Sync Question on Public Contacts

R

Ryan Zwahr

We are running exchange 2003 on SBS and have a public contacts folder
that we are using for our CRM database. I have designed a custom form
with custom tabs and fields to facilitate the entry of data specific
to our line of business. It works good for people who are always
attached to the Exchange server.

Where I run into problems is for people who have tablets/laptops and
have the folder in their favorites. The problems I am having are:

1. Speed of Synchronization - I have done the initial sync of the
contacts over the local LAN and it is fast. There are ~3,500 contacts
in this public folder. The users (dialup over modem), connect via vpn
to the network and then launch exchange. The synchronization of this
folder takes forever, even if not much has changed. Does exchange try
and sync everything or just the things that have changed? Is there a
faster way to have syncs take place especially for dialup users.

2. Custom Forms - I've found that I have to install the custom form I
use locally on the machine before it would display in the favorites
folder. I don't ever have a problem with the exchange folder, since
the form I use is published to that folder. Is it correct to install
the form locally on the machine for viewing in the favorites folder.

3. Conflict Resolution - From time to time, remote users may need to
change data in the customer record. Do conflicts between records only
apply at the field level or does it apply across the board to the
entire record. For example if I changed a note on a contact record,
and another user changed the email address on that same record, would
2 conflicts be reported or would it simply merge my chage into the
notes record and the other users change into the email record?

I realize that this is not the best solution for the remote users. I
really would like to have the remote users use OWA to access this
information, I just don't have the know-how to design a custom web
form that displays my custom tabs and how to get OWA to use it.

Thanks for any help,
Ryan
 
S

Sue Mosher [MVP-Outlook]

And the question is? You need to keep enough information in the current
message for it to be understandable.

--
Sue Mosher, Outlook MVP
Author of
Microsoft Outlook Programming - Jumpstart for
Administrators, Power Users, and Developers



Ryan Zwahr said:
Sue,
Outlook 2003 - Exchange 2003.

Thanks,
Ryan

"Sue Mosher [MVP-Outlook]" <[email protected]> wrote in message
Outlook version?
 
R

Ryan Zwahr

Sue,
Sorry about that, I snipped the original stuff for brevity sake, just
assumed you had access to the entire thread.

Original Question -

We are running exchange 2003 on SBS with Outlook 2003 as the client and
have a public contacts folder
that we are using for our CRM database. I have designed a custom form
with custom tabs and fields to facilitate the entry of data specific
to our line of business. It works good for people who are always
attached to the Exchange server.

Where I run into problems is for people who have tablets/laptops and
have the folder in their favorites. The problems I am having are:

1. Speed of Synchronization - I have done the initial sync of the
contacts over the local LAN and it is fast. There are ~3,500 contacts
in this public folder. The users (dialup over modem), connect via vpn
to the network and then launch exchange. The synchronization of this
folder takes forever, even if not much has changed. Does exchange try
and sync everything or just the things that have changed? Is there a
faster way to have syncs take place especially for dialup users.

2. Custom Forms - I've found that I have to install the custom form I
use locally on the machine before it would display in the favorites
folder. I don't ever have a problem with the exchange folder, since
the form I use is published to that folder. Is it correct to install
the form locally on the machine for viewing in the favorites folder.

3. Conflict Resolution - From time to time, remote users may need to
change data in the customer record. Do conflicts between records only
apply at the field level or does it apply across the board to the
entire record. For example if I changed a note on a contact record,
and another user changed the email address on that same record, would
2 conflicts be reported or would it simply merge my chage into the
notes record and the other users change into the email record?

I realize that this is not the best solution for the remote users. I
really would like to have the remote users use OWA to access this
information, I just don't have the know-how to design a custom web
form that displays my custom tabs and how to get OWA to use it.

Thanks for any help,
Ryan
 

Ask a Question

Want to reply to this thread or ask your own question?

You'll need to choose a username for the site, which only take a couple of moments. After that, you can post your question and our members will help you out.

Ask a Question

Top