Database Synchronization?

[hispeed]

Hi all,

I'm new to Dtaface, but it looks to be a great tool. I run an online gaming squad, and need to develop an online data base to track know and suspected cheaters for my squad. I also belong to a larger anti-cheat community that has the same need. So I have the idea of developing Dtaface for my squad, then take it up a level so that all squads in this community can operate their own data base and synchronize with the data base at the communiyt level so that all the squads can share info.

So my question is, does Dataface have synchronization capability to be run in a distributed fashion like that?

thanks
hispeed

[shannah]

Hi hispeed,

Database synchronization is not a difficult problem but it is application specific enough that you would have to do some custom development to make it work.Ê There are multiple forms of database synchronization that you can try to achieve here:

1. Two-way Star formation:Ê There is one central community databases and multiple private databases where all entries in the private databases are copied into the central database - and all entries in the central database are copied into the private databases.Ê In this formation all databases will always have identical information.

2. Down-stream synchronization: There is one central community database and multiple private databases.Ê All entries in the community database are copied into the private databases, but the entries in the private databases are NOT copied to the central database.

3. Up-stream synchronization: There is one central community database and multiple private databases.Ê All entries in the private databases are copied into the community database but the entries in the community database are NOT copied to the private databases.

All of these arrangements are possible.Ê I recommend using RSS broadcast this information.Ê Each private database would subscribe to the central database, and the central database would subscribe to all of the private databases that it wanted to be updated for.

You would have to develop a couple of custom actions to make this happen, but it wouldn't be too difficult for a PHP developer (i.e. it would take me about 4 hours to develop something like this).

Best regards

Steve

[njw]

Hi Greer

Why don't you just partition the database so users can only see what they need to see, then there's no need for synchronisation at all. Dataface has the granular security features that will allow you to do that. You could have security levels such as:

Read only my club's data;
Add/edit/Amend my club's data;
Read all data;
Add/edit/amend all data;

or a variation on the theme.

Having more than one database will create problems exponentially in my experience: e.g. 2 databases, 4 times the problems; etc.

Just a thought

Neil

[shannah]

Hi Greer,

I agree with Neil here.Ê The only reason to make it distributed would be if each of the sites really want to work autonomously and OWN their own data.Ê Otherwise one centralized system would be easier to maintain.

-Steve