users are fighting
this, and discussing it in Apple's Support Forums. I've read that it
also affects Office 2008 as well.

well, since entourage didn't use sync services until office 2008 was
released in january of this yer, that would have been a pretty
impressive feat!

I can tell you this, if Microsoft doesn't get this fixed ASAP,
they've lost an Office customer for good. It's inexcusable that
Redmond hasn't fixed this for ten months now, or at least let
customers know that someone is working on a fix. I've already lived
through eight years (since 2000) of Entourage printing duplicate
Calendar Notes every time I print an Event and I'm fed up.

and so are a lot of people. you think ms doesn't know this? why on earth
would they _not_ want to fix it?

 

[Kerry]

I suspect that if they could, they would. Things are never as easy in
the real world as they are in the world of our dreams.


Why do you think that? I have seen no evidence that MS is at fault, or
that Apple is at fault.








well, since entourage didn't use sync services until office 2008 was
released in january of this yer, that would have been a pretty
impressive feat!




and so are a lot of people. you think ms doesn't know this? why on earth
would they _not_ want to fix it?

The problem described was in Entourage 2004 since it was introduced in
the spring of 2007 of that product. It certainly is in Ent08. There is
confusion around this issue. I opened a case on Jan 24 08 to report
this and other weird behaviors that was happening during the sync of
Ent 2008. Most reps by mid Feb at MS were getting deluged with calls
but to date they have no info from the MacBU on when it will be fixed.
I am now working through tech support escalation and much to my
surprise or not, he knew there was a problem but he had not heard of
the magnitude of it. He himself said that the tech reps would go
through him. Anyway, he is looking into the issue and said he'd get
back to me on the weekend.

The following is confirmation from Markspace's lead engineer that this
is a Microsoft problem which I've forwarded to the escalation rep.
Secondly, I found a workaround at about the same time as Markspace. It
involves having only one module turned on in Ent sync services while
actively sync'g. If 2 or more modules are turned on at the same time,
weird behaviors, such as dup'g begin to occur.

The following provides you to a link of the workaround and the
Markspace thread confirming this is a Microsoft problem. Also, I agree
with Barry, I wouldn't hold your breath on a quick fix for this. The
must be something in the data architecture of Entourage that is making
this difficult to fix:

PS I too tried the Apple Apps but they could in no way cut it. They
are not in any way as powerful as Entourage so after two weeks I just
went back to Entourage and fortunately found a workaround that works
totally fine but requires a bit of effort at times)

-------------------------------------

There has been a problem with Entourage sync'g since it was released.
There remains confusion. However, Markspace (Missing Sync) lead
engineer has confirmed with me this is an Entourage problem. I have,
after pressing for a long time, started working with the tech
escalation team and the I was talking with wasn't even aware of the
problem so he is looking into it. He got back to me this morning and
is hoping to have some info by the weekend. I don't think we should
hold our breath on this. I use this workaround successfully, its just
a hassle. Here is the link to the Markspace thread I recently opened
just to confirm this is an Entourage problem:

http://forums.markspace.com/viewtopic.php?f=4&t=5385&p=20405&hilit=roach#p20405

and specifically in the thread:

Kerry,

The problem you described (more than one module enabled) is most
definitely a Microsoft problem - we've reviewed it thoroughly and see
what the problem is; their implementation is preventing the sync from
behaving properly.

If Mr. Roach needs technical backup please put him into contact with
myself. We've been dealing with the Entourage Program Manager for
quite some time about these problems (although things are fairly quiet
lately).

b

_________________
Brian M. Criscuolo
Lead Software Engineer
Mark/Space, Inc.

Workaround:

I've written about this numerous times a long with others. Sync
services in Entourage is quite buggy/flaky. If you have more than one
module turned on for sync'g you'll encounter many weird behaviors .
Just sync your most active module. In my case, I have only calendar
turned on.

Before doing any of the following make sure you back up the Entourage
main identity, iCal, and Addressbook before
doing any of the above.

To correctly set everything right, turn off all modules in Ent. Go to
iCal and delete the iCal calendar. Go to Ent, Preferences, sync
services and turn on Calendar,
choose combine, then OK. It will build a perfect new iCal calendar
and
you should notice everything sync'g right. Just leave your one most
used module turned on. To update the other less used modules the
following is what I do to ensure sync services with Entourage doesn't
get messed up.

This is the time consuming
stuff. You want to update your addressbook and/or Notes by sync'g
them. Go to Ent,
turn off calendar then OK, delete the iCal Ent calendar, go to Ent
and
turn on Addressbook only, choose combine then OK and your addressbook
will be in sync. If you also want to update Notes you can do this at
this point by turning off Addressbook, OK, open sync services, turn on
Notes, OK, choose combine. Back to Ent, turn off Addressbook or Notes
(whichever is enabled), OK, then open sync services and turn on
Calendar,
combine, OK and it will just create a new iCal Calendar.

Finally, if you're using a handheld after doing any of the above all
three Missing Sync modules Events/Tasks, Notes and Contacts should be
set to
over right on first sync to ensure they are in perfect harmony. If
you
just sync you might get sync services errors which can be messy to
sort out.

Hope that helps.

 

[GEOPIX]

I appreciate Barry, Kerry and Brian's input. I've tried Brian's Entourage Sync workaround for several weeks, but it's just complicated enough that inevitably, you do something out of order or forget to turn Address Book off and then back on again to do the Notes sync. Pair this with the need to do an occasional work-around to eliminate duplicate Calendar Events and you conclude that using Entourage has become completely unmanageable. Also, I believe my experiences has been that when I turn off the other Calendars, they automatically get turned back on again without my knowledge at some point in the process. All this means that inevitably, you end up with multiple, duplicate events again -- it's all just impossible to track. Of course, this complexity is why we need automated syncs in the first place).

I believe the problem is in Entourage Calendar because I did some tests early on and quickly saw that the problem only occurred in Entourage with "All Day" Events. And it's not just individual "Events" that are being duplicated with Sync Services, but entire duplicate Calendars (Home, Work, Entourage) also appear in the MobileMe "Cloud" after a sync and the dates of events actually get moved back a day. Worse, I've seen some Calendar Events get really scrambled and be off by several days. Unfortunately, I can't find my notes on this particular test - they were lost somewhere in the ether during a restore or when I was forced to switch from Entourage to Mail/iCal/Address Book.

Now, since one Entourage Sync Services session destroyed all the Categories and Rules I spent years building, I can no longer use category sorting to purge the duplicates using the sanctioned work-around. Nor can I simply select all the recurring "All Day" Events (Birthdays and Holidays) to delete them and start over with new Calendar Events that aren't marked as "All Day." This means I no longer have the same full data incentive to stick with Entourage.

FYI: I looked back through my old Tech Support Notes this morning, and saw that on 5.4.07, i called Microsoft about duplicate Calendar entries (Case# SRX070504602673). in Microsoft Office Pro 2004 (Mac). I don't recall the details, but this predated our syncing -- and iPhone acquisitions -- by over a year. One more thing: the problem occurs in Mac OS X v10.4.11 and all versions of 10.5 and with early and the latest version of Office 2004 and Entourage.

The ultimate work-around that many, many Mac-based iPhone users (myself included) have been forced to turn to is to dump Entourage.

Once you stop using Entourage and import as much data as possible into iCal/Mail/Address Book, you then take a closer look at Apple's Pages, Numbers and Keynote, so that you have a consistent user interface for office apps, not to mention symmetry with iPhoto and iTunes. In particular, Keynote is very compelling compared to the dated technology, font control and design templates in PowerPoint.

Fortunately for Microsoft, Apple has not yet nailed the UI consistency for all these apps, but they will.

For now, Entourage simply cannot be used with the iPhone. We're not getting rid of our two iPhones -- they're just great products. Consequently, time is of the essence and I urge Microsoft to escalate this "Entourage duplicate recurring Events" bug to the highest level.

 

[GEOPIX]

I would add that multiple threads in the Apple Online Discussion Forums recommend that Mac users steer clear of Office 2008 for this and other reasons.

 

[Rebecca]

I am not sure if I am missing a step on Entourage, but I need to print out a list view including any comments made in the section at the bottom that you can type on. This is often where we put the address etc of meetings, but it doesn't show up when you print...

Any suggestions cause this is very frustrating?

thanks!

 

[Barry Wainwright]

I am not sure if I am missing a step on Entourage, but I need to print out a list view including any comments made in the section at the bottom that you can type on. This is often where we put the address etc of meetings, but it doesn't show up when you print...

Any suggestions cause this is very frustrating?

thanks!

no, you are not missing a step. Currently, you cannot print the notes
field in a calendar listing.

Please send feedback to Microsoft on this. Use the 'Send Feedback' item
under the 'Help' menu in any Office application. The more people that
request such a feature the more likely it is to be implemented.

 

[Dave Ellison]

Is there a method in Ent8 to purge and delete the duplicated appointments whithout having to go and do each one separately thru out the year, past, present and future?

 

[Diane Ross]

Is there a method in Ent8 to purge and delete the duplicated appointments
whithout having to go and do each one separately thru out the year, past,
present and future?

<http://www.entourage.mvps.org/faq_topic/duplicates.html#calendar>

 

[Duped]

Would that it only were my "all day" events. With regularity, seemingly every two weeks or so, every calendar entry is duplicated for my calendar going back ten years. After a while, those metastasize into three, then four, you get the picture. It is totally devastating. I've had it with the tech support, it is hopeless.

I have purchased every operating system and every Office product along the way for about 10 years, and this has only happened to me with Entourage 2008 and 10.5.5. I thought it was the new iPhone, but no. The contacts seem more stable, but they duplicated once. Can't run a business this way.

 

[BuckeyeOne]

Duped, I'm having the same problem. Actually, I tried to solve it by eliminating my "Entourage" calendar from iCal and it wiped out all of my Entourage calendar events. Good thing I had these events saved on my Treo.

I'll need to stop syncing Entourage and iCal until this is fixed...what a hassle!