The information in this article applies to:
PracticeMaster Basic and PracticeMaster Premier can integrate with BlackBerry handheld devices via Microsoft Outlook. Through Outlook, e-mail, contacts/related parties, tasks, and calendar appointments can be shared between BlackBerry, PracticeMaster, and Outlook. The link between BlackBerry and PracticeMaster is dependent on the integration between Outlook and PracticeMaster and Outlook and BlackBerry. This article provides an overview of BlackBerry and describes how the integration between PracticeMaster and BlackBerry can be configured through Outlook.
BlackBerry Desktop Software
How to Link BlackBerry with PIM Software
BlackBerry Enterprise Solution™
BlackBerry® Desktop Redirector
BlackBerry Internet Service™
How PracticeMaster, BlackBerry, and Outlook Interact
BlackBerry and Outlook
PracticeMaster and Outlook
PracticeMaster, BlackBerry and
Outlook
Details on PracticeMaster, BlackBerry, and Outlook Integration
Personal E-mail Folders
Sent Mail to PracticeMaster Journal Records
Contact, Task, and Calendar Appointment Updates
BlackBerry Enterprise Server for Microsoft Exchange
BlackBerry Desktop Redirector
Mapping Changes
Private Contacts
Conflict Resolution Between BlackBerry and Outlook
BlackBerry E-mail Configurations
How to Synchronize Information From Outlook to PracticeMaster
BlackBerry is a handheld device developed by Research in Motion Limited (RIM) that can be used as a replacement for a separate mobile phone, organizer, and PDA. It syncs with a user's PC and allows the user to view and edit contacts, tasks, and calendar appointments, send e-mail, send and receive phone calls, and send text-messages. With the BlackBerry “push” technology, e-mails that are sent to a user’s e-mail account are also "pushed" to the BlackBerry.
Note: BlackBerry handheld devices run under the BlackBerry operating system. The current operating system version is BlackBerry OS 4.
All BlackBerry handhelds include BlackBerry Desktop Software called Desktop Manager, which is installed on the computer. This software is used to integrate e-mail, calendar, address book, memopad, and tasks between BlackBerry and compliant Personal Information Manager (PIM) software, such as Microsoft Outlook. Synchronization is done using Pumatech™ Intellisync® software, which is provided with the BlackBerry Desktop Software. There are customizable integration settings for each application, allowing users to import information from PIM software to BlackBerry, export information from BlackBerry to PIM software or synchronize information using two-way integration.
There are several ways in which BlackBerry can be linked to PIM software. The method chosen depends on what e-mail software is being used and how the user wants the BlackBerry and PIM software to interact.
BlackBerry Enterprise Solution™
Use the BlackBerry® Enterprise Solution as a complete wireless platform to extend the benefits of your messaging and collaboration environment and other tools to your mobile professionals. The BlackBerry Enterprise Solution provides push-based access to email; calendar, contacts, tasks and notes; instant messaging; web-based applications and services and enterprise applications.
Technical Note: This method uses the standard triple data encryption standard (Triple DES) to secure the data that is sent between the BlackBerry and e-mail client.
BlackBerry® Desktop Redirector
BlackBerry Desktop Redirector allows integration of BlackBerry with Microsoft Outlook using BlackBerry Desktop Redirector software. BlackBerry Desktop Redirector is only available for Microsoft Outlook users. It allows for real-time transfer of e-mail, but changes to contacts, tasks, and calendar appointments must be manually synced between the BlackBerry and Outlook. The user must be running the Redirector on their computer to receive any e-mails or to sync the BlackBerry with Outlook.
Technical Note: This method uses the triple data encryption standard (Triple DES) to secure the data that is sent between the BlackBerry and e-mail client.
BlackBerry Internet Service™
BlackBerry Internet Service allows integration of BlackBerry with a number of personal and corporate Web-based e-mail programs. This type of integration is typically chosen if the user is looking for an inexpensive integration solution, does not have Outlook, wants to set up a new e-mail account specifically for the BlackBerry, or wants to use more than one account for sending and receiving e-mails. It also may be chosen if a user wants to maintain all contact and calendar information on a remote server. (Note: Since this integration method does not work with Outlook, it cannot be used to integrate BlackBerry with PracticeMaster.)
Technical Note: The data transfer security between BlackBerry and the e-mail server is not explicitly encrypted and is subject to the security of the network.
It is important to evaluate these three methods of integration between BlackBerry and a PIM software or Web-based e-mail program. It is also important to know the differences between the methods. For example, BlackBerry Enterprise Solution requires BlackBerry Enterprise Server while the other two methods do not. BlackBerry Desktop Redirector requires that the user runs the Redirector software in order to receive e-mails. Also, this method involves a manual sync to transfer contacts, tasks, and calendar appointments. BlackBerry Internet Service uses a Web-based e-mail program and the data transfer between BlackBerry and the e-mail program is not as secure as it is with the other two methods.
BlackBerry presents a very comprehensive comparison of the differences between the integration methods discussed here in their Knowledge Base Article 03652, "Comparing BlackBerry Desktop Redirector, BlackBerry Internet service, and BlackBerry Enterprise Server Features."
BlackBerry and PracticeMaster can share e-mail, contacts/related parties, tasks, and calendar appointments through Outlook. The direct links are between Outlook and BlackBerry and between Outlook and PracticeMaster. The following sections describe how this works.
BlackBerry and Outlook can interact using two of the three methods described in the previous section, either BlackBerry Enterprise Solution or BlackBerry Desktop Redirector. As an Outlook user, this gives some flexibility in choosing how to configure the syncing between the two systems. BlackBerry Enterprise Solution uses BlackBerry Enterprise Server for Microsoft Exchange to interact with Outlook whereas BlackBerry Desktop Redirector uses the Redirector software. In order for Outlook to successfully integrate with BlackBerry, Outlook needs to be specified as the default e-mail software on the user's computer.
PracticeMaster and Outlook can also share contacts/related parties, tasks, calendar appointments, and e-mail. Through this integration, users are able to manage their contacts/related parties, tasks, calendar appointments, and e-mail using either PracticeMaster or Outlook. This is especially beneficial because changes made in one system are accessible in the other.
For PracticeMaster to be fully integrated with BlackBerry, Outlook must be used as a "go-between" that facilitates interactions between PracticeMaster and BlackBerry. This means that e-mails, contacts/related parties, tasks, and calendar appointments are available in all three programs. For PracticeMaster to be fully integrated with BlackBerry, the interactions between PracticeMaster and Outlook and between BlackBerry and Outlook must be two-way, thereby creating a virtual two-way link between PracticeMaster and BlackBerry.
|
|
Fig. 1, Two-Way Integration Overview |
Microsoft Outlook and PracticeMaster can integrate contacts/related parties, tasks, calendar appointments, and e-mail. When using BlackBerry Enterprise Server for Microsoft Exchange or BlackBerry Desktop Redirector, BlackBerry and Outlook can also integrate contacts, tasks, calendar appointments, and e-mail. However, the integration acts differently for e-mail than it does for updating contacts/related parties, tasks, and calendar appointments.
Users will receive real-time e-mail updates to the BlackBerry via Outlook. With integration between PracticeMaster and Outlook, any e-mails sent to Outlook will be reflected in PracticeMaster. With integration between BlackBerry and Outlook, e-mails appearing in Outlook will also appear in BlackBerry. If using Desktop Redirector, the user's computer must be running the Redirector software and have a continuous connection to the Internet for updates to occur. With BlackBerry Enterprise Server for Microsoft Exchange, multiple users can receive updates from a single server which must always have an Internet connection, but the user's workstations do not require any special software.
Personal E-mail Folders
Personal e-mail folders in Outlook can be reflected in PracticeMaster and in BlackBerry. Moves or deletes performed in the BlackBerry will be reconciled with Outlook and thus PracticeMaster. Setting the BlackBerry e-mail configurations to reconcile personal folders is done using Intellisync software, which is provided with the BlackBerry Desktop Software.
Sent Mail to PracticeMaster Journal Records
PracticeMaster allows users to save a copy of each e-mail that is sent to or from Outlook as a journal record. To save outgoing BlackBerry e-mails as PracticeMaster journal records, users have two options. The first is to change the settings on the BlackBerry such that all mail sent from BlackBerry is copied to the Sent Items folder in Outlook. The second option is for users to Bcc or Cc themselves on outgoing e-mails sent from the BlackBerry so that these e-mails appear in the Outlook Inbox. The purpose of these options is so the e-mails sent from BlackBerry will appear in Outlook and be accessible in PracticeMaster for filing as journal records.
Note: It is not possible to automatically create journal records from mail sent from BlackBerry devices. Each e-mail message must have a journal record created from Outlook or PracticeMaster E-mail at a later time.
Fig. 2, E-mail Data Flow for PracticeMaster BlackBerry Outlook Integration
Outlook can interact with BlackBerry through two methods, BlackBerry Enterprise Server for Microsoft Exchange or BlackBerry Desktop Redirector. The contacts, tasks, and calendar appointments are updated differently in BlackBerry Enterprise Server for Microsoft Exchange versus BlackBerry Desktop Redirector.
Note: With full synchronization of contact/related party information, there may be some integration issues that could arise between Outlook and BlackBerry. To avoid these issues, it is recommended that the conflict resolution settings in the Desktop Software be configured so that the user is notified when a conflict occurs. This is particularly important to avoid issues when working with private contacts in Outlook.
BlackBerry Enterprise Server for Microsoft Exchange
The BlackBerry Enterprise Server for Microsoft Exchange facilitates real-time updates to contacts, tasks, and calendar appointments. If a change is made in PracticeMaster and that activity is passed to Outlook, it is also reflected in BlackBerry. Information that is updated in BlackBerry is automatically updated in Outlook and must be manually synced from Outlook to PracticeMaster.
Fig. 3, Contacts, Tasks, and Calendar Data Flow using BlackBerry Enterprise Solution
BlackBerry Desktop Redirector
Any changes made in PracticeMaster to contacts/related parties, tasks, or calendar appointments will automatically be reflected in Outlook. Using BlackBerry Desktop Redirector, changes in Outlook will be reflected in BlackBerry and vice versa on the next BlackBerry Outlook sync. As shown in Fig. 4, a manual sync is required for the sharing of contact, task, and calendar appointments between Outlook and BlackBerry. New changes in Outlook will be reflected in PracticeMaster on the next Outlook to PracticeMaster sync.
Fig. 4, Contacts, Tasks, and Calendar Data Flow using Desktop Solution
The integration settings for contacts/related parties, tasks, and calendar appointments can be customized to import, export, or synchronize information.
There are some issues that may arise when integrating BlackBerry, Outlook, and PracticeMaster. These are addressed in this section.
To avoid a known issue with field mappings between PracticeMaster, Outlook and BlackBerry, a change must be made to the default field mappings between Outlook and BlackBerry. This must be done if integrating with either BlackBerry Enterprise Solution or BlackBerry Desktop Redirector.
In PracticeMaster, the Primary Contact and Secondary Contact in the Related Parties tab are mapped by default to User Defined String 1 and User Defined String 2 in Outlook. However, in BlackBerry, Outlook's User Defined String 1 is mapped by default to the BlackBerry's PIN and Outlook's User Defined String 2 is mapped to BlackBerry's Interactive Handheld. Thus, Outlook fields User Defined String 1 and User Defined String 2 are mapped to different locations in PracticeMaster and BlackBerry. Although Primary Contact and Secondary Contact are not required fields in PracticeMaster, it is important that the mappings be changed to avoid future confusion.
To change BlackBerry Outlook mappings
 |
|
Fig. 1, Desktop Manager |
 |
|
Fig. 2, Synchronize Window |
 |
|
Fig. 3, Synchronization Configuration |
 |
|
Fig. 4, Select Device Application window |
 |
|
Fig. 5, Field Mapping |
|
Fig. 6, Direction of Synchronization |
|
|
Fig. 7, Outlook Options |
|
|
Fig. 8, Finish screen |
|
|
Fig. 9, Select device application window |
|
|
Fig. 10, Advanced window |
|
|
Fig. 11, Map Fields window |
The mappings for the fields have now been changed and Outlook no longer interacts with the PIN field in the BlackBerry. It is recommended that you do not change any of the other mappings for BlackBerry and Outlook unless the mappings between PracticeMaster and Outlook are different than the default. In such cases, be particularly careful not to overwrite information that is shared between the three systems.
Users who have integrated PracticeMaster with Outlook may have marked some contacts in Outlook as private so that they do not transfer to PracticeMaster. However, BlackBerry does not have a setting to mark contacts as private. Thus, when integrating the three systems, it is important to use caution if the user does not want private contacts to appear in BlackBerry. If a user has decided to exclude private contacts in BlackBerry, please note the following in order to avoid integration issues with private contacts between BlackBerry and Outlook.
Tips to avoid integration issues with private contacts between BlackBerry and Outlook.
The following describes special cases of private contact integration issues and how to resolve or avoid the issues.
|
Issue |
Resolution |
|
|
Case 1 |
Let's say a contact exists in both BlackBerry and Outlook. If a field is changed for that contact in Outlook and the entry is made private in Outlook, this change is reflected in BlackBerry but the contact is deleted from Outlook. |
If a contact needs to be changed from public to private in Outlook, set the conflict resolution settings to notify you when the conflict occurs. If you choose the Re-sync option on the confirmation screen, it will give you a different choice for how to resolve the conflict. |
|
Case 2 |
BlackBerry does not have a field indicating that a contact is public or private. If a change is made regarding the privacy settings such that private data is no longer excluded, the contact in BlackBerry will be transferred to Outlook as public on the next sync. |
If changing the privacy settings to no longer exclude private data, set the conflict resolution settings to notify you when a conflict occurs. This will notify you of any additions to your Outlook address book. Choosing the Details option on the confirmation screen will show you the individual contacts being added. Make note of these and mark them as private in Outlook after sync is complete. |
It is important to have the conflict resolution settings configured such that the user will be notified before making a deletion. This catches the errors and allows the user to make changes before the contact is permanently deleted from Outlook.
To keep contacts marked as private in Outlook from being transferred to BlackBerry, you must set a filter that excludes private data.
To set the exclude private data filter
 |
|
Fig. 12, Filters |
It is recommended that users choose Notify me when conflicts occur as their conflict resolution setting to avoid any inadvertent deletion of information. The second best option is MS Outlook Wins. These choices minimize the risk of duplicating contact, task, and calendar appointments, which will happen if the user chooses to add all conflicting items. Also, it is likely that most significant changes will be made in PracticeMaster or Outlook. Thus, it is best to either force Outlook to always win or to prompt before making any changes.
To configure the conflict resolution settings
 |
|
Fig. 13, Conflict Resolution |
The BlackBerry e-mail feature can be configured such that the content of personal folders in the BlackBerry handheld can be transferred to Outlook, and then to PracticeMaster for filing as PracticeMaster journal records. This means that if a user reads an e-mail from the handheld and moves it to a personal folder in the handheld, that move will be reflected in Outlook. Thus, that e-mail will automatically be accessible in PracticeMaster, in the same personal folder, for filing as a PracticeMaster journal record.
To configure BlackBerry e-mail settings
|
Fig. 14, Configure Reconciliation |
Synchronization of information from Outlook to PracticeMaster must be done manually.
To synchronize information from Outlook to PracticeMaster
BlackBerry handheld components include a full keyboard, screen, escape button, and scroll wheel. The following image shows
the BlackBerry Storm and BlackBerry Curve.
 |
|
Fig. 15, BlackBerry Storm and BlackBerry Curve |
THE INFORMATION PROVIDED IN THE SOFTWARE TECHNOLOGY, INC. KNOWLEDGE BASE IS PROVIDED "AS IS" WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND. SOFTWARE TECHNOLOGY, INC. DISCLAIMS ALL WARRANTIES, EITHER EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING THE WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY AND FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. IN NO EVENT SHALL SOFTWARE TECHNOLOGY, INC. OR ITS SUPPLIERS BE LIABLE FOR ANY DAMAGES WHATSOEVER INCLUDING DIRECT, INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, CONSEQUENTIAL, LOSS OF BUSINESS PROFITS OR SPECIAL DAMAGES, EVEN IF SOFTWARE TECHNOLOGY, INC. OR ITS SUPPLIERS HAVE BEEN ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGES. SOME STATES DO NOT ALLOW THE EXCLUSION OR LIMITATION OF LIABILITY FOR CONSEQUENTIAL OR INCIDENTAL DAMAGES SO THE FOREGOING LIMITATION MAY NOT APPLY.
© 1999-2010 Software Technology, Inc. All rights
reserved. Terms of Use
The maker of Tabs3 and PracticeMaster
Tabs3, PracticeMaster, and the “pinwheel” symbol (
) are registered trademarks of Software Technology, Inc.
e-Mail Suggestions for the Knowledge Base to: kb@Tabs3.com
Technical Support via e-mail is not available.
Knowledge Base: http://support.Tabs3.com
Web Site: http://www.Tabs3.com
