Integration Between PracticeMaster, Outlook, & Handheld Devices

Last reviewed: 07/19/2010
Article ID: R11044

The information in this article applies to:

Summary

PracticeMaster can be configured to integrate calendar and contact information with Microsoft Outlook. PracticeMaster can also be configured to integrate calendar, contact, and client information with Palm OS® compatible handhelds using the PracticeMaster Palm Conduits. Additionally, PracticeMaster can integrate with handheld devices and smartphones that use an operating system other than Palm OS®, such as BlackBerry®, iPhone™, Palm® Pre™, via Outlook. This article discusses how the integration can be configured among all three systems in order to prevent duplicate information in each application.

Methods of Integration

The following diagrams illustrate two different methods for integrating PracticeMaster, Outlook and handheld devices. Each method displays a different program as the common program that synchronizes information to the other two programs, thereby representing a "synchronization triangle".

Methods of Integration

When configuring integration for the three systems, it is imperative that the synchronization triangle is not completed. In most cases, duplicate entries will result if the synchronization triangle is completed due to the way each system tracks the record links between systems. For example:

Selecting a Method of Integration

Method 1 - Using PracticeMaster as the Common Program

As a PracticeMaster user, Method 1 (using PracticeMaster as the common synchronization program) is the recommended method of synchronization when using a Palm OS® compatible device. When using Method 1, the PracticeMaster Palm Conduits are used to synchronize the information between PracticeMaster and the Palm OS® compatible device. When using Method 2, various Outlook Conduits are used to synchronize information between Outlook and the handheld device. Several different companies have written Outlook Conduits.

How Information is Synchronized When Using Method 1

When using a Palm OS® compatible handheld, Method 1 is preferred. The following table shows how information synchronizes between PracticeMaster, Outlook and the Palm OS® compatible handheld. The arrows in the Direction columns indicate which direction information is synchronized. As you can see, when using PracticeMaster as the common program, all adds, changes and deletions are passed to Outlook and Palm.

Outlook

Direction

PracticeMaster

Direction

Palm OS®
Compatible Handheld

 

 

Clients

 

 

 

 

Adds

right arrow

Contacts/Address Book

 

Changes

both ways

 

Deletions

right arrow

 

 

Related Parties

 

 

Contacts

both ways

Adds

both ways

Contacts/Address Book

both ways

Changes

both ways

left arrow

Deletions

right arrow

 

 

Events/Tasks

 

 


Calendar/Task List

both ways

Adds

both ways

Calendar/Date Book
Tasks/To Do List

both ways

Changes

both ways

both ways

Deletions

both ways

Method 2 - Using Outlook as the Common Program

If you choose to synchronize using Method 2, Outlook Conduits are used to pass information between Outlook and the handheld device. In order to prevent duplicate entries in PracticeMaster, you will most likely need to change the conflict resolution setting in the Outlook Conduits. By default, Outlook Conduits are usually configured to create a duplicate entry when a conflict occurs. A conflict occurs when matching records have been changed in both systems before the next HotSync. Conflicts can occur quite frequently because of how each system tracks information. For example, PracticeMaster adds a sequence number to Outlook records. When the sequence number is added by PracticeMaster, Outlook considers the record as changed. If the matching record on the handheld device is also changed, the next time a HotSync is performed, the Outlook Conduits will create a duplicate entry (provided it is configured to do so). The duplicated entry will then be treated as a new entry and will be synced to PracticeMaster the next time Outlook and PracticeMaster are synchronized, thus resulting in duplicates in all three systems. Therefore, to prevent duplicate entries, you must change the conflict resolution to "Outlook Wins".

If most of your changes are made on the handheld, you may want to choose "Handheld Wins". However, before selecting and running with the "Handheld Wins" conflict resolution option, you need to determine how the handheld actually resolves the conflict with Outlook. Some handhelds may remove the PracticeMaster sequence number during the resolution causing records to be deleted or duplicated in PracticeMaster, Outlook and/or the handheld. To determine whether the PracticeMaster tracking information is deleted, use the following procedure. (Note: The following procedure assumes that PracticeMaster and Outlook are configured for two-way synchronization and the Outlook Conduits are set to "Handheld Wins".)

  1. Add a calendar record in PracticeMaster. (This record will automatically sync to Outlook.)
  2. HotSync Outlook and the handheld so that the PracticeMaster record is in the handheld.
  3. Make a change to the record in the handheld.
  4. Make a different change to the record in Outlook.
  5. HotSync Outlook and the handheld.
  6. Determine if the record in Outlook still has the PracticeMaster sequence number using the following procedure:
    1. In Outlook, open the event or task.
    2. Depending on the version of Outlook that you are using, perform one of the following:
      • In Outlook 2007, open the Developer ribbon, point to Form and select Design This Form.
      • In Outlook 2003, from the Tools menu, point to Forms and select Design This Form.
    3. On the All Fields tab, determine if an STISeqNo and STIUpdate value exists.

Changing the Outlook Conflict Resolution

The conflict resolution setting can usually be changed by clicking the HotSync Manager icon in the Windows system tray and selecting Custom. In some cases, a third party application must be used to change the settings. See your device's documentation if necessary. Keep in mind that when selecting "Outlook Wins", changes made in the handheld device may be lost. Likewise, when selecting "Handheld Wins", changes made in Outlook may be lost.

Technical Information Regarding How PracticeMaster Tracks the Integration

When PracticeMaster is integrated with Outlook and a Palm OS® compatible handheld, PracticeMaster tracks information as follows:

When integrating with Outlook - When a record is integrated between PracticeMaster and Outlook, PracticeMaster modifies the Outlook record to contain a sequence number field to maintain the link between the records in the two systems.

When integrating with Palm - When the PracticeMaster Conduits are used to integrate with a Palm OS® compatible handheld, "snapshots" of the records that were synchronized are stored on the computer syncing the information in the palm user directory (e.g., c:\palm\kari\todo). These files are used the next time a HotSync is performed to determine which records were changed since the last HotSync. This is one reason why it is so critical to ALWAYS HotSync from the same computer.

Mixing Conduits

Some users may want to configure PracticeMaster Palm Conduits to HotSync some information and Outlook Conduits to HotSync other information. The user must make sure that only 1 contact, 1 event, and 1 task conduit is set to HotSync from either program. For example, a user may use PracticeMaster Conduits to HotSync Calendar, Tasks and Contacts but use Outlook Conduits to HotSync Notes. Or, if the user wants the PracticeMaster Calendar/Task Conduits and the Outlook Contacts Conduit to HotSync with the Palm, then they wouldn't install the PracticeMaster Contact conduit. Some Outlook Conduits may not support mixing conduits, so third party conduits such as Intellisync may need to be used.

Before you Begin

Prior to integrating the three systems of the triangle, it is important that you verify the accuracy and integrity of the data. Following these steps will help to avoid duplication of entries on the first or subsequent synchronizations.

Setting up the Synchronization for Method 1

New Outlook User

New PracticeMaster User

New Palm OS® Compatible Handheld User

New PracticeMaster and Outlook User

The information Stored in each system

In many cases, installing Palm Desktop also provides the opportunity to install Outlook conduits for synchronizing Outlook records with the Palm. Newer devices also have wireless sync capabilities installed by default which synchronize information to Outlook. It can be difficult to determine which of these methods should be used to synchronize information to your Palm. When integrating Outlook, PracticeMaster, and Palm, it is necessary to configure the integration between the programs carefully in order to avoid any duplication of information. When a record is integrated between PracticeMaster and Outlook, PracticeMaster modifies the Outlook record to contain a sequence number field to maintain the link between the records. If the handheld is then synchronized with Outlook, the handheld will recognize that the Outlook record has been modified and will use the Conflict Resolution settings to determine the appropriate action. By default, the Outlook Palm conduits are set to duplicate records. This will create a duplicate of the record in both the Palm and in Outlook. If Outlook is then synchronized to PracticeMaster, there will be duplicate records in all three programs. This is just one example of how duplicates can occur when integrating PracticeMaster, Outlook, and Palm.

Tips

Create a backup prior to synchronizing after a change in conduits.
Whether you've made a change in the synchronization preferences or uninstalled the PracticeMaster Palm Conduits, make sure that you create a backup of your system prior to performing a HotSync.
HotSync with Palm Desktop prior to installing conduits.
In order for the PracticeMaster conduits to be installed, the handheld MUST be able to synchronize with Palm Desktop. In addition to verifying that the HotSync is working properly, syncing with Palm Desktop will backup your current data prior to synchronizing with PracticeMaster. It is also recommended that you ensure that the handheld is not syncing with Outlook PRIOR to installing the PracticeMaster conduits.
Let PracticeMaster resolve conflicts.
Setting the Conflict Resolution to Use PracticeMaster to Resolve Conflicts can help to ensure that your PracticeMaster data doesn't get overwritten accidentally if the record was changed in both the handheld and PracticeMaster, or if the record is synchronized to Outlook and modified in the handheld.
When resolving duplicates, make sure you delete the correct entry.
When integrating with all systems, it can be difficult to keep track of which entry is actually the duplicate. If you are deleting an entry in Outlook, make sure that the entry you delete does not have a PracticeMaster sequence number associated with it. Do NOT modify this field under any circumstances as duplication will occur during the next synchronization.
Be aware of all synchronization settings.
With the new functionality available for handhelds, it is important that you stay aware of all synchronization settings. For example, many devices have a wireless sync program that will synchronize with Outlook automatically. Some of these programs require the user to manually enable the handheld to synchronize with other programs within the setup of the wireless sync program. Often the data could be synchronizing both with PracticeMaster via the Palm Conduits and with Outlook via the wireless sync program. If the Outlook synchronization is enabled in PracticeMaster, duplication will likely occur. It is important that all synchronization programs are monitored to avoid duplication of data.

frequently asked questions

I ran a synchronization and now I have duplicates in my Palm OS® compatible handheld and PracticeMaster. How do I remove the duplicates and synchronize my systems without creating more duplicates?
In order to remove duplicates from all systems, delete the duplicate entry in PracticeMaster first. Make sure each duplicate entry was removed in Outlook. Create a backup in PracticeMaster. If there is no information in the Palm that is not in PracticeMaster, you can use the HotSync Action Overwrite ALL entries in the Palm (next sync only), which will completely erase all of the entries in the Palm for that conduit, then synchronize PracticeMaster entries into the Palm according to the conduit preferences you have set up. This will ensure that no duplication occurs. If there is information in the Palm that you need to retain, manually delete the entries in the Palm that were duplicated and run the synchronization.
I need to uninstall the PracticeMaster Palm Conduits. Will this create a problem?
Normally this will not create a problem. However, when the PracticeMaster Palm Conduits are uninstalled, the default conduits will be enabled. If the Outlook conduits were the default conduits when the PracticeMaster conduits were configured, they would have been set to Do Nothing. When PracticeMaster enables the default Palm conduits, the Outlook conduits will be enabled, and will attempt a recovery sync the next time the synchronization is performed. This will restore all entries that have been changed since the PracticeMaster Palm conduits were installed. Make sure that the Outlook conduits are not installed prior to running the HotSync. It is recommended that a backup is created in each system prior to performing a HotSync whenever any change to the conduits is made.
I have entries in my handheld that I want to synchronize with PracticeMaster, but not with Outlook. How can I do this?
Mark the entries as private in the handheld and set the Palm Conduits to synchronize private entries. Set the Outlook synchronization to not synchronize private entries.
I synchronized my handheld with PracticeMaster. The entries aren't synchronizing with Outlook, though I have the integration enabled. How do I get the entries into Outlook?
Records entered into the handheld are not automatically synchronized to Outlook when the HotSync is performed. In order to get the entry into Outlook, run the manual sync with Outlook. In order to have new records synchronized automatically into Outlook and integrated with the handheld when the HotSync is run without having to run the manual Outlook sync, perform the data entry in PracticeMaster.

References

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