Mine didn't clear up until I removed the duplicate record which seems to
happen occasionally by magic. Not sure why but it appears that AddressBook
will create a duplicate and it creates an iSync conflict. I occasionally
run a Find Duplicates in Address Book but don't always merge them unless it
only finds one duplicate and I can determine that its related to the Sync
log error record.
It would be nice it Entourage had a find duplicate function because I'd
rather clear up the error there then I could keep the record already
associated with a category.
There is a script called "Categorize_duplicate_contacts" that I use. I
can't tell you where I got it but I believe on the MVP website
although there is a site for AppleScripts generally. Try a Google
search.
This has nothing to do with you but there is a known sync issue with
Entourage well documented here and elsewhere (check out Markspace)
that causes many sync problems. In my case, I was able to use a
workaround until I upgraded my BlackBerry OS to 4.5. Now I get
constant sync conflict errors in the contacts database so I had to
stop using Entourage and just use the Apple apps that create no sync
conflicts. However, prior to even the OS upgrade on the BlackBerry
Entourage will create, especially in Calendar a variety of sync errors
that are random and unpredictable. Again, Microsoft is fully aware of
this, are working on it, are stumped, and there is no time-frame for a
fix. Any change at Apple's sync serv level won't solve the Entourage
problem however, it may help the Entourage engineers to come up with a
solution which I know they want to do in my numerous discussions with
Microsoft.
I fail to understand why people like you are not being told this
clearly so you know what you're dealing with when this is so well
understood and documented. It would allow you to make the most
appropriate decisions. Like I say, there is a way to work around the
problem, with a bit of effort but not if you use the current
BlackBerry OS in say the Curve, Bold or Storm. Secondly, some users
just are not interested in spending time on the work around. And
really, why should any of us have to work around a flaw in the
software (Entourage). Its up to Microsoft to fix this.
The options - use the workaround, use the Apple apps (no sync issues),
try another information manager in the OSX environment, run Outlook in
Parallels or VMFusion. I need the power of either Entourage or
Outlook. I really would prefer just to work in the OSX environment.
However, I have now completed my preliminary testing of Outlook
running in Parallels and it is totally viable. Using BlackBerry's
Desktop Manager and Palm's desktop manager sync'g to both my Palm and
BlackBerry Curve works nicely. Plus, especially in the case of the
BlackBerry, sync'g with its Desktop manager is the most sensible as I
have always had to run it occasionally to do backups, software
installs and even upgrade my OS. Personally, I do prefer Entourage
over Outlook but if it doesn't work properly then what can I do. Stay
with the Apple apps till they get Entourage fixed. That's an option
I'm trying but like I said a fix is probably a long way off. They've
had 11 months to fix this and it isn't any better than it was in Jan
08 when it was released. And when I say I prefer Entourage I don't
work in an Exchange environment. If I did, then there is no question
I'd use Outlook. It is solid, fast (faster than Entourage) and tried
and True (been around for 11 years and is a Corporate standard so it
has to work).
I really think everyone needs honest answers, to the degree they are
available, so that you know what you're working with and can make the
most appropriate decisions based on your needs and tolerance for
malfunction.
If you need further information on this, call Microsoft's tech
support, open a case, get a knowledgeable and honest rep and they will
tell you exactly what I've told you. In addition, they will tell you
that not only are they aware of the problem, they have no information
on when a fix will happen and if a fix will happen but they are
working hard trying to figure out how to resolve this as it is very
customer impacting to Microsoft.
You will also get insight into Microsoft's well know Corporate
Culture; they don't like working with standards unless they have to or
other people's architecture's e.g. in this case Apple's Sync Services.
That's why in the beginning there was a lot of Microsoft finger
pointing. But, you really don't have to go far beyond this to see what
I am saying. They don't really like having to work with the standard
for document creation that was approved so they tried to get their own
document architecture for Word approved. IE still uses Microsoft's
proprietary rendering engine rather than an Open Standard such as
Webkit or the Gecko engine. Take a look at performance comparisons -
both Webkit and Gecko dramatically outperform IE. But as long as IE
dominates, Microsoft has had leverage with site developers but that is
changing so that these standard rendering engines are really now fully
supported by site developers. Its rare that you will ever come across
a site that Safari or Firefox can't render and then you're forced to
run IE. And Google will no doubt keep Microsoft running in high gear
to catch up if they can. But, to catch up will require a shift in
their Corporate Culture and attitude and they aren't very good at
that. One might say that Apple is very proprietary and Microsoft is a
defacto standard and there is truth in that. However, a lot of Apple's
actual apps are based on standards whereas Microsoft's - yes to some
degree but they will often add in proprietary extensions e.g. they do
in Outlook which drives developers nuts. Apple though has a small
share of the market, has always been proprietary and that's what their
success is based on. It is not a defacto standard although its
underlying OS UNIX is an industry standard. Many of Apple's
technologies have become standards.
However, that being said, Microsoft products have generally always had
to work. Since they dominate the Corporate world, that world has
little tolerance for error. That is one reason Microsoft is slow so to
make significant changes fast. The problem in Entourage has to be very
vexing for them as not only does the product not operate properly at
the individual level, if you add it to the Corporate environment
through Exchange there are now a number of other issues that get
introduced. Corporations just won't tolerate this. Individual users
are having enough trouble tolerating the Entourage issues let alone
Corporate IT. But Microsoft has been having a rough ride of late;
Vista, Entourage, IE, catching up to the Googles (failure to acquire
Yahoo but you would wonder how they can't do this on their own with
the capability of Software Engineers they are able to hire), document
creation architecture, Linux (they will have to play with these guys
as they kick and scream all the way to the Gate) etc.
So all we can do as Entourage users is make the best decision based on
the most reliable information we have and what we are prepared to work
with. In my case, I am not happy that this is the case as I just want
Entourage to work but you don't always get what you want. So then,
decisions have to made to mitigate things so I am not going crazy
trying to make something work that is currently flawed and just won't
work properly for what I am doing (like I said, I use two different
mobile devices for a reason and reliable sync is critical to my work
and I can't do without it and have been doing it effortlessly since
1997 until ENT08 was introduced).
