ITTIA, a global supplier of embedded relational database software, has announced the availability of bidirectional synchronisation for Android apps to bridge the gap of collecting big data on-the-go.
Due to an unprecedented influx of sensitive data that is managed and collected on mobile devices, ITTIA is offering a state-of-the-art solution that sets itself apart from other database software available on Android.
To synchronise data, an Android app must identify local changes, open a communication channel to a back-end service, and transfer the data.
While a sync adapter can be used to schedule synchronisation in the background, apps that store data in an SQLite database must track changes manually and define protocols for authentication and communication. For any non-trivial data model, this represents a significant development effort. ITTIA DB SQL is a drop-in replacement for SQLite that automatically synchronises local changes with a back-end database quickly and efficiently.
Likewise, developing a custom network service to synchronise with numerous Android devices is no simple task, especially when every device has a different subset of the available data. Instead, ITTIA DB SQL communicates with ITTIA DB Sync, a bidirectional data synchronisation service for Windows and Linux.
ITTIA DB Sync uses a back-end RDBMS, such as Microsoft SQL Server or Oracle Database, to store device data in existing tables and download updates specific to each device.
To enable synchronisation, an Android app simply creates similar tables in its local database and designates which tables should send and/or receive changes. The ITTIA DB SQL sync adapter runs in the background at scheduled times or whenever the device is online. For authenticated connections, the sync adapter automatically displays a customised login activity that the app can tailor to match its own look and brand.
Benefits of ITTIA DB SQL for bidirectional synchronisation on Android include:
* Small footprint architecture – provides high-speed mobile synchronisation capability;
* Flexible deployment – supports Android Froyo (2.2) and above, including KitKat (4.4);
* Bidirectional synchronisation – automatically detects conflicts and provides multiple options for resolution;
* Data fragmentation – divides tables across multiple devices with robust filters;
* Concurrent shared access – optimises multi-threaded apps with row-level locking; and
* Low development cost – simplifies implementation and validation with a rich tool set for data management.