According to Microsoft definition; the Sync Framework is "a comprehensive synchronization platform enabling collaboration and offline for applications, services and devices with support for any data type, any data store, any transfer protocol, and network topology."
What does it mean for us developers?
Hmmm, I am trying to think about an example here. Take Microsoft Outlook and Microsoft Groove as an example; both are collaboration platforms, can work offline and online, and support many protocols.
Look at the technical options that we have now if we need to build something like this:
- Database Replication
- Offline Application Block
- WCF with Queued Messages
I don't know of any other option, but each of the above options has different approach and has issues and limitations as well.
The Sync framework is coming to put a uniform way of building applications like Outlook without pain, the framework is now addressing Data, files and feeds synchronization in addition to having the ability to role your own providers; think about synchronizing an Oracle database with an Outlook folder or a SharePoint list.
The concept is discussed in Introduction to the Microsoft Sync Framework Runtime , while the motivations, goals and approach is briefly discussed by Moe Khosravy the Lead Program Manager on his article Next Generation Synchronization Framework or watch him talk about it on Channel8 http://channel8.msdn.com/Posts/Sync-your-Facebook-with-your-phone-Whats-the-Sync-Framework/
There is also a number of Screen casts http://blogs.msdn.com/sync/archive/2008/01/14/microsoft-sync-framework-sync-services-for-ado-net-video-webcasts.aspx
So, what are you waiting for, go ahead and download the SDK (http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyId=C88BA2D1-CEF3-4149-B301-9B056E7FB1E6&displaylang=en) and start playing.
Interested on the subject, or have played with it … let me know by commenting on this post
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