Sync remote BCM 2007 with central BCM database on SQL Server?

[Steve]

How do I sync with remote laptops with BCM 2007 with central BCM database on
SQL Server?

The Microsoft note on this says: "...then synchronize your changes with the
shared database when you go back online or reconnect to the remote computer."
http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/outlook/HA100676851033.aspx

In other words, how do I reconnect to the remote computer over the
Internet...to do a centralized BCM sync?

And can I sync only individual user data per computer...thus centralizing
all remote data from all users, but only allowing the remote users to see
their own data...not the whole company's BCM data?

Thanks!

 

[Lon Orenstein]

Steve:

The answers are Yes and No.

Yes, you can use a VPN so remote users can synch with a master BCM database.
Have them logon to a VPN and then connect to the PC where the shared BCM db
is stored. It's just like being in the office on a LAN.

No, everyone that shares a BCM database can see all the records. For that
functionality, check out MS CRM Live.

HTH,
Lon

___________________________________________________________
Lon Orenstein
pinpointtools, llc
(e-mail address removed)
Author of Outlook 2007 Business Contact Manager For Dummies
Author of the eBook: Moving from ACT! to Business Contact Manager
www.pinpointtools.com

 

[Nick]

Lon, I have connected over the VPN can can see the server but when I try to
add BCM I get told my login on my local machine (DH) will not work. How do I
get it to use my domain login (Dean) instead? Does my PC have to be added to
the domain, can I do this with Windows Vista Home?

Nick

 

[Luther]

Lon,  I have connected over the VPN can can see the server but when I try to
add BCM I get told my login on my local machine (DH) will not work.  Howdo I
get it to use my domain login (Dean) instead?  Does my PC have to be added to
the domain, can I do this with Windows Vista Home?

Nick









- Show quoted text -

Generally, the user in BCM/Outlook is the user that logged onto
Windows.

The way VPN works for me is the following:

I have a login on my company LAN I use with my laptop in the office;
e.g. wuminginc\lblissett. In the office I connect to the shared
database and it syncs to an offline database on my laptop.

I use that same login with my laptop when I am out of the office. BCM
uses the offline database, until I turn on the VPN and then BCM
detects the shared database and switches to using that.

To use your local PC (DH) you could try adding DH\yourhomelogin as a
shared user to BCM when you are in the office. Then at home, after you
connect to the VPN, start up Outlook/BCM and connect BCM to the office
BCM database. The office BCM db should then recognize DH\yourhomelogin
as a shared user.

Perhaps someone else here can suggest another BCM-over-VPN
configuration.

 

[Nick]

The issue the the laptop is never in the office as it is in the UK and the
office is in New Zealand. The laptop has Windows Vista Home rather Windows
Vista Business so can not join the domain and use the domain login that you
are recommending. For laptops in New Zealand we use it in the way you
recommend and it works well.

 

[Brian]

Actually, it is my experience that the user/password used for the VPN
connection does NOT matter. ONLY the local user name matters (and NOT the
local password).

So, as long as you create a user account on the domain / server that matches
the user account on the remote machine.. it will work (the user / password
for the vpn connection NOR the local password… have any bearing).

I just tested this on a stand alone (no domain – just workgroup) XP pro
notebook computer, connecting to SBS-2003; using Outlook 2007 Anywhere (rpc
over http) and a VPN (for the BCM).

Microsoft—why don’t you just have BCM use the Exchange DB!?!? You must be
able to do this with an Exchange folder, no?! Then it could work with
Outlook Anywhere, right?

 

[Luther]

Actually, it is my experience that the user/password used for the VPN
connection does NOT matter.  ONLY the local user name matters (and NOT the
local password).

So, as long as you create a user account on the domain / server that matches
the user account on the remote machine.. it will work (the user / password
for the vpn connection NOR the local password… have any bearing).

I just tested this on a stand alone (no domain – just workgroup) XP pro
notebook computer, connecting to SBS-2003; using Outlook 2007 Anywhere (rpc
over http) and a VPN (for the BCM).

Microsoft—why don’t you just have BCM use the Exchange DB!?!?  You must be
able to do this with an Exchange folder, no?!  Then it could work with
Outlook Anywhere, right?






- Show quoted text -

"Microsoft—why don’t you just have BCM use the Exchange DB?"

I can imagine two reasons off the top of my head.

The bottom of BCM's target market is a small businesses with one PC
with Outlook, and less than half of small businesses use Exchange.

Exchange's datastore APIs is not sophisticated enough to run some
queries--the kind required for BCM's history grids and reports.

Those were more the case when BCM started five years ago, then today.
I believe Exchange now uses Sql Server, and hosted Exchange is growing
in popularity with small businesses. Perhaps someday everyone will use
Exhange for their email and BCM can stop shippping with Sql Server and
use the Exchange store. On the other hand, a cloud datastore may be a
better solution for synchronizing data sooner.