The Microsoft Sync Framework and SharePoint 2010 Gustavo Velez Avanade

Outline  Introduction: the Microsoft Sync Framework  Implementation of the Sync Framework in SharePoint 2010  The SharePoint ChangeLog

The Microsoft Sync Framework - 01  “synchronization platform enabling collaboration and offline for applications, services and devices” (Microsoft)  Created in 2007  Currently in version 2.1 (Redistributable )  SDK: =14159

The Microsoft Sync Framework - 02  Architecture

The Microsoft Sync Framework - 03  Components  Participants (Provider + associated replica + sync metadata) – Types: Full, Partial and Simple  Provider – Supplied OOTB: for ADO.NET, File System and FeedSync (RSS & ATOM feeds)  Data Source  Metadata  Versions (essentially a tuple consisting of a sync endpoint Id which made a change and logical clock of the time when the change was made)  Knowledge (covers all changes [versions of all known items])  Tick Count (specific to a replica; combined with a replica key to make a version)  Replica ID (repository of information to be synchronized)  Tombstones (track dead [or deleted] items)  Conflict Resolution

The Microsoft Sync Framework - 04  Example  SyncToy ( )  SyncToy and SharePoint

SharePoint Implementation - 01  Sync Framework is one of the Installation Prerequisites of SharePoint 2010  SharePoint Workspace 2010 works with the Sync Framework  Sync Foundation implemented as a number of WebService Methods (new in 2010)  Uses the SharePoint ChangeLog as SharePoint internal synchronization mechanism

SharePoint Implementation - 02 WebSvcList WebService (Lists.asmx)  GetListItems  Returns all Items, no possibilities for sync  GetListItemChanges  Parameter “since” plus custom filter (“contains”). No usable for Sync Foundation  GetListItemChangesSinceToken (Async + Completed Event Handler)  Request without token returns list schema, full list contents, and a token  Changes in the list schema itself returns entire list schema, full list contents, and a token  GetListItemChangesWithKnowledge (Async + Completed Event Handler)  Returns “Knowledge” metadata (has no Token, but it is implicit defined in the knowledge)  UpdateListItemsWithKnowledge  Makes inserts, updates, and deletions to specified list items and provides the server with current knowledge metadata  Example  Using GetListItemChangesSinceToken and GetListItemChangesWithKnowledge

SharePoint Implementation - 03  Use Cases:  Sync File Directory to SharePoint Library  SharePoint aggregators  Farm Replication (ex. Iora [ Syntergy [ )  Issues (not only for SharePoint, btw...)  Latency  Throughput  Bandwidth  Paging  Filtering and Ordering

The SharePoint ChangeLog - 01  Kernel functionality for the Sync Framework inside SharePoint  Used by other SharePoint components (Incremental Crawl for example)  Is table in each Content DataBase (EventCache)  Retention time (60 days default) configurable:  Resource Throttling WebApp in UI  Object Model (ChangeLogRetentionPeriod, ChangeLogExpirationEnabled)  PowerShell  not security-trimmed

The SharePoint ChangeLog - 02  Scopes: List, SPWeb, SPSite, Content database  Objects:  Items, files, folders, List metadata, SPWeb metadata, Security policy, users, and groups  Web application configuration, Global administration settings, Binary deployment, Web Parts and safe controls; Web site, site collection, content database, or Web application configuration  Type Changes: Add, Update, Delete, Rename, Move away from a source list, Move into a destination list

The SharePoint ChangeLog - 03  ChangeLog API:  GetChanges method of SPList, SPWeb, SPSite, and SPContentDatabase  SPChangeCollection (coll. of SPChange objects)  SPChangeQuery  SPChangeToken  Example

Summary  Microsoft has a Sync Framework...  That is implemented in SharePoint  That relays on the SharePoint ChangeLog mechanism...

Questions, Comments, Whatever... Gustavo Velez Avanade Corp.